Adam Franklin and Bolts of Melody Could Sleep For A Thousand Years

It's been a long, long time since Swervedriver faded into the annals of British Pop well over a decade ago but its founder Adam Franklin continued to make music that resounds like a Son of Mustang Ford on repeat. His latest rebirth, Adam Franklin and Bolts of Melody are a blast from pop's past that sounds like he and his band emerged from the dry ice post shoegazing haze of 1994 as if nothing ever happened. How so? Well, with the ties to his past still strong and still relatively fresh Franklin and his band of merry men seem to have re-embraced and re-discovered the elements that made Swervedriver so amazing. As if to prove their point, their new album, I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years is perhaps the best mix of Franklin's past glory, Dinosaur Jr, and Sonic Youth you will ever hear.

Discovering I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years is like stumbling across an old friend who you haven't seen in years and realizing how much you've missed them and how fun it is to catch up with them. Adam Franklin and company have brought Mustang Ford back to life, gutted it, restored it and have blown away anyone who witnesses its new incarnation. I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years is a fantastic effort that displays a youthful effervescence while anchored by a maturity that comes with years of songwriting experience. It's an impressive album that even at its mellowest seems to be lost in melodic glory.

Known for a strong sense of melody and songs that linger long after their gone, Adam Franklin hasn't lost an ounce of talent since the dissolution of the Swervies and in fact this might be his strongest album since those days of yore. There really isn't one weak moment on I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years and whether it's sundrenched melodies of "I Want You Right Now," or noisy guitar workouts like, "I'll Be Your Mechanic," Franklin and company have come up with a set of songs that are so good, so catchy, and so musical that you'll find yourself listening to this record on repeat.

Adam Franklin and Bolts of Melody are awesome and this is one of those records that anyone who was a fan of the shoegazing movement back in the early 90's will rejoice over. One of my favorite records this year, it's nice to know that Adam Franklin is still around and still making great tunes. Long live Adam Franklin and those who sail in him.