Prefab Sprout
Swoon

THE REVIEW

No, Swoon was not an ingenuous debut and cannot be classified as such.

It is true that in Steve McQueen ended up what are today rightfully recognized as the band's most incisive tracks, but if you consider the fact that the Prefab Sprout began to make a name for themselves in the local scene as a punk group that received nothing but rejections from the English record labels, Swoon was a striking turn.

With the money earned from the McAloon brothers’ odd jobs, it was possible to print copies of the first self-produced singles. Thanks to the determination of the quartet (in the meantime, their admirer Wendy Smith joined the group) the new tracks reached the ears of Keith Armstrong, who signed them. Kitchenware Records has been indissolubly linked with the history of Prefab Sprout and vice versa since the beginning.

Paddy McAloon and his relentless dedication to songwriting and composition; a song-producing machine (there are entire albums that for one reason or another have never been officially released). Praised by many despite being an innate outsider.

The spirit of the group has never bent too much to commercial ends, and it has never betrayed its own intents. Just take a look (although I would suggest diving in properly) at the interesting titles chosen for the tracks, the terms used, the lyrics. Stories and turmoils examined in a literary way; there is no room for vacuity and fillers in the tracklists of these albums. Swoon is no exception.

Among the angelic choruses of Wendy Smith and the curious bass lines of Martin McAloon, I cannot help but praise what I consider the best track of the album, which is Couldn't Bear To Be Special.

The aura of the latter is restless, intimate, and particularly melancholic. Even the vocal performance of the leader conveys the same sensations.

Don't expect so much of me, I'm just an also-ran. There's a mile between the way you see me and the way I am.

Don't expect too much from me, I am one of the many participants in this race. There's a mile of distance between how you see me and how I am.

This debut may contain the most difficult melodies to assimilate in the entire Prefab Sprout catalogue, but it is precisely for this reason that it is inviting.