Swamp Delta
Sick Liver Blues
Swamp Tone
CD – DL
Swamp Delta are three parts of the mighty Crazyhead, one part of the utterly insane Gaye Bykers on Acid and one-part guitar slinger Blink Cyclone. That should sell this album to you right there, if not Fighting Boredom tell you why they like it right here.
‘Love is hard as you get old’. Teenagers don’t stay young. Leather jackets crease and dry, tee-shirts fade and shred and hair gets shorter, tidier and less bright. When teenagers grow away from all their nihilistic pain and spots; underneath they still need that bright hot rock’n’roll vibe. We might be pushing forty or fifty but inside we still need to smash stuff up and howl up at the moon. Our hair might not be backcombed or down to our waists but those angel’s wings still carry us up into the clouds. Time Has Taken Its Toll On You indeed.
So yes, those delinquents from the indie discos and bedsit smoking sessions have rematerialized and even have an album out, you might think it would be rehashed half ideas from old men. But you know what, it’s a glorious way to continue the Grebo, drugged up legacy. Just for the record, I loved Crazyhead and had a huge soft spot for GBOA, but even if I hadn’t this record still stands.
They give us glorious garage rock’n’roll. Vom’s drums still break down your inhibitions and make you move to the groove. Robber’s bass is laying down its own path, worming into your brain as Pork Beast and Blink Cyclone take it in turns with the guitars, well I say take it in turns, it’s more like a fight. Add to this the long missed Anderson vocal that goes from Gravelly to Punky to the classic Anderson feel of Heavy Water, and you know why you really should be playing this.
I could talk you through the tracks but I don’t need to. You get mostly the sleazy dirty garage punk rock’n’roll, but you also get the upbeat Talking to the Girls (on ST 51) an ode to getting older and still noticing girls. But the real swerve ball is the drugged out greasy ‘Touch the Sun’ with its slow crawl.
The feel of the album is of a dirty, sexy groove with an old guy’s attitude and a young man’s heart. Swamp Delta, recapture that feeling with Sick Liver Blues.
You can buy the Swamp Delta album from their Bandcamp page. They are also on Facebook.
All words by Adrian Bloxham.
