Swimmer debut makes hard rock seem 'Surreal'

At the helm of the group's debut album, "Surreal," is singer Anday McCarron, who owns of one of the most unique voices to come out in the current crop of contemporary musical offerings. A rough description would go something like this: His voice resembles a merging of Bob Dylan with Radiohead's Thom Yorke.

His voice appears odd at first, but after a while becomes something of a musical magnet, pulling the listener into paying attention to every syllable and melody sung.

McCarron croons with all his heart on the slower numbers, like the emotional opening track, "Surreal," and sneers wickedly with cynicism on the more aggressive numbers, like "Kick In The Head," displaying an impressive array of vocal capabilities.

It is not McCarron's singing alone, however, that carries the album, as the music provided by the rest of the group, consisting of guitarist Jeff Thall, bassist James Elliott and drummer Chad Royce, serves well in rounding out the package. On the group's debut, McCarron and company display a musical swagger rich in arrogance and sensitivity, something most bands only manage to hint at with their second or third efforts.

The group is never shy of playing with musical dynamics and resultantly manages to deliver an album's worth of guitar-heavy pop gems. Standout number "Dirty Word," for instance, is destined for heavy radio rotation with its playful and catchy vocal melody matched to a poppy start-stop attack pattern.

"Spaced Out Hat" is another outstanding number that is well complemented by a lush string section. The group proves once more on this song that it is well versed in the methods of milking a song's dynamics to achieve its highest emotional impact.

Production on the album was handled by Dave Jerden, who has worked with a wide range of musicians, including Jane's Addiction, Alice In Chains and Anthrax. His crisp clear work on Swimmer's "Surreal" is a definite plus to the record as he manages to beautifully capture the group's many different moods.

There is nothing "Surreal" about Swimmer's dazzling debut release. It is a solid record, and well worth your investigation.

04-20-99