YOU'RE DESPICABLE

Today I'll be checking out the third album from The Swan Chorus, titled "You're Despicable", released in February of 2025. Although this is their third release, the history of this Liverpool band goes all the way back to 1979. Please see my review of their second album, 2023's "Achilles and the Difference Engine", for more information about the band's history.

The line-up on this album consists of the two partners in the band, David Knowles (all instruments) and Colin McKay (all instruments, lead & backing vocals), supplemented by the following guests:

- Logan Jones / backing vocals - Solaria / backing vocals - Kevin / backing vocals - Natalie / backing vocals - Saros / backing vocals

Disclosure: David Knowles provided me with a digital copy of the album, at my request, so that I can review it.

Let's jump in:

Track 1 - The Upside of Down

The track begins with a chimey keyboard tone, joined by sound effects. A fuzz bass takes over then the keyboards return with other instruments, establishing a groove for the vocals to begin by 35 seconds. As the song transitions to the second verse, there are many layers of sound. The arrangement is warm-and rich, with occasional surprises. At around 2:30. Most of the instruments drop out , except the keys and a bass drone. The vocals join for a bridge based on sustained notes. Whichever member is handling the bass on this track really does a great job. I suspect the drums are a drum machine, but it works. My apologies, if it is not. This is a great, energetic opener.

Track 2 - Got Religion

A church organ with tambourine and crowd sounds opens the track, giving the impression of a southern gospel church. That gives way to a riff that is somewhere between 60's surf-rock and "Secret Agent Man". Colin joins in on vocals soon after, with backing harmonies. The line "I put my trust in Jesus and the KKK?" lets us know the type of "religious person" they are targeting. The lyrical tone of the song is somewhat akin to Genesis' "Jesus He Knows Me" or Frank Zappa's "Heavenly Bank Account". There is a brief guitar solo before we hit the 3 minute mark, followed by a bridge. Fun track.

Track 3 - Estus Pirkle Night

No clue what that title means! Let's see if we find out. It begins with a semi-classical piano riff. The beat is quite syncopated, giving the sense of an odd meter, but I think it's in 4. The first verse begins just before the 1 minute mark. We are continuing the theme of those who use religion to push an agenda, as evidenced by the line "Jesus freaks, I don't just want to reduce you to a meme, but you're co certain." OK?I had to look it up. Estus Pirkle was apparently an actual person?an evangelist minister, and filmmaker. He produced movies from the 50s to the 70s pushing his religious agenda. One such movie was 1974's "Burning Hell" which is a horror movie showing his interpretation of what Hell is like. There is a nice instrumental transition to the bridge around the 4 minute mark. Excellent stereo-imaging. Knowles takes a keyboard solo around the 5 minute mark. Great song, once you know who Estus Pirkle is!

Track 4 - It's Not the End of the World

This is the longest track at 7:28. We begin with delicate arpeggios on a synth with some lead sounds over top of it. The rhythm kicks in just before the 1 minute mark, and begins to build in intensity. Nice accents around 1:30. As we approach 2 minutes we get into a quick, proggy 6-8. We then shift to a chunky, muted guitar chord rhythm in 4-4 and the vocals enter around 2:30. They have an effect on the vocals that make it sound a little bit robotic. At around 3:10 the tempo increases and the full band is in, while the vocal effect disappears. I like the rhythm around the 4 minute mark. A synth solo follows, then a guitar with lots of effects. The next verse begins around 5:40. This is a fun, high-energy track. Very proggy.

Track 5 - Space Force

It begins with what sounds like a warning siren, then a quirky rhythm begins. Great keyboard runs from Knowles. By 30 seconds in, the sound of the track reminds me of silly early 60s monster shows. The lead keyboard bit sounds like it could accompany Casper the friendly ghost. A guitar solo is up next. The vocals don't enter until nearly 2 minutes into the track. This is a great arrangement with many layers of sounds. Great playing throughout. Lyrically, it's another poke at the Tangerine Terrorist. I love the riffing near the end! Killer track, very interesting sound to it.

Track 6 - Little Fools

A cinematic keyboard sound starts this off, then one of the female vocalists sings some melodic "La" sounds, then is joined by another, in harmony. The opening verse follows. The vocals start before 1 minute, discussing how Copernicus stated that we revolve around the sun. Another instrumental section follows with reverse recorded guitars that remind me of the intro of Queen's "My Fairy King". Up next, the now normal guitar leads the rhythm section in. The idea is rejecting those who "don't believe in science", and who believe all the stupid, baseless, conspiracy theories (MAGAts). Good track, lots of interesting things going on musically. The lyrics are very "on the nose".

Track 7 - You'll Never Get to Boston

An accordion sound with applause fades in, with a quick 3-4 waltz rhythm, joined by other instruments. Knowles continues to impress with his unique synth tones. McKay joins in on vocals. He's warning someone not to leave or it won't work out well for them ("...If you leave me, there's gonna be the devil to pay?And you'll live to regret it someday?") Good track with catchy hooks in the chorus. I might get this one stuck in my head later.

Track 8 - World in Action

After a brief synth intro, the rhythm section and vocals kick things off. It's in 4-4 with lots of syncopated rhythm. A bit of an "art-rock mixed with 80s AOR" feel on this one for me. Great harmony vocals on the chorus. Pretty good track, I could possibly see this one as a radio oriented single.

Track 9 - Watching

This begins with an upbeat rhythm and lead synth, mostly in 4, but I think (if I am counting it right) there is an occasional measure of 3. The meter changes frequently as we approach the chorus. This one is much more proggy than the last few. At around 1:45, everything except the synth drops out for a moment, before the rhythm kicks back in. At around 2:50, it sounds like a fat analog synth. Not sure what Knowles uses, but he gets some killer sounds. Chunky, lightly distorted guitar chords take over at around 4:20, before the rhythm comes back again. There are some interesting chord changes as the music crescendos prior to fading out at the end. Lots of cool musical things are happening here. Great track.

Track 10 - The Dragon Who Swallowed the Sun

We start with an uptempo 6-8, with a guitar part on the top that reminds me of the "James Bond" theme in a minor key. The music tones down and an organ leads us to the first verse. There are lots of elements making this an engaging listen. There is an instrumental break between verses. This has the feel of a movie theme for me. Cool, but shorter track.

Track 11 - The Devil in ABQ

Not sure what ABQ stands for as I prepare to listen to this, but it could be Albuquerque, New Mexico?we shall see. Piano and a dobro slide guitar tell me I am probably correct. Yeah, as the beat kicks in, we even have a harmonica. At around the 1-minute mark, the underlying rhythm has an "Immigrant Song" but less-heavy vibe to it. The rhythm stops and the vocals come in with sparse backing. By the second verse, the beat locks back in, and Albuquerque is 100% confirmed. Around 2:45, Knowles gives us a super-cool clavinet part, and there is a horn-section thing happening (but I don't think it's an actual horn section). This one is actually kinda funky. I love the electric piano chords in the next verse. A very cool track indeed! This one fades out too. They are really giving off 70s vibes with that technique of ending a track.

Track 12 - Open Minded

Percussion sounds start this off, and it soon takes on an 80s fusion feel. McKay joins on vocals, and then the beat fully kicks in on the chorus. Really cool guitar lines at around 2:40. A bridge follows the instrumental break. Another interesting, if short, track.

Track 13 - Blame on You

This starts with an upbeat bluesy slide lick. We have a straight eighth-note rhythm as the vocals begin. High-energy track. At about 1:30 the beat drops out and delicate keys accompany the vocals, before the beat jumps back in. This is a head-bobber. Lots of fun, but at only 3 minutes long, I want more of it!

Track 14 - What the Butler Saw

The album-closer is the second longest at about 7 minutes. A foreboding sound fades in. A guitar lick joins at around 40 seconds. Percussive sounds and sustained vocals pan across the speakers. The guitar and vocals work in a call and response. The steady rhythm kicks in around 2:15 on the chorus. A cool guitar solo, with lots of effects follows. Another verse follows. A call and response between harmony vocals and vocoder vocals feature in the next chorus. The bridge is almost a-cappella. An instrumental break follows. This one has some new wave vibes happening. I like the countermelodies between the lead and backing vocals. The synth lead overtakes the vocals and keeps the new wave vibes going. Great track!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Another fine outing from the Swan Chorus. They bring a lot of diversity from song to song. There is a lot of energy on this. You can tell that the 2 main partners (McKay and Knowles) have a synergy that comes from a long standing musical partnership. This album is not prog in the 70's symphonic sense, with sprawling arrangements (that I love so much), but more in its open mindedness and willingness to explore different musical vibes. The lyrics are often very directly political, far on the left-side of the aisle, which definitely works for me, but might not for everyone. I'll give this a solid 4.25 out of 5 (Clicked 4, but really 4.25)

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