Swirl 360 - 'California Blur' (Atenzia) Released 25/04/05

West Coast melodic rock band Swirl 360 return on the music scene after two years with a new record deal and with second album 'California Blur'. An all-too-familiar tale of music industry policy (the band was in fact dropped by a major) caused the delay, but the accident only reinforced the will of twin brothers Denny and Kenny Scott to get signed again.

 

Opener 'Oblivion' marks the sound of this band as a catchy, contemporary pop-rock, in the style of acts such as Jimmy Eat World and Brian Adams. The lyrics talk about real-life stories in Los Angeles, allegedly “the city that eats you alive”. They’re simple but touching, and many people can relate to them, even without having lived in America. But urban solitude is not the only theme, as the main inspiration of the album is of course love, and rock ballad 'One & Only' is the most representative in this sense.

 

Previous songs from this band have been chosen for the soundtrack of teenage Hollywood movies such as National Lampoon’s Van Wilder and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a couple of tracks from 'California Blur', especially 'Postcard'…'Wish you were here' and the album’s title track had a similar fate. It finally has to be noted that the singer has a beautiful voice and the melody is very strong. Both perfect ingredients for a successful record.