Swami (2025, Reissue)
Long one of the records at the tippy top of my 'never released on vinyl' want list has been the second Sultans long player, Shipwrecked. When this was originally scheduled to be released in 2004, I was pretty excited, having enjoyed the stripped down, garage blasts of their first album. In no way was I prepared for the fairly dramatic departure that Shipwrecked was. Gone was the impenetrable wall of fuzz from Ghost Ship and in its place were jangly guitars that flirted with power pop sensibilities.
When John Reis, errr...I mean Slasher, is playing guitar, his sound is always going to come through in some capacity, though these tones and arrangements weren't something that was as familiar in his work up to that point. Shipwrecked wades into raucous pop with bright, shiny guitar chords that are still anchored in the sound that is recognizable to fans of Rocket From the Crypt, Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu, etc. It was something of a harbinger to the later Night Marchers records, but was also parked a little more firmly in a throwback to the 70s.
I have loved this record since the moment it first came out and I've been desperately hoping for a vinyl release for decades. The Swami finally came through with this reissue. The entire album sounds fantastic and it's clear there's been some sprucing up in terms of sound quality. Everything sounds a little richer and clearer. In addition to the album tracks we've got four bonuses. "Permission to Bored and "Blow Up" from the Walk Of Shame 7" are included along with "Empty Hole" from the Swami Southwest Seance compilation 7".
To make things even better, there's a previously unreleased song, "Out Of Focus." With it's jagged guitar riff and booming chorus, it fits in perfectly with the rest of the songs and makes this absolutely the definitive version of Shipwrecked. Thank the Swami I can finally play this on my turntable, the way it was always meant to be listened to.
