Late March 1994 (The 22nd), thirty years ago, the Ricans of Swell exhibit their third opus, the magnificent 41.

Swell, this is first and foremost one of the most original sounds of the last decade. First up, the omnipresence of David Freel’s acoustic guitar, an old 70s Takamine, doubled by 6-string electric strides in dotted or slide chords.

Then Kirkpatrick’s drum single, an original part for each track, the guy writes his rhythm lines even before the melodic base and dialogues with the acoustic. The bass, from Monte Vallier, is hypnotic and harmonic, sometimes very present.

Finally, Freel’s detached but also sensitive singing moves from whispering to exclamation, talking to singing like a west coast Lou Reed. As for his texts, they balance between immediate catchups and enigmatic formulas.

When the third LP 41 arrives in 1994, it’s obvious that we’re holding Swell’s best album. Re-recorded at their landmark, 41 Turk Street in San Francisco, from which its title, this collection unveils ten masterful, spellbinding, sensitive and melancholic pieces with style and writing at the top. Still without concessions, Freel adds in intro and outro, three ambient sequences. First, the arrival in the guys’ premises by going up the stairs, the one of the cover, then finally, the departure and oddly a recitation with the lyrics from the record. Intriguing, isn’t it?

The title Forget About Jesus, is emblematic of the LP, opening in acoustic guitar / tambourine, followed by a geometric and syncopic drum rhythm accompanied by synth sheets, slide guitar and finally the singer’s distanced voice on an unstoppable melody.

The quest continues as Monte Vallier plays with a bottleneck on his bass for some tracks.

Note that this time it’s Tom Hays providing second guitar. He will then be replaced for the tour by Niko Venner.

The album is released at American Recordings and Beggars Banquet, while in France it is strongly defended by Indian radios such as Radio Campus Lille, the newspapers Liberation, the Inrockuptibles, or Lenoir on France Inter, which on the other hand will offer Swell a mythical Black Session. The quartet is at its zenith, concerts fascinate by their perfection…

Two years after David Freel passed away in April 2022, Swell will offer a new version of this nineties masterpiece in May.