Jan. 05, 2011 - Issue #794 : Year in Review 2010
Old Sounds
Rodriguez
Swing Like a Metronome (Devil in the Woods) Originally released: 2000
Though Swing Like a Metronome was released in 2000, Rodriguez had only played together from '91 – '97. Perhaps the anonymity of this beautiful record can be attributed to it having come out well after the band had dissipated.
At its heart, this is a country record. You can chalk that up to the shuffling drums and the cowboy bass lines. It's the 90's garage-guitar textures that work to embed the record in the formative indie period.
Field and Ward trade the mic on each song, revealing their contrasting styles. Field's tracks gravitate toward heavier measures. They are deep, resonant, and as slow tempered as a sunset—particularly the single-worthy "All Night Long," a major root for his future work. Ward's songs tend to be louder and faster than Field's, accentuated by big build ups and racing drums. Here is where we see the rockabilly influence surfacing. These songs have the unique ability to be calm and deliberate before losing control on the hook and just as quickly returning to his submission when the next verse begins. Ward's voice is very different on these early recordings; it is much weaker on SLAM than it is presently, but his wavering cantor makes for something more romantic and urgent. This unconstrained element in his vocals make his songs all the more magnetic, especially "Must Be Waiting."
Lyrically, both of these gentlemen excel. On Townes Van Zandt's "Loretta," Ward croons "Loretta, she's a bar room girl / Wears them sevens on her sleeve / Dances like a diamond shines / Tells me lies I love to believe" over Field's sticky saloon bass line. All the ingredients for a classic country ballad come together when the fiddle jumps into the chorus. Field's aforementioned "All Night Long" has Field murmuring "Take your arms again and hold me / Remember what you told me / Late last night / With your eyes all full of light / Take your spell again and cast it / You'll know how long it lasted / When you see me / Smiling in my sleep / And in your dreams / Where I belong / All night long." The molasses pace of the song is so rich and hypnotic.
Clearly Ward and Field were both operating on the same level of lyrical and musical proficiency that they are famous for now, yet very few listeners or critics are familiar with this album. Taking into account the notoriety and deference they enjoy today, it's as frustrating as it is uncanny that Swing Like a Metronome hasn't earned itself some posthumous rapport with their more celebrated work. V vueweekly.com comments: powered by Disqus
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