Growing - Vision Swim

Troubleman 2007
Format - 12"

Vision Swim is an interesting record, to say the least. A further move away from Growing's drone heavy guitar led style, and another move towards glitchy electronics. To sum this record up, it all holds together very well, thin meandering guitar lines string together repeated awkward glitches, and the other electronic flourishes that are dotted around the record give it an almost playful and dreamlike character. As it is though, it feels shallow and as if something should happen yet it never does. The first side develops nicely, themes repeat, layers are added, yet never becomes memorable. I appreciate that it is slightly ridiculous to expect something catchy from a Growing record, but it seems that now what attracted me to Growing in the first place has taken a back-seat an I'm struggling to feel the same connection. The hypnotic repetition has been set back for something else to develop.

Moving onto more positive aspects of this record, it very definitely has character, I enjoy having this record chatting away to me. The variety of sounds involved means that such a twitchy album doesn't really grate as it could quite easily do, especially on the second track 'On Anon' which is genuinely brilliant. As mentioned earlier it develops wonderfully and every layer of intertwined noise sounds just right, it dominates the first side and is by far the best thing on the album. The other tracks don't seem to follow the same structure and definitely suffer for it, which is a shame.

All things considered, i like Vision Swim, a lot. Once I got used to the fact that this was going to be a very different thing from 'The Sky's Run Into The Sea', Vision Swim proved to be a unique and charming record which stands on its own as a worthy addition to Growing's catalogue

Seeing as this is my first review, i'm going to use scores.

8 / 1 0

Notes -

• The artwork for the vinyl version of this record is really quite interesting, and for that matter, fiddly. 18 different shapes are cut out of the outer sleeve, which reveals the inner sleeve, which is another collage of photographs with a background of a palm tree in a garden. Its odd, but i think it fits the record.
• I'd like to do a review of the Growing live 2xlp that Conspiracy re-issued recently, as i am absolutely in love with that record, but i don't want to go overboard with Growing and i'd like to be a bit more objective.
• No UK tour

p.s. this is a first draft that im not entirely happy with, but i'll change it soon.