Did you ever realize that “Physical,” Olivia Newton-John’s
schlocky 1981 hit and soundtrack to aerobics videos the world over, had
a low-fi blues-rock hook trapped inside of it, yearning to break free?
Swallows did. So they went to work, let the groove loose, and released
an astonishing cover version on their “Physical” single back in
2004.
Truth be told, it’s not really a cover; it’s more like an
intervention followed by heavy-duty rehab. Guitarist/vocalist Em
Brownlowe and drummer Jon Miller take the song apart, throw away all
but its most essential elements, and rebuild it again on top of a clean
drumbeat, suggestive whispers, and some choice guitar noodling. Sung in
Brownlowe’s alto croon, even the famously terrible lyric “Let me hear
your body talk” sounds somehow sexy.
The “Physical” makeover is a perfect introduction to the quirky
musical logic behind Swallows. The inventive, ambitious, and adorable
duo connected via Chainsaw Records’ online message board after moving
to Portland in the summer of 2003. They released a handful of EPs and
singles, including the EP Physical, before digging in their
heels for last year’s Me with Trees Towering, their first proper
full-length and a solidification of their style to date.
After a label jump from Cherchez la Femme to Church of Girl Records,
Swallows are back this year with new material in the form of the
Cloud Machines EP. Andrew Roberts’ beautiful cover artwork shows
two swallow-like birds flying across a crumbling urban streetscape,
with a factory streaming brown smoke in the distance.
Cloud Machines‘ second song, “When You’re in Love,” falls a
bit flat (sample lyric: “‘Cause when you’re in love/nothing else
matters/Yeah, when you’re in love/you smell the flowers”). But Miller
and Brownlowe are in fine form elsewhere, particularly “Twilight’s Last
Hour,” in which Brownlowe gets a chance to show off her formidable
16th-note-shredding axe skills. “Everyone on Trial” and “Language Is
Restless” offer more riffage, plus richer vocals and a political
subtext. They showcase a band coming into its own, capitalizing on its
potential, and—dare I say it?—getting physical. Ms.
Newton-John would surely approve.