''Rave Down'' is the second EP by English

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

Swervedriver Swervedriver are an English alternative rock band formed in Oxford in 1989 around core members Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge. Between 1989 and 1998, the band released four studio albums and numerous EPs and singles despite a considerable ...

. Produced and recorded by Anjali Dutt and the band, it was released in November 1990, through

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and

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. The title track of the EP was included in the band's debut album, ''

Raise Raise may refer to: Music *''Raise!'', a 1981 album by Earth, Wind, and Fire * '' Raise'' (album), a 1991 album by Swervedriver *'' Raised'', a 2022 album by Hailey Whitters Place names * Raise, Cumbria, England * Raise (Lake District), a m ...

'' (1991).

Background

''Rave Down'' is the second of a string of EPs that was released in early 1990s by Swervedriver, following '' Son of Mustang Ford'' (1990) and preceding ''

Sandblasted Sandblasting, sometimes known as abrasive blasting, is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove sur ...

'' (1991). It was recorded and mixed at Jam Studios.

Critical reception

Andy Kellman of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote: "The bulldozing, bass-driven,

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, the band was forced to change their name because of legal issues. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter) ...

-meets- Stooges onslaught continues in fine form." On the title track, he commented that "it is undeniably one of Swervedriver's all-time career highs, churning and chugging with that effortless flair they often possessed." Nevertheless, he also wrote that "B-sides are anything but afterthoughts or gap fillers," further explaining that "Afterglow" is the best of the extra material on the EP.

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

critic

Mary Anne Hobbs Mary Anne Hobbs (born 16 May 1964) is an English DJ and music journalist from Lancashire, England. She currently hosts on BBC Radio 6 Music. She is also a performer and curator of live events. In 2024 she created a ground-breaking collaboration ...

called its title track "a cyclone of wild, swollen riff machinery that sounds like it's been played with dislocated shoulder joints," and stated that the track "She's Beside Herself" is the only one

rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage, support and transportation * Amp rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Autorack or auto carrier, for transporting vehicles in freight trains * Baker's rack, for bread and other bake ...

in which any other influence - an almost distinguished Costello-like vocal quality, oddly- is really discernible through Swervedriver's shredder-static." The EP was made single of the week by a heavy metal magazine, which prompted band's bassist Adi Vines to describe their style as "ethereal metal."

Track listing

All tracks written by Swervedriver. # "Rave Down" – 5:07 # "She's Beside Herself" – 5:51 # "Afterglow" – 3:03 # "Zedhead" – 4:42

Personnel

Swervedriver

* Adam Franklin – vocals, guitar * Jimmy Hartridge – guitar * Adi Vines – bass guitar * Graham Bonnar – drums

Other personnel

* Amp Art – artwork * Anjali Dutt – production, engineering * Nick Taylor – additional guitar

References

External links

* {{Swervedriver 1990 EPs Swervedriver EPs Creation Records EPs A&M Records EPs Shoegaze EPs