Swami (2026)
There was a moment in 1994 when Rocket From The Crypt first came on my radar. They didn't immediately hit me the way you might think they did considering how much I've written about them over the years. They were a band that grew on me song by song, release by release culminating in the first time I saw them play live in November of 1995. At that moment everything that had been building coalesced into a blinding ball of energy, pretty much like what happens to Jake at the church in The Blues Brothers. I had seen the light.
Since that moment I've been ruthlessly devouring every noise that John Reis has put out across his myriad of bands and personas. Each different, but each unmistakably Swami (even before Swami was a thing). That brings us to 2026. It's been 32 years of listening to his music and at this point I didn't think it was possible to be surprised, only delighted. And then came Navajo White.
I would argue that (instrumental excursion Back Off Cupids aside) Navajo White is the most unique record in John's entire catalog. It's slower and more deliberate, with atmospheric moments where sounds just sort of hang in the background like bad news as John pushes through the song armed with his trusty downstrokes, seemingly trying to break through the fog of war. All of his usual strengths are here - the guitar work, the sneaky hooks, the powerful delivery - but everything still feels different.
It's an album that seems serious and heavy, like a burden that needed to be released into the world. Where other Swami John Reis records are bombastic, upbeat and borderline celebratory, Navajo White lingers in the darker moments where putting on a brave face and being positive just isn't going to cut it. There's a workman like optimism in here where it feels like a reminder than you can still create something in moments like this that is unmistakably you, but just a different side of you.
It's not possible for me to not love a John Reis record. His distinct sound always comes out in every record he's ever put out, regardless of the band or situation. Navajo White is no different. There isn't another human on this planet that could have made this record, only John. You'll never listen to it and think it's anyone other than him. You'll just marvel as he's taken those touchstones that you are familiar with and done something completely different with them. It's a wild ride.
Swami John Reis - Navajo White:
No comments:
Post a Comment