It’s been said here before, but how a band (and, by extension their label) treats a reissue speaks volumes about their dedication to their art. This lovely reissue of Flood, the debut album from the perennially underrated Headswim, is a perfect case in point. Lovingly pressed onto coloured vinyl (purple for the album, yellow for the bonus disc), complete with detailed liner notes and housed in a gatefold sleeve, it is a perfect example of how to treat both source material and fans with respect.
Given that the album has been long out of print, this redux edition is a timely reminder of Headswim’s monstrous potential. Packed with bonus tracks, including BBC sessions and b sides, this is a more-or-less definitive edition of an album that should have been infinitely bigger than it was, and it provides a fantastic opportunity for fans and newcomers alike to lose themselves in its ragged, psyche glory.
Disc One – Album
Pressed on pristine, crackle-free purple vinyl, the first album sounds immense. An LP-sized insert provides lyrics, photos and credits, and it’s good to crank up the volume and let the waters close over you.
It kicks off with Gone To Pot, and damn I’d forgotten just how damn good Headswim really were on this debut effort. Dave Eringa’s production (in conjunction with the band) hits the spot, and there’s a confidence here that is unusual in a debut effort. Compellingly, the band somehow tread a line between grunge and subtle elements of the English doom scene of that period, and the results are surprisingly fresh even some twenty-seven years down the line. Heavy guitars, psychedelic overtones and multifaceted vocals all combine for a brilliant opening track that sets a high bar for the album. Fortunately, the band are up to the challenge, and second track Soup lands with real force. A fast-paced track, it races past, only for the darker Try Disappointed to draw things in a very different direction. Based around a stuttering backing, the spirit of US alt rock looms large, but as the piece edges into psychedelic territory, so the band’s unique identity shines through. The album’s first calmer track, Crawl does much to predict where the band would go some three years later, with Despite Yourself, and there’s a beauty in the darkness that really works its way beneath the skin. In contrast, the slithery guitar and crunchy bass of Dead should have been a single, and its bruising groove recalls the similarly overlooked Sunna. It’s an album highlight, and it showed just how effectively the band had mastered dynamics to deliver a tense, yet melodic gem. The side ends with the lovely Years On Me, an acoustic track with shades of Stone Temple Pilots, crossed with The Beatles. It’s a heart-breaking track, and it provides a lovely coda to the first side.
Side B opens on a more progressive note, with piano, throbbing bass and wah-soaked guitar setting the scene for the dark-hearted Apple Of My Eye. A lengthy piece with a powerful vocal performance at its core and some remarkable musicianship to feast on, it perfectly showcases the potential that Epic Records clearly saw in the band. Following on, the visceral Down is a splenetic alt-rock assault, which sweeps the ground clean in preparation for the trippy Stinkhorn. Preceded by a psychedelic interlude, Stinkhorn may not sound too out there in the wake of bands like Dog Fashion Disco, but in 1994 it unexpectedly aligned Headswim with the likes of Mr Bungle and Jesus Lizard, a surprising state of affairs for a major-label debut. The lengthier Safe Harvest, with its creeping bass intro, nods to Alice in Chains, all minor key angst and atmosphere, and it’s brilliant. Over six and a half minutes, the track just keeps growing, with ever harsher riffs seeping into the mix, until your veins flood with adrenaline and you’re left dazed by the sheer brilliance of the band’s delivery. The album closes with the lengthy Beneath A Black Moon. An powerful finale, it once more hints at the Radiohead elements that would emerge more fully on Despite Yourself, and it shows that Headswim were never a band content to sit still, even over the course of just one album.
Disc Two – Bonus
Pressed on yellow vinyl, the bonus disc is an absolute treasure trove of period tracks. Mindful of the historical importance of the extras, the band have also included a two-sided 10 x 10 insert with liner notes, live shots and a track listing. The only thing missing is detail as to where each track originated, which is a shame, because the band released a number of singles during the period, with not all the B Sides represented here. This aside, this is a fantastic assortment of extras, which shows just how much work the band put in at the time of Flood’s release.
Side A
A brief Rolling Intro (studio chatter prior to the session recording proper) paves the way for a four-track session from the BBC R1 Rock Show. An electrifying set, the band open with Gone To Pot, and the production, so typical of the R1 sessions from the period, instantly transports you back to the time when you sat, finger poised over the record button on your cassette deck, waiting to see what band would be airing that week. The band were clearly on good form, and the track (already a beast) takes on a whole new energy in the session format. Looking back, I can remember being introduced to so many bands in this way, and it’s a brilliant inclusion on this bonus disc. The remaining three tracks from the session are no less revelatory. The blistering Stinkhorn may be a touch heavier than its recorded counterpart, while Try Disappointed sees the band take the opposite tack, performing the track acoustic. It’s not, perhaps, up there with the studio version, but it’s good to hear it stripped back in this way. However, the absolute highlight of the set is the gorgeous rendition of Beneath A Black Moon, an acoustic rendering that sees falsetto vocals and gossamer fine guitars introducing a track that builds beautifully. The Side rounds out with The Fear, a Soup B side that feels like a psychedelic remix, closer to the likes of Senser than Headswim’s typical output.
Side B
The second side opens with all three B Sides from the Crawl single. The first of these, the grungy Apprenticed To Pain has a Screaming Trees vibe, and it easily matches the quality of the material found on the parent album. The gentle Morning Song is a lovely track with a serpentine, eastern vibe, once again showcasing the band’s ability to draw form myriad influences. Caught somewhere between Pearl Jam and Radiohead, Rotting Tooth has a cool schizophrenic pulse, that sets the blood racing through the veins, and this neatly rounds out the Crawl selection. Next up, the b side to the Moment Of Union single, Proud, proves to be a crunchy rocker in the vein of Stinkhorn and, therefore, a most welcome addition to the mix. It leaves Precipity Flood to conclude the disc. Originally the secret track that followed on from Beneath A Black Moon on CD editions of the album, it comes into its own here as a dub influenced, even jazzy piece and thus brings the disc (and this redux edition of a classic album) to an end, reminding us once again of Headswim’s remarkable musical diversity.
Conclusion
The 90s was not an easy time for those UK bands who found themselves influenced by US alt rock. By 1997, even Britpop bands such as Blur were able to wear their Pavement influences on their sleeves, but bands such as Headswim and the much-maligned Bush had a terrible time at the hands of the British press. Headswim, in particular, deserved much more, and this redux version of Flood provides the perfect opportunity for a critical reappraisal of a fantastic debut from an incredibly promising band. A comprehensive package, lovingly put together, it is an absolute treat for longstanding fans and newcomers alike. 9.5/10
