
Swirl – The Lift
URL: http://www.swirltheband.com/
The four piece Swirl’s latest single “The Lift” is certain to continue the Southern California based band’s recent string of success that began with the release of their self titled EP. They expanded their appeal with a pivotal appearance on the soundtrack of the movie Ditch Day that pulled three songs from the EP with great success. Those three songs and “The Lift” alike show a lot about why the band is one of the fast rising hard rock outfits today after years of searching for their path. The song also illustrates why the band has been drafted to open for a variety of legendary bands in the hard rock genre like Cinderella, Extreme, and Skid Row. The new single has a message behind it and a larger story the band says will be soon forthcoming so we can only assume this single may be the first taste of a larger project can come.
“The Lift” is a potent single in any form, but the edited version likely condenses the song’s strengths into a much more electrifying jolt. D.T. Jones’ six string playing is stunning – it’s equal parts judicious flash and considered, soulful unreeling of one quality lick after another. The bluesy hard rock qualities of this tune are impossible to ignore, but Swirl plays to formula in a way that comes across as very fresh and elastic. Much of this is likely due to the fact they bring a lot of personality to the song in a way that other bands simply don’t pull off. The stylishness and charisma coming across from this recording seems to almost crackle and it makes the melodic strands of the song light up bright for listeners. “The Lift” may not have an uptempo pace worth noting, but it definitely has plenty of lift. It grabs you by the lapels and doesn’t soon let go.
A good singer underlines everything we hear in the music. Alfred Ramirez has been a consistent highlight of everything he touches with this band and that golden touch continues with the song “The Lift” without him ever overstating his presence in the band’s mix. He’s a first class interpreter of the band’s lyrical material and sings it with a confidence shared by all the five star hard rock singers you can readily recall. The band never does any overwriting despite writing about subject matter that, filtered through a clumsy imagination, might come out unwieldy and not particularly musical. In the hands of Swirl, “The Lift” and its message of finding that thing or someone who helps you to rise above the circumstances of the moment and hang on will strike a chord for a wide swath of listeners. It’s the latest bright spot for a band that’s on a steady ascent and poised to become one of the biggest hard rock bands working in the nation today. This is a hard rock single the way they should sound.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Swirltheband
Mindy McCall