Black Swan Green

Taking their band name from the title of author David Mitchell's fourth novel, a stuttering 13-year-old's coming-of-age tale, Black Swan Green's dark, shoegazey rock seems aptly titled. The Brooklyn-based foursome channel My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain with their indie noise rock distortion, but their foggy echo ambience edges toward a futuristic dream pop reminiscent of Air or the softer moments of James, particularly in the vocals. The group formed when producer Ravi Krishnaswami and songwriter Hugh Crickmore got together in January of 2008 to collaborate on a small experimental project that Crickmore wanted to explore. Quickly realizing they had a larger scope in mind, they tapped friends Kevin Kahawai (drums), Loren Mash (keys, synth, and vocals), and Richard San Luis (guitar) to bring their muddy layered sound to fruition, and once these elements had been added to Crickmore's guitar and lead vocals, Black Swan Green were born. Early 2009 saw the self-produced release of their first full-length album, The Ruin Gaze..., which garnered them feature spots on multiple buzz blogs and album picks for the first part of the year, landing them a spot in March's South by Southwest festival. Late March and April saw them travel to the Catskills to record a new EP at Marcata Studios with Kevin McMahon (the French Kicks, the Walkmen). ~ Heather Wellman