How do you best the anti-guitar-god bluster of arguably the most sonically bold and melodically sophisticated band of England’s shoegaze era? If you’re Swervedriver’s unflappable former leader, Adam Franklin, you don’t even try. You simply work off the various templates for greatness set forth by your former outfit, which, quite frankly, spewed out enough novel ideas to sustain a half-dozen indie-rock careers. Which brings us to Franklin’s latest, I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years (Second Motion), whose initial tracks were hammered out in New York late last year with his newly minted backup outfit, Bolts Of Melody. Sleep is Franklin’s most well-rounded collection to date, balancing the more laid-back guitar balladry and pop sensibilities of his last two solo albums with the ornery, volatile spark of vintage Swervedriver largely missing on those efforts. Franklin will be guest-editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him as well as our 2009 Lost Classics post on Swervedriver’s Mezcal Head.
Franklin: Wei Liou is a photographer from New York City who produces magnificently vivid and life-affirming photographs that you just wanna step into. I first discovered his work on a friend’s blog. I sent Wei my album and asked him if I could use his stunning image of the sun setting on 42nd Steet in Manhattan for the cover of my new album. Not only did he grant permission, he insisted only on being credited, seeing it as a genuine trade of art, since he liked my record and felt the music and imagery complemented each other. Check out his portfolio and become his friend on Facebook.
