Californian musician Red Collier's one-man project Swain is a 101 about how to make a psychedelic dreampop album on a shoestring budget. Collier sang and played guitar, synth and drum sequencer. The only outside help is supplied by Beatrix La Rue, who added backing vocals to two tracks.
Swain is an introspective insider's album. The sole cover, a slow version of the Chris Bell B-side You and Your Sister, sits comfortably amongst his originals. Collier takes his time to construct his songs, applying dabs of colour by way of choice sound effects to his indie guitar leanings. He tells tales about sex, loneliness, and feeling lost and being bored in suburbia. Last Night comes close to Nick Drake. The lengthy album closer, the meandering Time is Not My Friend, could easily be mistaken for a long lost outtake from This Mortal Coil or Dead Can Dance.
