THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH Adam Franklin
Mar 30, 2009
From Space Travel Rock and Roll to the Toshack Highway: the Swervedriver frontman is re-entering Earth's orbit.
BY ERIC TISCHLER
For fans of Swervedriver's Adam Franklin, the previous eighteen months have been like Christmas. His 2007 solo debut, Bolts of Melody was followed by reissues of Swervedriver's Raise and Mezcal Head (Second Motion), a reunion tour, and another side project, Magnetic Morning, with Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino. As he cruises through the second year of what feels a lot like a comeback, Franklin will spring a more-assured follow-up to Bolts titled Spent Bullets-and he says he's got a lot more rock to share before the year is out.
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Righting the Wrongs of History
The Swervedriver reunion could seem like a brilliant career move, but fans of the band know that its name is a very apt description of its career trajectory. A brilliant blend of Hendrix and the MC5 via Sonic Youth, los Swervies were criminally overlooked in the alt-rock goldrush: They were less obvious (read: ham-fisted) than tourmates Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins and overshadowed by labelmates and friends My Bloody Valentine. Worse, the band's history of label fuckups meant that what was arguably its best record, psychedelic guitar pop masterpiece Ejector Seat Reservation, was never released in the U.S. (and deleted from UK label Creation's catalog after one week). Their last record, 1997's 99th Dream, landed at Zero Hour-after falling through the cracks at Geffen-just before that label went belly-up. For those who followed the band's fortunes, it seemed like the group's fuel had been exhausted, and the only question that remained was whether history would be kind to their heroes.
Cut to last year's 10-year reunion tour that brought out the faithful and neophytes in droves, and prompted quotes from Radiohead: Even the ever-modest Franklin calls it an unqualified success. "We were all blown away by how well it came together," he says. "The songs sounded great and [it was great] getting out on the road and playing and having these people show how much they love the band."
"Supergroup" Is Not a Pejorative
On the heels of the reunion tour, Franklin released A.M., the first record by Magnetic Morning. A songwriting collaboration with Fogarino, the record is majestic yet relaxed, although standout track "Motorway" is a blistering guitar workout that's in keeping with the Swervedriver legacy. "It's certainly been a creative and artistic success," says Franklin, "and the whole band thing works out fantastically and the crowd response has been great." But Magnetic Morning toured the album in October; the CD didn't come out until this past January. This might suggest that Franklin inherited Swervedriver's label problems but, fortunately, the story doesn't end there. "There's a plan to properly issue [A.M.]. We'd love to do some more touring later this year and take it out to Europe and tour it out there; I think this band will blow a few people away."
Reloaded
Before Magnetic Morning gets a second chance to make a first impression, Franklin is going to give Spent Bullets his best shot. Where Swervedriver tended to sound like a peyote trip aboard a spaceship that's burning up on re-entry, Franklin's post-Swervedriver work, from Toshack Highway onward, has sounded more like a nice, hash-fueled night at home. That's not a knock. The guy has a record collection that extends well beyond Swervedriver's Stooges-meet-Dinosaur Jr. template, and, as on '07's Bolts, he gets to get his record collector geek on, from the Hendrix-meets-Chi-Lites brilliance of "Big Sur" to the psychedelic doo wop of "Bolts of Melody" to the frontier waltz "End Credits," Franklin gets to stretch his wings and really fly. Of course, Franklin doesn't skimp on the rawk, as on opener "Surge" and the slow burning future classic, "It Hurts to See You Go."
But on that album, Franklin sounded like one of the boys in the band-on Bullets, he's front-and-center in a way he hasn't been before. He says recording both albums "was an unbridled joy," but on Bullets you can actually hear that joy. The dude has one of the coolest voices in rock, yet it always played second fiddle to the guitar heroics in Swervedriver. It's a thrill to hear it employed on elaborate backing arrangements throughout; Franklin even scats(!) to wondrous effect on "Big Sur." He pulls out every trick in his seemingly bottomless guitar arsenal: spaghetti western arpeggios, abstract soundscapes, maxed-out delay pedals and wah pedals bubbling over with lava, and they're all employed in service of some great songs.
Back To the Future
In addition to the anticipated solo and Magnetic Morning tours, Swervedriver has had some more offers and Franklin confides with an audible wink, "There are songs that I put to one side that could be Swervedriver songs if the occasion arose." So 2009 sounds good, right? But that's not all! How about a team up with Ride frontman Mark Gardener? "We're thinking of doing some sort of recording, just for shits and giggles."
Apparently it's a slippery slope from shoegazing retiree to hardest working man in show business. Welcome back to Earth, Mr. Franklin.
[Photo Credit: Johnny Moto]
[Go HERE to read about the two recent Swervedriver reissues.]
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