Swervedriver - Ejector Seat Reservation: Remastered & Expanded

Nov 7, 2008

There really has been very little music of any interest released this week. Being in a hugely nostalgic Creation Records mood already, the recent rerelease of Swervedriver's 1995 LP Ejector Seat Reservation seemed to fit perfectly. Now, Swervedriver were never one of Creation's most feted bands. They always sounded a little out of step with the zeitgeist. When Creation were spearheading the 'shoegazer' movement, Swervedriver, though sharing many of the same influences, well, rocked a little more than their contemporaries. Then there was Adam Franklin's voice. Swervedriver were from Oxford. Franklin sounded like he was from Oxford, Mississippi (well, somewhere in America, anyway). Nevertheless, their first two albums and a slew of EPs showcased an exceptionally talented band who were on occasion able to, despite their faults, merge Spacemen 3 with Sonic Youth to thrilling effect.

By the time of Ejector Seat Reservation, Oasis had of course happened. The effect on 'indie' bands everywhere was huge. Some raised their game, realising that rock'n'roll could still sound raw, dangerous and sell out arenas. Others, often under record company pressure, added a 39 piece orchestra to an otherwise nondescript song and hoped for the best. Ejector Seat Reservation falls between these two stools. It undoubtedly showcased a more ambitious band, with an altogether more eclectic mix of influences than previously thought.

Ironically, though, for an album that seemed designed to be commercially successful, the tunes themselves simply weren't as strong as 'Son of Mustang Ford', 'Never Lose That Feeling', 'Duel' and the like. Produced by Creation's producer du jour Alan Moulder (who I never knew was married to Curve's Toni Halliday, the lucky swine), Ejector Seat Reservation is lighter and more jangly than either Raise or Mezcal Head. 'Son of Jaguar E' is a psychedelic 60s trip by way of The Boo Radleys' Giant Steps. 'How Does it Feel to Look Like Candy' sounds like a cross between 'Drive Blind' era Ride and...'Twisterella' era Ride. 'Bubbling Up' is full of proggy effects which fail to disguise the fact that its riff is taken wholesale from 'Autograph' by The Charlatans.

But while the singles from the first two albums were altogether heavier, they actually had better pop hooks than those here. The Neil Youngisms of 'Last Day on Earth' are complimented by some beautiful strings, but the chorus never appears. 'Superman', with its distorted vocal and dreamy echoes of Pink Floyd is pretty, but doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's as if Swervedriver decided to make an ambitious, commercial but credible indie pop album, bottled it at the last minute and hacked all the choruses out. For that reason, buy 'Raise' and 'Mezcal Head' instead.

Oliver W J Rock

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