SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS – THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS

THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS
THE CLEARWATER SWIMMERS
NEW MARTIAN RECORDS

How does a roots and slow core combination sound to you?

Well, if it on first pitch sounds a bit incongruous, Portland/NYC band The Clearwater Swimmers escape the possible murky waters of such a combination with their debut self-titled album.

There were always strong melancholy and storytelling streaks going through both slow core and the latter through roots music, and that is where songwriter Sumner Bright and his band shine through the 10 songs here.

Picking up cues on one hand from such roots legends as The Band, and slow core faves as Codeine and Slint on the other, The Clearwater Swimmers make their version of such a combination sound like the two were born to be together and do make their musical waters sound quite clean and thoroughly listenable.

Where they will go from here remains an open question, but this debut should do them quite a lot of good, no matter what.

Artist Links