ARTIST: Richard Swift
TITLE: Dressed Up For The Letdown
LABEL: Secretly Canadian Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 188kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 35m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-02-20
RIP DATE: 2007-02-13
Track List
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1. Dressed Up For The Letdown 3:55
2. The Songs Of National Freedom 3:12
3. Most Of What I Know 4:50
4. Buildings In America 4:05
5. Artist & Repertoire 2:23
6. Kisses For The Masses 3:11
7. P.S. It All Falls Down 3:24
8. Ballad Of You Know Who 5:00
9. The Million Dollar Baby 3:47
10. The Opening Band 2:12
Release Notes:
Richard Swift's sophomore release "Dressed Up For The Letdown" seems to
symbolically call for an end to the age of overdub onslaughts and overrated
studio trickery that have been plaguing records since the advent of the ADAT.
After all... Sly Stone didn't quantize Luv N' Haight; in 1969, Crosby Stills and
Nash weren't Helplessly Hoping auto-tune would be invented; and there's no doubt
in my mind that whoever is responsible for the tambourine on Bob Dylan's Rainy
Day Woman #12 & 35 had gotten stoned (as suggested). Why bring this up? Because
each of the aforementioned songs have remained steadfast against the hourglass
sands, regardless of the lack of digital editing employed during their
respective recordings. You can just smell it in the air, can't you? You know,
the unmistakable fragrance of the impending societal revolt against the modern
milquetoast manifestations of "art"? or is it just me? I mean, who among us
found themselves wishing George Lucas was poor again, whilst miserably enduring
the Star Wars prequels? I see those hands. Sure, it looked cool... sort of...
Personally I'd take Clockwork Orange any day over this green-screen nonsense.
And herein lies the point: just because you can, doesn't necessarily mean you
should. In the spirit of this truth Richard Swift has confidently composed yet
another original masterpiece; employing an archaic attitude of tempered
restraint on a fresh collection of ten songs, without appearing shamelessly
retro or kitschy. Playing a vast majority of the instruments on "Dressed Up"
himself, by virtue Swift has created something that is characteristically his.
And considering his rough-around-the-edges exterior, one could rightly assume
that Swift desires the listener to accept him as an ordinary honest man with
some honest songs -- unmasked blemishes and all. Yet when one engages with Swift
on this narrow-road-less-traveled, one immediately ignores the subtle
imperfections shadowed by the all-consuming white light of well-crafted pop
songs in an analog heaven. In effect he's saying, "Just listen to my songs...
the riffraff in the background is inconsequential." Sure Swift... whatever you
say.
Dare I say fans of "The Richard Swift Collection Vol. 1" will not feel "Dressed
Up For The Letdown", as Swift leads the faithful further into a melancholic
world draped with colorful sonic landscapes.