This is the first time that Headswim's second album Despite Yourself has been released on Vinyl, Twisted Animal records have put together a deluxe double album. Originally released in September 1997 by the Essex based four piece of Matthew and Tom Glendining, Clovis Taylor and Nick Watts it was produced by Steve Osbourne.
The album opens with the bands classic single Torniquet that opens like it wants to sound like Bends era Radiohead, slowly building from there into a dark epic indie rock anthem.
Hype builds over Clovis Taylors heavy bass riff, Dan Glendinning bares his soul, guitars have odd funky elements, against a list of the things you might be promised by a record label on your way up, when the hype is high as an Elephants eye.
Years On Me has thoughtful wonderings on how to get that spark inside you to really glow, low slung slow tune with some interesting percussion from Tom Glendining.
Clinging To The Wreckage everything's gone wrong, his relationship fell apart, how do you find meaning when your bereft, well by being vaguely influenced by Soundgarden.
Better Made ups the tempo, but not the darkness they feel for disintegrating love, wrapped up in strings, accentuating the emptiness they feel. The instrumental break outro goes nicely weird.
Wishing I Was Naive is battered and bruised, trying to bring back the love you no longer feel for them.
Old Angel Midnight is named after one of the rarest and hard to find Jack Kerouac novelettes, while it shares some ideas, it certainly doesn't rework any of Jacks words from a quick look at my copy of the book. Another late-night howl of pain.
Holy Ghost has the most prominent keyboard lines from Nick Watts, Dan deals with his feelings of shame for what went down, taking the love away, couched in strings like he wants to be sipping whisky with his regrets at three in the morning.
Burnt Out Shell Of Bliss sounds like a real come down anthem, you are a total mess, not knowing how to move forwards, keyboards driving you on getting kick started by the monster guitar solo.
Devil In My Palm is drowning in your tears of grungy guitars and laidback drumming, he's searching for salvation down by the riverside in old school preacher mode.
Moving On uses a funky bassline, with weird synths and other effects, he tries to find a way through the malaise to get back a more normal sense of himself. The music gets more experimental with good use of stereo effects.
The original album closed with Brother a heartfelt song from Dan to Tom that gets a little bit over wrought in places.
The bonus songs open with Black Car a song Dan likes enough to use it for the name of his other band, this has a gently strummed acoustic with high keening vocals that get enmeshed in the strings.
Last Subway Coma is desperate depressed stumble into the late-night vomit comet world, slumped comatose piano tinkling away, you've been driven to exile.
Recovery Position acoustically picked thoughts of sad dismay that knowing how to use the Recovery Position has become a necessity no matter how hard it is to recover this relationship, getting back on an even keel, your sadness revealed in the string arrangement.
The Seed finally he almost sounds like his come back out of the funk he's been in, he's asking for someone to dig down and find him, make him whole again. About the happiest tune on this often-bleak redemptive album.
Plagued is a song that could easily work as a single now, rather than in the 90's, feelings that we are living through plagued times never seemed more real than in the last 5 years. This should be on heavy rotation on Planet Rock and similar radio stations. A Great Alternative rock racket for our times rather than the times it was written in.
No Ticket is a great widescreen anthem that should been blasting out of alternative rock club dancefloors.
The album closes with Tourniquet with strings they really add and lift it up a few levels, into monumental alternative rock anthem territory, how this glorious version got shelved by the record company back in the day is a total mystery, this could easily have helped them to get even wider exposure, the video of this version should have been in heavy rotation on MTV and VH1. The proof is below.
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