Recently I purchased "The Richard Swift Collection: Volume One," a single disc that combines two of Swift’s albums into one, "The Novelist" and "Walking Without Effort." Richard Swift, a native of California, first came to my attention last March during South by Southwest, when two of my friends returned from his show at Emo’s, gloating about the amazing set that I had just missed. The only other thing I knew about Swift prior to my recent purchase was that he had played keyboards on a few Starflyer 59 albums (you can download songs by them here), a plus in my book.
Overall, the double-album, which was released by one of my favorite labels, Secretly Canadian, is a strong, but somewhat uneven release. Combined, the two albums clock in at around 45 minutes, which is pretty standard for a 17 track CD. The problem for me is that the first 8 tracks ("The Novelist") have a far warmer sound to them than the latter half of the disc. There is a richness to the keyboards, and a total lack of guitar throughout, that keeps it interesting from track to track. "Walking Without Effort" on the other hand, while nice, relies heavily on an acoustic guitar that causes the keyboards to play second fiddle, so to speak. Swift’s voice is different on "The Novelist" as well, he has a kind of slurred-form of singing that makes the whole album sound kind of like Rufus Wainwright doing "Franks Wild Years." That method gives way on the second album though to a more standardized form of annunciation.
From "The Novelist"
Lovely Night (mp3)
The Novelist (mp3)
Looking Back, I Should Have Been Home More (mp3)
I wanted to post mostly from "The Novelist," but also give you something I liked from "Walking Without Effort" for comparison. You can also download another song from that album from the Secretly Canadian site, here.
From "Walking Without Effort"
Beautifulheart (mp3)
Also, check out Swift’s Homepage (It’s a hoot!), and his Myspace profile.
–Popkoff
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