On the 31st of this month, the Swallows will be debuting a new remix album called "Loud Machines". Earlier in 2007, the duo released their album titled "Cloud Machines".

 

Seeing as this is our first CD review, we don't have any rules in place for how we are going to be doing them. I suppose I'm in charge anyways, so I get to do this how ever I want, and so I decided to review both at once. Call it the "Shot Gun" review and get it done with.

 

The real reason for this is that both of these albums have quite a bit in common, namely their basic DNA. The majority of the songs on Loud Machines, a complete collection of remixes provided from various artists from all over the country collected through a big effort on Myspace, are also on Cloud Machines

 

The difference of course being that the original songs, as Jon and Em perform them, are on Cloud Machines.

 

I've spent the last week going over the new albums, and quite frankly I really love the effort. I think that both are good albums individually, but it is also a real blast to sit down with both in the play list side by side. You get a chance to hear the virgin version of the song and then, a moment later, get to listen to it get transformed into a whole new auditory adventure ala the skills of the many gifted artists they managed to rangle into this project.

 

All in all, my impressions of Cloud Machines is that I can't get enough of it. Just as their live performance, I can't recommend giving this is a listen enough. The two bring a simplistic, good down and dirty, no bullshit, you can just listen, love and enjoy performance to all of the songs recorded on the albums. Like in concert, there is an undertone of fun, enthusiasm and excitement that is a rare to find expressed musically. These two have found a place on my iPhone for sure.

 

Over all rating of these albums:

 

(This is as good as it gets folks. 5 Maple Bacon Bars is the most a band can ever receive.)