Swahili - S/T

Swahili are coming in strong on their self titled out on Translinguistic Other. Second record featured from the label, the first being Integratron by Midday Veil. First thing I have to say is Translinguistic Other has some of my favorite production. It's raw but clear and makes you wish you could be there for the live experience. That being said, it's what helps make the drone you find on Swahili so intense and relaxing at once. It starts off with Chapel, which starts slow and evolves steadily into a pulsing rhythmic force before tapering out and dying off. Next is Invocation. This song is evil. Whatever it is they're trying to invoke, let's hope they can tame it. It starts off with a buzzing, droney evil section that brings in a slowly played bongo and some tambourine to help the rhythm. Then comes the haunting distorted vocals and the chant builds into a seriously psychedelic droney tribal jam and ends with another evil sounding cymbal noise wall of sound. The third track, Soma, comes in like a cross between Pocahaunted, Sonic Youth and Naked On The Vague. Three bands that I love, which means I'm really starting to dig this album. Kidhr is next and it's a short noisy helper along your transcendental stage. This brings us to track number 5, Fall Out. This one is a big change from what you find on Soma. The psych out rock style you found there is replaced by a more desperate, apocalyptic sound. Distorted vocals, distorted symbols, and an overall feeling that something horrible might happen but if it does, Swahili are ready to play the soundtrack. Following that is Into One. It's a big change from everything else on the album and feels like a shift in mood halfway through the album. Not a bad change though, more like an eye of the storm kind of change. It almost sounds hopeful at times, even if that hope is distant and slightly troubled. The next song is Ascher J2000. The name sounds like a robot and so does the song. Well, more like the theme song of a robot and a pretty kickass one. It definitely sounds like the soundtrack to an early nintendo game but it works. Kirghiz is next and is a high pitched, meditative, headphone smack in the face. This is great headphone music here. This sounds a lot like what you hear from Emeralds. However, as soon as you find your center in Kirghiz, Agni comes in with a vengeance. Agni is a beast. Blown out drums mixed with an eerie tribal feel that is ready to wake you up and take you on a new ride. Surrender is next and is another short extremely trippy song that sounds like they want to make sure you're thoroughly disoriented. The final song is Contact. This one is a nice slow head nodding drone with distorted vocals at first but ends in a noisy synth ending in one last brooding psychedelic jam. All said and done,  Swahili has put together one great psychedelic album and hopefully this will only be the first Contact of many we get with Swahili. Soma, Fallout, and Into One for free download. Buy the album to get the rest. It's worth it.