John Swardson | Ablaze
John Swardson resides in Minneapolis, and his debut album, “Ablaze” showcases a who’s who of the establishment Minneapolis rock scene. This guy is plugged in!
Guest musicians on Ablaze include members of The AKA’s, Janis Figure, The Hang Ups, The Great Depression, Houston, The Spittin’ Cobras, Son Volt, Ben Weaver, Blue Dot Trance, a member of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, and rock god, Mark Mallman. And just to add a little bit of down-home feeling, his sister adds some backup vocals. In all, 12 guests perform on Ablaze, a sophisticated and smart album which took two years to record.
The album kicks off with “Faster”, a beautiful song that will put you in a trance with it’s sad violin part, which is carefully layered on top of a softly strumming guitar and light-hitting drums.
Next, the album moves into it’s title track, which could easily be the soundtrack to a coming-of-age motorcycle trip movie. It is mature and sonically appealing.
From here, Ablaze gets more into the rock vibe with “1989″, “Beautiful Day”, and “Steady” before heading back into Swardson’s signature sound with three acoustic ballads. The album finishes with “High Above The Earth”, a compelling ballad that I presume to be about finding meaning in life. Swardson sings:
Say you’re a star. Say you’re hungriest.
Wasted falling off your chair
Say your a star. Say you’re hungriest.
Hanging in space high above the earth.
Say you’re a star. Say you’re hungriest.
Shadow lengthens. Sun slowly sets.
Say your a star. Say you’re hungriest.
Say you’re God. Why should you care?
Say your a star. Falling out of your chair.
Swardson will perform next Wednesday, July 19th at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis.
Summary: Fans of Bob Dylan and Spider John Koerner will find John Swardson’s Ablaze to be an irresistible treat.
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