A Season Drive
Summer of '73

A Season Drive are a Swiss band hailing from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Initially, it was meant to be a solo project of Frank Matter (already part of Shovel), who intended to get help with accompaniments and arrangements from some friends active in other Swiss bands.
The spark that ignites the A Season Drive project is Matter's meeting with Fig, a member of the group Favez, quite well-known in their homeland. From their collaboration comes this album, a rather swift follow-up to "Falling", as both works by A Season Drive were released in 2003. Behind the two founders (Matter and Fig), several musicians have followed, with many line-up changes, eventually reducing the band to a four-handed project.

The songs reveal an approach to composition that denotes great sensitivity, and their sounds exude a "compelling" melancholy, where the reflective atmosphere created is not merely static and tedious, but manages to engage the listener in the best tradition of pop (used here in its most positive connotation). The only discordant note is the vocal approach of the album; the voice is unconvincing, remaining suspended without ever seizing the songs with determination. Not surprisingly, the best episodes are the three instrumental tracks on the album. It’s a pity, because the lyrics are nonetheless well-constructed and would deserve greater emphasis.

In short, ten tracks to listen to while lying on the bed when a masochistic longing for nostalgia peeks through, yet without exceeding in sadness...