Swell Brothers - 2024 - Cosmic Swells

(39:41; Swell Brothers)

After the worldwide success from their debut album, ‘Just A Couple of Swells’, brothers Moses Swell and Dewey Swell are back with their second. As it says on their Bandcamp site, “Things were not always swell for the Swell Brothers but they didn't know. Dad was a drunk who watched old movies on TV. But that was swell with the brothers and led to their love of Old Hollywood. Mom cut hair and made them constantly sweep up. That was swell, too, because the used their brooms to create intricate rhythms and led them into music. Now Ain’t that swell!”. Mind you, one could reasonably argue that in reality we have ex-Muffins Dave Newhouse and Michael Bass having a load of fun, not only in their bio but also on partial transcript of an interview with Dewey and Moses Swell supposedly from a show that Lennie Tristano hosted on PBS TV in NYC - called ‘It’s Better Than It Sounds’ which was “probably” recorded 1970 – 1971 which is well worth checking out.

One might think from the above that everything here is a pisstake, but when it gets down to music both Dave and Michael are deadly serious, as one might expect from two musicians who were playing together in one of the most important Canterbury-influenced progressive rock/avant-jazz bands some 50 years ago. Here we find them expanding on the debut, as while there is still a feeling of Zappa, especially in their more orchestral moments, what one notices is just how far they have expanded their repertoire and while jazz is still at the heart of much of what they are doing, it is very much a starting point as opposed to as opposed to the endgame. It is vibrant, exciting, dynamic and pulsing and with such a great variety one is never sure what is going to come next as while big band jazz may be at the heart of some, it is certainly not there for all. It is tagged by the guys as alternative, galactic pop,  experimental, movie music, neoclassical, new jazz, and space music, but we need to add progressive, modern classical, Canterbury, Zappa, and so much more. Yet again the Swell Brothers have come up with a gem and it will be interesting to hear what is next for Moses and Dewey. 

Kev Rowland, July 2025

Links:
https://swellbrothers1.bandcamp.com/