Swallows

Swallows - Review Always aspiring to be more than just your average indie rock band (which is an uphill battle with a bird name), Swallows work very hard to integrate progressive pop structures and restructured rock landscapes into their music. But that makes it sound complicated, when in truth, it's the duo's powerful simplicity that hits you.

Em Brownlowe and John Miller converged in Portland, Oregon. They've played shows with everybody from notable songwriters like Jen Wood to electro-pop outfits like Team Dresch and Anna Oxygen. The variety in company makes sense with their own range in what they call "post-modern, psych-emotive rock," a catch-all that still doesn't sum them up neatly.

Their hit "Flight (Takeoff)" is closest to this description, and yet more druggy and less cerebral. Other songs like "Physical" are, well, more physical -- this one with a muscle-pounding Joan Jett opening and a super-charged blues progression. Likewise, "Ridin'" seems to combine this Gossip garage blues revival sound with the undeniable muddy banks of Nirvana. "Anchors" is a taste of Browlowe's foray into remixes, delivering a driving electronic rock that's part Bjork, part Run Lola Run. Then there are fun power pop tracks like "Wait Until Dark," a tribute to the classic Audrey Hepburn film.

-Ian Schuler