Secret Swingers
Secret Swingers is an album by the American indie rock band Versus, released in 1996.[2][3]
| Secret Swingers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, alternative rock | |||
| Label | TeenBeat/Caroline Records[1] | |||
| Producer | Nicolas Vernhes | |||
| Versus chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
The band added a second guitar player, James Baluyut, prior to the Secret Swingers recordings sessions.[4] The album was produced by Nicolas Vernhes, and was recorded over a month and a half.[5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Chicago Sun-Times | |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | |
The Nashville Banner called the album "derivative of Sonic Youth," but wrote that "Versus still manages to bring its fair share of ideas to the table."[9] The Village Voice deemed it "as 'original' as guitar-bass-drums-vocals indie-rock music gets," declaring that "with equal boy and girl intensity, and ecstatic, near-schizophrenic tempo/volume changes, Versus have forged that rare commodity: a 'sound'."[5] The Sunday Times praised Fontaine Toups, writing that she "supplies the kind of motorised bass parts New Order's Peter Hook wouldn't have been ashamed of."[10]
AllMusic called the album "a superbly textured set more consistent and eclectic than anything else the band has done to date."[4] Magnet wrote that "Secret Swingers may not have been revolutionary, but like a good inside joke between friends, it stuck around."[11] Reviewing the band's 2010 album, On the Ones and Threes, Pitchfork thought that Versus' two Caroline releases "sound as close as most any other records to a definitive indie rock sound."[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lose that Dress" | |
| 2. | "Yeah You" | |
| 3. | "Glitter of Love" | |
| 4. | "Ghost Story" | |
| 5. | "Use as Directed" | |
| 6. | "Double Suicide (Mercy Killing)" | |
| 7. | "Jealous" | |
| 8. | "Shower Song" | |
| 9. | "Angels Rush In" | |
| 10. | "One Million" | |
| 11. | "A Heart is a Diamond" |
References
- "Versus". Trouser Press. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- "Versus | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- Thompson, Stephen (31 Oct 1996). "MORE 'WEEN SHOWS THAN YOU CAN WAVE A WITCH'S BROOM AT". Wisconsin State Journal. Rhythm. p. 9.
- "Secret Swingers - Versus | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- McGonigal, Mike (6 Aug 1996). "Suicide missionaries". The Village Voice. 41 (32): 59.
- Williams, Kevin M. (December 1, 1996). "SPIN CONTROL". Chicago Sun-Times. Showcase. p. 14.
- Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 426.
- MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1197.
- Gray, Michael (24 Oct 1996). "Versus". Nashville Banner. p. C4.
- Lee, Stewart (1 Sep 1996). "VERSUS Secret Swingers Caroline". The Sunday Times. Features. p. 1.
- "Lost Classics: Versus "Secret Swingers"". Magnet. February 14, 2009.
- "Versus: On the Ones and Threes". Pitchfork.