Swag were conceived as a fun side project by various musicians known primarily for their roles in other bands (particularly Ken Coomer of
Wilco, Tom Petersson of
Cheap Trick, and Robert Reynolds of
the Mavericks). And, unlike some such ideas, they do actually sound like they're having fun on this pastiche of/homage to vintage '60s and '70s pop/rock styles. It's a diverse program of originals in that mold, sometimes taking cues from straight-ahead guitar power pop with ringing guitars, sometimes from fey
McCartney-esque late-'60s acoustic pop-psych ("Near Perfect Smile" and "Different Girl"), sometimes from
Remains-like mid-'60s organ rock guitar crunch ("Please Don't Tell"), sometimes from early
Elvis Costello ("Eight"), and even from
Cheap Trick themselves ("Ride," which even has a
Cheap Trick reference in the lyrics). It's not the type of thing which is bound to impress listeners with wallfuls of original '60s pop/rock and '70s power pop to serve as comparisons, but it's better than the norm for such things, and well-executed. Four of the 12 songs on the band's debut full-length disc were previously released, but eight make their first appearance here. ~ Richie Unterberger