The cover of
Music from the Films of R/Swift announces the "Debut full-length by
Richard Swift's kraut-inspired instrumental side project," a claim that the orchestral, lo-fi indie rocker backs up with his usual subdued verve. Performing under the moniker
Instruments of Science and Technology,
Swift kicks things off with the
Eno-inspired "Ashes," then liberates his inner electro freak with the floor-pounding "Inst," a style he revisits in a moodier disguise on the disquieting "Clay Young Battles the Man." Fans of the California-based singer/songwriter's Tin Pan Alley-inspired pop confections will need to expand their tastes a bit, as
Swift delves into the more dissonant and atmospheric soundscapes of
Can,
Neu!, and
Faust with admirable aplomb (the only vocals are of the occasional spoken word type), forgoing the latter's tendencies for the epic by keeping things under five minutes. For the most part,
Music from the Films of R/Swift conjures up the spooky West Coast narratives of Ray Bradbury's A Graveyard for Lunatics-era Venice Beach, layering moody synths over blips, crackles, and mumbles from an arsenal of found sounds and staccato dialogue, and when it gels, like on the languid "Ghost of Hip/Hop [New Apostle MX]," it's the perfect soundtrack to a walk through the "just seedy enough, but without the danger of getting your throat slit" underbelly of the city of your choice. ~ James Christopher Monger