Thursday, October 23, 2008
Whatevs New From Acony Records: The Whispertown 2000's Swim
Posted by D. Patrick Rodgers on Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 9:40 AM
The Whispertown 2000’s Swim, the first non-Gillian Welch release from Welch and David Rawling's Acony Records, debuted on Tuesday. It was also partially recorded at Welch’s East Nashville Woodland Studios. I’ve got to admit: Their name put me off a bit at first. It reminded me of Powerman 5000. Remember those bastards? They’re responsible for one of the most unwarranted, poorly executed and strangely marketed covers of all time.
But I must say, Swim isn’t bad. While it occasionally hovers dangerously close to the upbeat, lyrical whimsy of twee, blatantly dark songs like “No Dope” ground Swim nearer to the anti-folk set (Mirah, et cetera). Imagine if She & Him’s debut Volume One was a significantly more substantial, idiosyncratic listen with intermittent hints of Nashville flavor. Plus, you’ll probably never hear Zooey Deschanel start off a song with a line like “I can’t goddamn believe this shit.” Swim features guest vocals from Welch and Jenny Lewis and guitar from David Rawlings.
Acony’s website makes no mention of future releases/plans from the label, but it’s no secret that enormously talented artists love working with Welch. Thus, we’ll likely hear more from Acony before long.
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