I visited NPR’s site today and was surprised to see a Swervedriver song posted as part of NPR’s Song of the Day feature. There it is. “Rave Down” off of the recently re-released Raise. And here I had only recently listened to the band for the first time after a friend suggested I check out Mezcal Head.
I did check out Mezcal Head, and I am happy to report that I enjoyed it. It didn’t stay in my rotation, but it was a nice rough-edged addition to the pretty noisiness of that era. It’s good they get to catch a second wind while we ’90s come-uppers settle into our wistful reveries of times when all new things just didn’t sound so derivative or precious. Check out Mezcal Head for yourself below.
I used to have a copy of Mezcal Head, but it disappeared sometime during my sophomore year of university. I don’t recall selling it for beer money, and I don’t recall lending it to anyone. One of those mysteries, I guess…
I don’t know how I go so long with so much music getting past me. One good thing about this ’90s resurgence we have going is that a lot of the bands I should have heard then I’m getting to hear now. Swervedriver rests in that gritty, harder-rock gap between My Bloody Valentine and Seam. Not as distant or dreamy as Hum. Can you suggest anything else? Have you heard Life and Times?
I can’t remember what record it was, but I was just thinking about something I used to have in college that I for some reason don’t think I have anymore. Probably best I can’t think of it now, because I think that, in retrospect, every decision I made to sell a CD ended up being the wrong decision.