''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

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

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

Raise Raise may refer to: Music *'' Raise!'', the name of a 1981 album by Earth, Wind, and Fire * '' Raise'' (album), the name of a 1991 album by Swervedriver Place names *Raise, Cumbria, England *Raise (Lake District), the name of the 12th highes ...

'' (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 ''Son of Mustang Ford'' is the debut EP by English alternative rock band, Swervedriver. Self-produced by the band, it was released on 16 July 1990 through Creation and A&M Records. The title track of the EP was included in the band's debut album, ...

'' (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 su ...

'' (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 music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

wrote: "The bulldozing, bass-driven,

Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow ...

-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 and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

critic

Mary Anne Hobbs Mary Anne Hobbs (born 16 May 1964) is an English DJ and music journalist from Lancashire, England. She currently hosts the BBC Radio 6 Music weekday mid-morning show, Monday to Friday, 10:30am1pm, and her ''6 Music Recommends'' show, Wednesday ...

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 and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bin m ...

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