This EP is succulent. Though ten years old, like fine wine, it only gets better with age. It’s a perfect portrait of the shoegaze genre, and of music itself in my opinion. There’s a beautifully overwhelming quality to it that is in part due to the compression throughout, which instead of stonewalling, enhances the artistry of the track. Through this compression a kind of pleasantly burning sound is achieved, for lack of a better description.
But there isn’t fire alone with this masterpiece by Sway. Simultaneously, there’s a watery modulated sound to the guitars in most cases. The two big names in shoegaze I tend to cite are My Bloody Valentine, and Slowdive, because of the overall atmospheres and emotion that they create with their music, and The Millia Pink and Green is a revival of sorts of their main genre of music; but with a sound that instead of copying, reaches beyond the two bands’ individual styles for a third distinct part of shoegaze. Just listening to the first track sends me into bliss, so with that in mind, you might want to find a special time and place to listen to this release. “Like a mind-altering substance, without the risk” (look up the quotation).
Here’s my TBT:
The EP starts off quickly with a hit of sound. It's immediately enveloping and classic, through huge guitar and sharp drums. This is one of only a handful of songs I mean when I say "shoegaze proper”. The crisp snares ride waves of guitar delays, as the beautifully sung and wonderfully harmonized vocals, heavily drowned in reverb, create yet another atmosphere within the song. Even though the chorus is one word, it’s addictive and massively ethereal. The lyrics seem to be nice (from what I can understand of them), and it just feels like one of those songs you remember. Touches of bass and glockenspiel add to the instantly classic nature of the track, which just solidifies the perfection of “Fall”.
“Sounds Like Everyone” comes next, and is very Slowdive. Processed and layered guitars play drums that slowly fade in over their own reverberations. All of the guitar in the chorus brings out what it might sound like if My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless were part of Slowdive’s Souvlaki. The vocals are harmonized and processed, and again, the compression on this track especially brings out that distinctively well-done burning sound. The end is a complete abandon to the forces of music. It’s a rich phased treat, and the minor key emphasizes a forceful yet soft seriousness like the darker songs by Sigur Ros. Or perhaps this is the song I’ll be referring to in the future about that sound.
“Sullust” is like Slowdive’s ambient work Pygmalion, but with a modern flare. It’s an ethereal sound progressing linearly, without chorus or definable words; only the harmony of massive guitars and vocals, and an underlying drumbeat and bass that supports it well. If there are synths in the track, they are only slightly discernible above the guitars and vocals, and what I think are synths might just be a trick of the mind induced by oceans of reverb. It’s textured so well that it doesn't sound muddled, yet simultaneously it overwhelms the senses with harmonies through vast reverb soundscapes.
“Ever And Ever” is the fourth track, with a great indie tom-based drumbeat, and introspective lyrics like: “Everything we are goes away / All we are is dust”. Guitar and vocals once again amaze. There are loads of resonant tones throughout the track, and the end brings the classic riding shoegaze-style drumbeat back. Staggering harmonies, and sheer love come through level after level of music, which takes more than just a few listens to even begin to explore.
The final track, “Opentillate”, is like what it would sound like if R.E.M. at their musical peak collaborated with Slowdive just before their last album, and Billy Corgan ghostwrote some guitar lines. The levels of resonance bring a bliss to the track unparalleled in most songs, and 90s-alt-rock guitar glows beside harmonies to perfection, a soft but powerful bass, and drums that contain all the elements of the previous tracks. How five tracks like the ones on this EP were ever brought together astounds me, because any band with one of them to their credit deserves praise.
Overall, in a word, perfection; musical sophistication and production quality is through the roof, and I'm in love with this EP. You can download it in CD quality for whatever price pleases you at http://sway.bandcamp.com. Sway has since split up, leaving Andrew Saks as the sole member of Sway. Fortunately, that means we can expect new songs from Sway in the future. If they’re anything close to this, I can’t wait.
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