Swims - Swims EP [Distile - 2006]Swims are a duo from Sacramento, California consisting of Paul Slack on Bass and Mark Rocha on drums. This six song EP is their debut, released on French label Distile, not to be confused with American label Destijl Records. The music is expansive for a duo; Slack is an amazingly proficient bass player. His playing sounds like a guitar as well as a bass at the same time on several ocassions. So much so that I had to check to the credits to make sure there weren't any guest appearances. Rocha is a tight, hard hitting drummer, who is not without finesse. It's hard to tell if the music is composed or improvised, but I would be inclined to guess the former. The music reminds me a lot of 90's post rock band Don Caballero, because it's very busy and pummeling. There's a bit of a later period King Crimson vibe to these tunes as well, because there are shifting rhythms and intertwining bass lines. The sheer technical prowess on display here is certainly impressive. The detraction is that the quality of the songs do not match the quality of the performances. The tracks sound too much alike, and it starts to sound a bit like two good musicians who are simply showing off. You can't really say its bad, because these guys can play, but you can say that it's got no soul. Erwin Michelfelder
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