Top Albums of 2015: 02) Swervedriver-"I Wasn't Born to Lose You"

It  has always puzzled me that Swervedriver never made it big like most of their label mates on Creation Records. Hailing from Oxford, England, the four-piece stormed into the alternative music scene right as the shoegazing craze was beginning to wind down and the grunge rock scene was beginning to explode. Their debut Raise consisted of no-nonsense rock n’ roll comparable to that of Dinosaur Jr. showered with distortion, droning riffs, and heavy utilization of effect pedals that would make Kevin Shields proud.  Shoegazing had never been so rockin’ until Swervedriver changed the dynamic, but their unique take on the genre was never fully recognized. Many financial and promotional issues occurred with Creation and various other labels they attempted to work with, and the band eventually called it quits in 1998.

I Wasn’t Born to Lose You perfectly illustrates the band at their most confident after their seventeen-year hibernation. Melody still serves as an extremely prominent aspect of Swervedriver’s writing instead of being buried beneath walls of sound like most shoegaze bands, and the overall genre balance remains as uniquely executed as ever before. The swirling waves of drone and distortion serve as the backdrop for the clean guitar riffs and catchy vocal melodies.

One of the many reasons this release has such a high spot on my year end list is the strong connection I have developed with it.  I ended a very long and very emotionally exhausting relationship at the time of its release, and I specifically recall the feeling of warmth and contentment that passed through my mind and body the moment the opening riff for “Autodidact” graced my ear drum for the first time. The initial break up was one of scariest things I have had to do in my short life, but I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of newfound freedom to be myself once I got it over with.

“Time will heal all exit wounds. The time for peace is now, as days have been passed.

This dreamlike reversal of roles, return to what you were when you were just begun.”

Swervedriver’s fifth LP is one impressive hell of a comeback. It may not contain identical emotional value for you, but it remains the ideal summer soundtrack for anyone looking for some rockin’ tunes as they drive off into the sunset.