Seth Swirsky – Instant Pleasure / 2004 Julian’s Dad / 11 Tracks / http://www.seth.com / Reviewed 17 February 2005
Swirsky has written songs for some of the biggest and most famous individuals in popular music, and what people like Rufus Wainwright and Celine Dion have seen in eir’s style of pop music comes to light in a strong way during the opening strains of “Instant Pleasure”. One will definitely remember “Instant Pleasure” (the track) as one of Rufus Wainwright’s largest hits, and the energy and power of the Wainwright version is even strengthened by Swirsky’s vocals, which achieve a Elvis Costello-like tenor. The tracks are perfectly pieces of popular culture, mixing in strong Beatles and shoe-gazer pop (Herman Cherry) in an inoffensive style of music that will reach the largest group in society. The tempo of “Instant Pleasure” slows down considerably for “Ordinary Man”. What is the most exciting prospect of “Instant Pleasure” is the fact that Swirsky does virtually everything found on this disc, write the songs, sing them, play the guitars and piano. This is no pop-star coming out from behind the shadows, and much like eir’s partner-in-crime Kanye West, years of lurking behind the shadows have allowed for the distillation of Swirsky’s style to an art.
Where tracks like “Herman Cherry” and “Only Me Fair May” slow down the tempo of “Instant Pleasure” considerably, allowing for Swirsky to establish a greater attention to the details on the disc. Riding a faster tempo during “It’s Still Love”, Swirsky uses a set of backing vocals to fill the track and make the perfect case for Swirsky to be included with some of the greatest pop-rockers of the day; Sean Lennon and Jackson Brown would do much to allow eir among their crowds. “Roger” uses a country-influences (think “Thunder Rolls” for the guitar progression) to vary the general sound on the disc as well as allow Swirsky to create very intricate guitar lines.
With the success of “Instant Pleasure”, Seth Swirsky can reveal eir face to masses of adoring crowds who, through their associations with other acts that used Swirsky’s services, have already been introduced to Swirsky’s music. The disc does not even break the thirty-minute mark, and yet the soundscapes created by Swirsky will resound for hours and days in each and every listener’s head. Swirsky’s style of music needs to catch on with the Ashlee Simpsons and Avril Lavignes of the world and maybe – just maybe – we can have a pop world that isn’t immediately embarrassing to fans of decent music.
Top Tracks: Instant Pleasure, Bike Trip
Rating: 6.9/10