Noise rock. At times chaotic and other times delicate and sparkling.

8 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Noise, ROCK: Punk



Details:
West By Swan has been wheeling its gigantic amps into the bars, cafés and art galleries of its home base of Chico, Calif. since 2003, setting an impressive standard for the cityâs fertile underground music scene along the way, and sharing bills with the likes of Kinski, Rogue Wave, The Double, The Ponys, Swords Project, Kill Me Tomorrow, The Thermals, Timonium, Joel R.L. Phelps, Wow and Flutter, and Roots of Orchis.

The band falls loosely into the grey area of post rock, wandering about on the same sonic terrain as Mogwai or Explosions in the Sky, but with one foot always staying home to kick around riffs with the rockers and the punk kids. Sonic Youth is mucking around in the noise somewhere, as is Fugaziâs insistent heartbeat, pumping fuel onto the fire.

West By Swan makes noisy, chaotic and dangerous music, or delicate, intricate, sparkling musicâfour individual souls wandering, exploring, and always returning to feed off what theyâve learned ⦠and to grow stronger.

Like their contemporaries Kinski in Seattle, West By Swan have spent years filtering all the improvisation, experimentation and noise into an overwhelming way of rocking out. And to their credit, what they've put to this self-produced disc is very faithful to the live experience. Doors are blown off with volume when necessary, but more often things come unhinged in other ways.

âPort to Portâ begins with all four musicians tossing around a tight, muted riff, an undertow sent to drag you away from shore. Cut to a brief pause as notes dissipate into the air just before the weight of every instrument crashes down at full volume, back into the riffâs groove as you are sent reeling with the chaotic sound of one noisy guitar darting around your head.

On "Swarm," dual guitars buzz and dart, swarm-like, chasing giddy-up drums as a runaway bass train threatens to derail it all at any moment.

West By Swan is an impressive source of energy, always precise, delivering emotional swings with conviction and clarity. Plug in, and you're in for an experience that is equal parts comforting and unsettling.