Album Review: Swift Intruders - 'The Sky Readings'

San Diego “unusual provocative thought rock” band (as labeled by themselves) Swift Intruders, have created a heavily instrument oriented debut album with ‘The Sky Readings’. An attempt to classify this experimental project would have you arrive at something like bass-driven jazz punk, and this classification is personified in opening track, ‘Amber Alert’.

The experimentation that the band undergo throughout this album can be compared to that of Snuffaluffagus, perhaps more obscure even, and this is bound to happen since all three members of Swift Intruders were part of recording the latest album, ‘Port of the Galaxy’. The songs are fairly relaxed and include occasional flourishes and crescendos that allow the more punk characteristic to come out.

The following two songs involve vocal parts, which dabble in soul while at the same time sounding far from the genre. ‘A Cautionary Tale’ in particular could almost be imagined to be coming from a 70’s Motown vocal group of some sort. The lightly distorted guitar parts seem to keep the songs from actually becoming a part of these other genres, and generally keep the album well grounded.

‘Going To Argentina’ features a mechanical-sounding, seemingly meaningless voiceover, which is not really unexpected when it is coming from the kind of band that would post entirely incorrect, but equally as nonsensical, lyrics on their bandcamp. The mechanical sounding voice and what is most probably a random assembly of words fit well together.

A small, but intriguing, aspect of ‘Book On Trash’ is that it uses two snare drums, and the similar parts with slight variations complement each other well. ‘The Data Collector’ though, pushes the experimenting a little bit, at one point including noises, which sound like babies’ voices. This inclusion is confusing and not really aesthetically pleasing, despite the song being quite good otherwise.

This album contains an interesting and rather obscure combination of sounds, which stretch accross genres. There are many redeeming aspects in 'The Sky Readings' which can be appreciated if approached with an open mind. Definitely an album that is worth giving a listen, especially since it is available for free.

1. Amber Alert

2. Song For Brother

3. A Cautionary Tale

4. Going To Argentina

5. Book On Trash

6. The Data Collector

7. That's Life On The Rollercoaster