The Swellers Ups and Downsizing Review

Wow, quite the day for rock music! New stuff dropped from AFI, Paramore, Strung Out, Evergreen Terrace, It Dies Today, Hatebreed and Flint Michigan's The Swellers. It was an easy choice deciding which release I would write about first.

It's no secret that I have been a huge fan of this band for a long time. See the review of their last opus. A while after "My Everest" came out, I started to wonder out loud, "someone is paying attention and is going to grab them away from Search and Rescue records, right?" I kept thinking, what am I missing or more appropriately, what are these record labels missing? Well, fortunately the nice folks over at Fueled By Ramen were paying attention and snapped them up earlier this year. Over time, I suspect we will all look back and say "what a coup". I don't know if they have good artist management or if the label is simply really smart, but putting them out on the road as support for Paramore is brilliant. That Paramore release ("Brand New Eyes") is going to be huge, and playing mid-size theatres for the next few months will introduce legions of Haley fans to a really good, hard working and genuine punk band!

The Swellers "Ups and Downsizing" starts with a great opener! "2009" is a great melodic punk opening track, reminds me of the start of No Use For A Name's "Not Your Savior" kicking off "More Betterness". I rarely do this when I listen to a release the first time, but I had to go back and listen to that track a couple of times before moving on to the bands first single, "Fire Away". Yes, it's that good. "Fire Away" is very complex and quite mature. It's the song where I first remarked at how strong that Nick Diener's voice has become. I have long thought that he had a good punk voice, but on this track, and really the whole album, it's clear that Nick has developed some serious strength in that voice. "Load up the flares and fire away"!!! Way to announce that The Swellers have arrived and hey everyone, take notice!

"Ups and Downsizing" continues with "Sleeper", one of the more pop-punk tracks. It's very accessible, mid-paced and easily memorable. I had heard "Welcome Back Riders" off their 7 inch, so I was familiar with this track and it is another strong track with rich melodies and it's heartfelt sentiment.

Then we come to "Feet First". The subtlety in Nick's voice is impressive as this track starts off like a whisper and builds to a crushing melodic hardcore pinnacle. It's probably not likely to be their next single, but it's such a strong song that I think it would do quite well. "Do You Feel Better Yet?", hey wait, I just figured it out. The Swellers sound very similar to one of my most favorite, under appreciated acts, Israel's Useless ID. Both vocally and melodically "Do You Feel Better Yet?" and several other tracks could easily be found on that groups amazing "Redemption" release. That was a great melodic hardcore album from start to finish and "Ups and Downsizing" is equal to it, actually, it surpasses it!

Not sure that the word "darker" should be used to describe a punk song, but it somehow fits for "Ups and Downsizing". It's kind of has this dark vibe, melodically. Maybe it's lyrics that speak of leaving, thawing, or that "should I stay or should I go now" type of sentiment leaves me with that darker impression. It's one of the "slower" tracks on the album, and might disappoint some of the fans of their earlier hyper-paced stuff. For me though it's a pretty strong tune as we start to head toward the finish of this album.

Fear not, hyper-paced fans, you will have your cake and eat it too on "The Iron". Another great track and one that once again, showcases the depth to Nick Diener's vocals. He's not Tim McIlrath (yet...), but he is a very strong punk vocalist as is shown on "The Iron".

"Watch It Go" sums up The Swellers in one single song with it's tempo changes and its natural sing-along quality. "Stars" starts off with some beautiful acoustic guitar and then leads into one of their more "moodier" melodies. It's The Swellers own "My Hero" and it's brilliant! "Dirt" finishes off one of the best rock records of 2009! It's dark and complex and a little sad, but musically it's filled with that Swellers "speed up / slow down" heartfelt approach to song writing.

Faultless harmonies abound on this entire album. It's tight musically! Each member does their own part very well and then they come together very easily. This is what punk rock should sound like in 2009!

Likeability should not enter into an opinion on someones art, but be real, it does! The art of The Swellers is excellent, but maybe I appreciate it so much, because they seem like real, (hate using this term) "down to earth", hard working but have fun, kind of guys. You can't help but want for them to thrive and succeed. Well, they certainly have on this record. They have done right by themselves and by their fans with the outstanding work on "Ups and Downsizing". It's true that what you get in return is always equal to what you put out there. Based upon this effort, The Swellers should prepare for more betterness!

Go grab it at iTunes

or it's on sale at FYE