Swell, Be My Weapon, Wendell Davis: David Freel's Cult Odyssey

 There's a lot of music to enjoy and look forward to these days: personal mixes or a good DJ set are an essential part of celebrations, and I guess most New Year's Eve playlists should be ready as I'm writing this (what's on yours?)... However, there aren't many records coming out or news to get excited about. Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. Sure, the new Beady Eye single is surprisingly good, much better than anyone could have expected from Liam Gallagher. R.E.M's "Discoverer" on the other hand is predictably average. There is also a lot of talk and far too much publicity around the new Gorillaz album, "The Fall", all because it was reportedly recorded and mixed on an iPad while the band toured this year. Judging by the ecstatic reactions on the web and elsewhere, it seems recording on an iPad is the most important and original thing anyone has done in a long time. Well, that's pushing it a bit! All in all it's a very opportunistic move from Damon Albarn and quite symptomatic of the cultural meltdown we have to endure in this day and age. Who cares if he recorded the thing on his mobile phone, his laptop or the latest gadget? Is anyone going to talk about MUSIC?... Besides, the album was supposed to be given away as a free download but I guess someone needed the money and finally "The Fall" is only available for a few privileged fans, streamable for everyone else, and waiting for some proper physical and digital releases (not free at all then), further demonstrating how kind Gorillaz can be to their audience.  


 Ok, enough rambling. There isn't much going on and I don't feel like spending too much time looking back on this year's releases, so why not use the opportunity to talk about an old, mostly forgotten quality band such as Swell, and David Freel's more recent projects Be My Weapon and Wendell Davis? At least, if you go over to Freel's PsychoSpecific page you will find no less than five albums you can download for free (donations accepted, and deserved): Swell's last record "South Of the Rain And Snow", from 2007, the Be My Weapon release "march/2009", and this year's project under the alias Wendell Davis, "1st". Two albums of Swell rarities and b-sides are also offered ("Bastards and Rareities" and "The Lost Album").


 Mp3s are available in either 160kbps or 320kbps, and they sound great - especially the more recent albums. So, what are you waiting for???

                         

Of course, David Freel's songs probably won't be included in your party mix. Swell formed in the late 80's in San Francisco and instantly found a sound all their own, their seductive lo-fi alternative rock propulsed by Sean Kirkpatrick's dry and syncopated drums, Freel's stoned vocals and sharp strumming - soon to be perfectly counterbalanced by Monte Vallier's elegant and loose bass playing. Eight albums and twenty years later Swell have performed and recorded with many different line-ups, often adding a second guitarist to the proceedings, but the Freel/Vallier/Kirkpatrick era is still regarded as the classic incarnation of the band.


 After two self-produced albums, "Swell" and "... well?" (both excellent), this line-up went on to release some of Swell's best music on "41", their 1994 major label debut, but went quickly from being critically acclaimed - and hailed by John Peel himself as the "next big thing" - to being unceremoniously dropped by Warners because of poor sales. They soldiered on regardless and released yet another great album on Beggars Banquet, 1997's "Too Many Days Without Thinking", soon followed by what is probably their masterpiece: 1998's "For All The Beautiful People" (with Rob Ellis on drums). Despite their unique sound, consistently good reviews and the quality of their output, Swell never produced a radio hit and were condemned to obscurity. By then, however, they had developed a relatively small but highly devoted fanbase in the US and in Europe (particularly in France) and remain a cult act to this day.

 Monte Vallier eventually left during the recording of "Everybody Wants To Know" (2001), Swell's most experimental but least loved album, and David Freel became the only driving force in the band, although Sean Kirkpatrick briefly returned to drum on 2003's more conventional "Whenever You're Ready". Many fans believed this record to be Swell's swansong until Freel unexpectedly resurfaced with the brilliant "South Of The Rain And Snow" in the winter of 2007, a back-to-basics affair and by far the most intimate Swell recording, featuring ex-Queens Of The Stone Age drummer Nick Lucero.

 Listening to Swell has never been about "rocking out" or "playing the hits", even though they might have sometimes aimed at both those things earlier on in their career. Pick up any of their records, let it play and you're entering a particular mood, sustained through nearly all of their songs. The experience can be quite soothing, and you often find yourself transported to a chilled-out, reflective state. No wonder they opened for Mazzy Star the night of their first-ever show. When the magic works, David Freel's songwriting and voice have the rare ability to take the listener by the hand and gently lead him/her to another dimension, thanks largely to a great sense of pace and an obsessive attention to detail. The music may come across as bleak, almost miserable at first, but patient listening and repeated plays are greatly rewarding. This man sounds cool, in a way that is very different and infinitely more elegant than the grunge posers his band was once associated with.


 After the release of "South Of The Rain And Snow", Freel decided to distance himself from the name Swell - at least for a while - and put out another two albums, one under the "Be My Weapon" moniker and another using the name Wendell Davis. Both are very good, even more pared down recordings, less immediate than Swell maybe but blessed by some beautiful guitar playing and lots of truly memorable moments as far as songwriting goes. Again, these are carefully detailed works of art that need a few replays to be fully appreciated. But after that, you're bound to get addicted!
  

 Be My Weapon may well be returning with a new album in 2011. Of course, I will let you know, but should you wish to find out more about Swell/Be My Weapon/Wendell Davis there's a pretty useful fansite out there with all the information you need. There is a Swell Facebook page too, with an insightful David Freel interview he did not too long ago. Worth reading if you get into his music.