POST NO. 32: DIFFERENT STROKES FOR SINGER-SONGWRITER FOLKS

Ever heard of Richard Swift? Me neither. He's not the former frontman of a fading indie rock band. He's not a media-hyped alternaboy on a major label. And he's not some long-lost relic from the Seventies. No, you see, he's Richard Swift. And what he does is write pop songs with an undeniable good-for-the-soul hook. He'll appeal to those who know Ron Sexsmith by heart, but while the two share some similarities, in many ways they're quite different. He'll also be of interest to fans of Josh Rouse and Andrew Bird and Tom Waits and Randy Newman (yes, you heard me right). Matter of fact, I'm going to go so far as to say that if you enjoy lo-fi singer-songwriters like M. Ward or hi-fi singer-songwriters like Harry Nilsson, you will dig Richard Swift.

Why such a dichotomy? Well, because Swift's new album, The Collection Vol. 1, packages together two of his albums, The Novelist (an EP from 2003) and Walking Without Effort (from 2005). And the two albums, while sharing some common DNA, are completely different in skin tone. The Novelist sounds as if it was recorded by Joe Meek in the 1950s. The compressed, small-sound production and elements of old-timey jazz lend the album a pre-War feel, yet Swift's songs are grandiose bedroom lullabies that seem to be always attempting to burst the bubble. The end result places the listener in a time-warp confectionery stacked to the ceiling with pop goodies.

As yummy as that may sound, Walking Without Effort -- a fully realized gem that updates Swift's references from the Twenties to the Seventies -- is where the action is. For modern reference that's about as dead-on as it gets, if you could imagine Ron Sexsmith fronting Josh Rouse's 1972 album ... that's Walking Without Effort. Others might simply declare Swift a Jakob Dylan clone, but if you listen closely, I think you'll find such language foolish. But hey, you decide for yourself. Here's an offering from Walking Without Effort, followed by a selection from The Novelist.

Richard Swift - "Beautifulheart"

Richard Swift - "Lady Day"

Once again, props are due to Secretly Canadian, who continue to turn up interesting acts as if they're growing them by planting magic beans in potted soil at their laboratory in Bloomington, Indiana. If these two songs didn't sell ya, don't worry. No two Swift songs are really alike. And luckily for you, you can hear more of his songs at his home on the web. You can also catch him on tour right now (playing tomorrow night in Atlanta with The Poises before doing some dates with Earlimart).