I was 13 years old the first time I heard the Swingin' Utters—their single ""Glad"" was featured on a compilation from Warped Tour. The speed of the song combined with the punchy delivery of the lead vocals and melodic guitar drew me in, and from there I was hooked. Returning from an eight year recording break with Here, Under Protest, the band still manages that pull, even as their sound is further refined.
The Swingin' Utters have been described as ""hot-rod-cow-punk,"" and I must say that it is a fitting description. With a little twang and a lot of attitude, this band has moved from sounding like they belong in the punk scene of the 1970s to a more contemporary and melodic outfit. Their seventh full-length album is the most mature-sounding record the band has released to date.
""Brand New Lungs"" opens the album with a bang, as the staccato, crunchy guitar cuts through the end of a voice-over. New production techniques are immediately apparent, as the guitar can be heard in perfect stereo, with the lead on your right and the rhythm on your left. This is a departure from earlier records where the guitar was muddy because of the way the songs were mixed. This soundscape is repeated in the drums, as the sharp rap of the snare is heard on the right with the steady pulse of the hi hat and the crash cymbals ringing loud and clear on the left.
The album slows down when it hits the third track, but retains the melodic qualities of the first track, relying on raspy vocals and a catchy guitar part to drive the song forward. By no means is this a throw away track, like I initially thought. ""Bent Collector of 1,000 Limbs"" is sonically different, but it has some interesting guitar work that make it worth a second listen when juxtaposed with the dry delivery of the vocals.
One thing to note as the album spins is that the vocals often sound a little bit different between tracks. This is because there is a revolving cast of vocalists, with Johnny Bonnel, Darius Koski, Jack Dalrymple and Spike Slawson all sharing vocal duties. ""Kick It Over"" is the first track where this switch is extremely noticeable, with the honey-smooth vocals replacing the grit heard on the third cut.
""(You've Got To) Give It All To The Man"" is the shortest, simplest song on the album, but it shows a real diversity to their sound. With a classic feel this song almost sounds like it could have been on a Bad Religion album in the early 90s. Its simplicity makes it a quick, effortless listen, with enough of a guitar hook to hold you captive.
The final track, ""Effortless Amnesiac,"" opens with discordant lead guitar pulsing from the left side before the rhythm guitar comes in with a harmonizing part, playing nicely underneath the crooned vocals. This is probably the most adventurous track on the album, sounding different from almost everything else the band has released. A great closer, this song doesn't entirely fit with the rest of the album, but it is certainly a welcome digression.
The second half of the album shows a great maturation of their sound, with more of their songs relying on melody to carry them rather than the old stand by palm muting and tight vocals. The guys are really letting loose on this record, displaying the musicality they've cultivated in the last 24 years as a band. With the superb mixing and great songwriting, I'd chalk this one up as a win for the band, with shoo-ins for future live-set staples in ""Time On My Own,"" ""Lepers, Thieves and Whores,"" ""Brand New Lungs"" and ""Blindness is Kind.""
