The Drapes
Swollen
(Orange)
First Appeared at The Music Box, May 2004, Volume 11, #5
Written by John Metzger
When listening to The Drapes’ sophomore effort Swollen, one is
immediately transported back to 1991, a time before bands like Bush, Silverchair,
and Candlebox smoothed out the rough and rowdy edges of Nirvana’s angst-ridden
roar and turned it into generic mush. Indeed, the raw, edgy vocals as well as
the screeching, crash-and-burn guitar of frontman Kevin McDonough bear more than
a passing resemblance to those of Kurt Cobain, and the thrashing,
adrenaline-soaked rhythms laid down by bass player Andrea Jablonski and drummer
Bob Spellbring cast a mosh-ready vibe upon the proceedings. Virtually the entire
ten-song, 34-minute set is comprised of gritty, blues-oriented, garage rock
delivered with a punk ethos — the sort of thing that was defined by The Pixies
and reinvented by Nirvana — and though The Drapes does little to alter this
basic formula, the sheer intensity of its performance makes Swollen worth
a listen.
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box