Back to Basics
After living in Southern California for a number of years, Richard Swift has moved to Oregon, where wide-open spaces and pastures, far from urban life, lend well to songwriting and peace of mind. Its a plan that doesnt easily fit the conventional rock n roll lifestyle, but Swift traverses a non-traditional musical landscapewith insights and craftsmanship that spring from no well-trod path. On Dressed Up for the Letdown, Swifts songscarnivalesque, ragtimey and wonderfulstick out like a sore thumb in discussions of contemporary indie rock buzz bands.
Although the Minnesota farm native would rather look around than be looked at (he sings, I made my way into the spotlight just to realize its not what I want on Songs of National Freedom), he has spent a lot of time as a focal point while compelled by an urge to move away from it all with his wife and three daughters.
I live in a town of 9,010 people, says Swift. Thats just how I like it. I want to hopefully be building a house outside of town at some point, but yeah, theres not really too many people around, and I kinda like that. I lived in California for a number of years, and it started to do my head in.
Dressed Up is hardly the cry of a man who needs to clear his head; its dramatically stylish pop, rife with saloon piano romps and tasteful guitar solos that mimic Swifts lifting vocal melodies. Occasional playful psychedelia on the album calls for a vocoder effect or a programmed beat, but an organic structure overshadows everything else. Buildings in America ripples with memorable one-liners (I played your heart, but I broke two strings) and sporadic plinks that linger in corners not fleshed out by acoustic guitar before the whole damn thing shifts into a full-band showstopper of harps, muddied bass lines and swirling background noise. Its a burst of color that seems extraordinarily out of place on this number, but it fits snugly into the magical aesthetic of Dressed Up, a work from someone who sounds like hes seen the whole world 10 times over but would rather retreat to the modest rewards of near-isolation.
Dylan moved out to the country after he got sick of the New York City life and wanted to raise a family, Swift explains. I think its a natural thing for people to do. It seems pretty natural to me. I just want a little bit more of tranquility in my life. Southern California is really tough; you find yourself wondering if you can compromise a bit just so you can pay your incredibly high rent that month, so its a lot easier to keep my overhead low and be able to create 24/7 and have a family and all that stuff. Thats more important than rock n roll to me, really."
April 21, Luna Lounge, 361 Metropolitan Ave. (at Havemeyer St.), Bklyn, 866-468-7619; 8, $10/$12. (also April 22 at Pianos).