Union Carbide Productions – Swing

While I don’t know the chronology of UCP very well, I do know that this 1992 release came a few years after the maniacal brain-twisting majesty of In the Air Tonight and Financially Dissatisfied, Philosophically Trying, my two favorite albums by these wonderful psychopaths.

This album is not nearly as noisily beautiful as the previous records, but still has terrific moments. It is much closer to Ebbot’s later group, the Soundtrack of Our Lives, but still shows why this band heavily influenced such later local groups as Turbonegro and the Hellacopters.

I do think this is another terrific psychedelic trip, with plenty of edge on it to keep it interesting, even while exploring acoustic guitars and other, somewhat more mellow sounds. There is much less cacophony here, though, which is missed, and not as much high energy, but the songwriting and playing is solid.

I know that I still have at least a couple more UCP records to go to fill our my collection, but while the other two records are essential for lovers of over-the-top Motor-City inspired madness, this one is for more open-minded psych-heads, who can still appreciate a little dissonance and sharp, angular guitars thrown in the mix. I don’t listen to this one as much as the others, but still well worth it!