ES Recommends: Richard Swift

Every red moon, month or when the bright golden lights make you feel magic, Ether Site will recommend a band or singer/songwriter that you might like… Today we recommend Richard Swift.

The Atlantic Ocean is the fourth release from American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Richard Swift. Celebrated for his lo-fi, experimental mélanges saluting genres from Doo-Wop to lush American Pop, Swift adds jaunty synthesizers and Motown soul to make Ocean his most danceable record to date.

On this latest album he presents more of his vintage sounding grand american pop: lots of proper piano, gorgeous melodies filled with both sorrow as optimism. It’s bleak, yet very colorful. The track “Ballad of Old What’s His Name” is a collaboration with producer Mark Ronson. It features the talents of Ryan Adams, Mark Ronson, Sean Lennon and Pat Sansone of Wilco, a strange pairing of musicians, producing beautiful results.

On the one hand Swift uses music history: leaning on 60s and 70s pop. On the other hand, Swift’s music is in many ways very much up to date. But in a historical kind of way.

Check out Myspace for a preview of his work. The Atlantic Ocean is out now.