Swimming Bell – ‘Charlie’ album review: A lilting reminder of great songwriting
THE SKINNY: Art is the only facet of our society where the term “easy” is dolled out as a descriptor and met with wholesale disdain. The idea that all art must be uncomfortable for the audience is likely a notion perpetuated by gatekeeping students in a desperate attempt to ratify their tuition fees. But, in every other aspect of our world, to describe something as easy is to acknowledge the frictionless pleasure it can afford your life. Swimming Bell, the project of Katie Schottland, and her release Charlie is undeniably easy.
Of course, that isn’t to suggest that Charlie is a love child of Hotel California and Tusk, far from it. While it certainly plays with the sunlight found in Laurel Canyon, and there is a continual drip of 1970s nostalgia coating the record from cover to cover, the songs and, most notably, Schottland’s lyrics are decidedly modern. Written before, during and after the global pandemic, the songs are rich and textured, offering light, dark, highs, lows and everything in between.
This variety of focal points isn’t quite matched in Schottland’s vocals. Rarely does she swerve away from providing a honeyed tone to her delivery, sweet and sticky with golden hues and comforting warmth. While this could become saccharine for a different listener, it allows the moments of vulnerability to become all the more poignant for it. Like that knotty blanket that sits at the end of your couch, this record is threaded together with love and care.
Charlie may not be avant-garde and lacks the glinting edge that most musos require to sharpen their tongues, but there is authentic storytelling, lilting tunes and the kind of creamy production that is luscious enough to forget how difficult it can be to construct. Intricate melodies and songs that discuss love, grief, and everything in between aren’t exactly what you’d call easy listening. But Schottland’s work is certainly easier than most. It is easy to put on as you make yourself a cup of coffee, easy to recommend to a friend without fear of judgment, easy to listen to without much thought, and just as easy to lose yourself in.
For Fans Of: Making ravioli and drinking red wine, allowing occasional breaks to sit under a blanket, forget about making ravioli and instead focus on drinking red wine.
A concluding comment from Tom’s mother: “Tom, I’ve got your dad hacksawing the roof off of the Nissan Micra now, and we’re blowing all the savings on a Californian convertible road trip. You’ve shackled us to this freezing isle for too long.”
Charlie track by track:
Release Date: 19 January | Producer: Katie Schottland and Oli Deakin | Label: Permanent Records
‘I Believe In Us’: Schottland seems intent on showcasing her vocal in this opener. As a slow build, it works well to open the record but falls a little below the LP’s high watermark. [3/5]
‘Take It Easy’: A tale that most of us can at least quietly attest to having experienced, sees a hedonistic evening slip into the inky morning, complete with all the dreamy dread that comes with it. A standout moment. [4.5/5]
‘For Al and Lee’: Schottland’s guitar skills, much like Joni Mitchell, will likely go under the radar, but here she displays her skills with a cultured calm. As Joe Walsh once said: “It’s all about the right hand”. [3.5/5]
‘Company’: One of the more vulnerable moments on the record that allows a depth for Schottland to explore. A fantastic lead line provides the guide rope to dive along with her. [4/5]
‘Ash in the Jar’: A dashboard-banging beat may set this song off to the races, but it is the powerful guitar that tells us everything we need to know. A heartbreaker. [3.5/5]
‘Born Wild’: Vocals are perhaps the quickest way to attack the heart of the listener, and despite following a similar pattern of the rest of the tracks, this one feels entirely more special. [4/5]
‘Fly Like An Eagle’: Probably the most obviously influenced by the 1970s soft rock explosion of California’s Laurel Canyon, there is little here to dislike if you’ve been aiming for a return to such a time. Those hoping to avoid “soar like an eagle” references look away now. [3.5/5]
‘Delkab Ave.’: There’s nothing particularly wrong with this number, but it falls a little flat compared to the rest of the LP. That’s to be expected, considering the song’s tempo, but it’s hard not to hit a lull. [2.5/5]
‘The Carnival’: A gentle vocal and a tambourine accompany you on the first notes of this track, and they are enough to transport you into Schottland’s world before brass enters the fray and the song lifts off. Languid and luscious, it’s a wondrous moment. [4.5/5]
‘Just Begun’: It’s hard not to enjoy an ironic song title, and putting this one as the album’s closer is an easy way to get a cheap laugh out of me. But the laughs quickly stop as Schottland sings, pulling you into her world for one final story. [4/5]
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