NOW AVAILABLE ON BEAUTIFUL GATEFOLD VINYL WITH BONUS DISC OF DEMOS!
We realize that you've never heard of Richard Swift. We here at Secretly Canadian will change that. In fact,Richard Swift will consume your life. "The Collection Vol. 1" is a great place to start. The Novelist — Swift'shighly acclaimed, succinct, eight song, nineteen minute and thirty-eight second-long, audiophile archivist exper-iment — immediately ushers the listener deep into the recesses of Swift's creative core for a kaleidoscopic tripaboard an intergalactic vaudevillian steamship with a speakeasy code-word. Yet, The Novelist is only one smallmanifestation of Swift's entire musical manifesto and only one-half of this double-disc set. Walking WithoutEffort — the second disc in the two-disc set — is the first, and perhaps most deceptively complex, yet decisive-ly understated, Swift release to date. A slight step eastward from the eclectic musings of The Novelist, WalkingWithout Effort intentionally paints another image, and baptizes believers born-again into Swift's unique brand ofsonic schizophrenia. Gramophones are replaced by 8-tracks and Persian rugs are covered with shag, as Swiftnods to the early 70's solo efforts of McCartney and Harrison, while waving to Burt Bacharach and VanDyke Parks. They're just passersby as he drives down main street in a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. Don't bescared, be excited that Swift intends on writing and releasing music until the day he dies and intends to nevermake the same record twice... not even on a double-disc.
RICHARD SWIFT - THE NOVELIST / WALKING WITHOUT EFFORTLabel: Velvet Blue Music / Secretly Canadian • Cat. #: SC111lp • Format: 2xLP+CD
Street Date: April 11, 2006
The Novelist: Foreward • Lady Day • Lovely Night • Sadsong St. • Blues for Mother • The Novelist
Ballad of Clifford Swift • Looking Back, I Should Have Been Home More
Walking Without Effort:: Walking Without Effort Theme • Half Lit • In The Air • As I Go • Above & Beneath
Mexico (1977) • Losing Sleep • Not Wasting Time • Beautifulheart
Selling Points1. Tours with the Walkmen, Okkervil River, BrianJonestown Massacre, Earlimart, Jens Lekman andCrystal Skulls since the Sept release of the 2XCD haveearned him a reputation as a killer live performer.2. New album DRESSED UP FOR THE LETDOWNcoming out in the Summer.
3. A series of four 7” singles over the past year and ahalf have nurtured a loyal underground following.
4. For fans of Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann, BobDylan, Jon Brion and Ron Sexsmith.
“Earnestness may be Swift's stock-in-trade... this qualifies as emotional investment ofthe highest order... The first album, The Novelist, is densely arranged, with a bonhomiethat's missing from (Rufus) Wainwright's revisionist cabaret.”Jon Caramanicia, SPIN magazine
