Swok - Spaghetti Western On Ketamine
It’s no secret on Deko.fm that I’m a fucking nut, so much so that it’s created a stir in my past relationships. At the same time, I’m also someone who hates conflict. I strive to maintain a good relationship with all my exes. There’s not a single person out there who I haven’t reconciled with. Evidently, due to the nature of my beliefs, this has caused me to unnecessarily argue with people I otherwise care a great deal about. Over time, I’ve learnt to keep my opinions to myself to avoid these tensions.
Swok, one half of the now disbanded De Blimp, once turned against me because of my conspiratorial opinions. He’d often lashed out on me publicly and privately. This took place for the majority of 2021, and was a devastating experience, especially considering we were once good friends. I remember one night, one year ago, I dreamt I travelled to Ontario to meet De Blimp. During that dream, I made amends with Swok. Upon waking up, I made it a priority to resolve our conflict. Over time, we did, purely due to my insistence. Unfortunately, as many members of the community know, De Blimp eventually dismantled. This was due to a combination of personal disagreements and mental issues. The irony is, after such an extendable amount of time, I am the only one who still keeps contact with Swok, as he’s cut ties with everyone in the community. Or perhaps it’d be fairer to say they’ve cut ties with him.
On Swok’s Bandcamp page, the artist states he’s a solo artist. This is not a fair statement, as the majority of content on Spaghetti Western On Ketamine is salvaged material from the last project De Blimp worked on. As for the album itself, it’s good. Very good, indeed; though the other member’s absence is clearly felt. While Swok’s vocals are well tuned, they often lack flavour. Previous De Blimp releases worked around this via the diversity of their two singers, though Swok fails to emulate the strangeness of his bandmate. Tyrant, for instance, would have been so much better with the lower register of the former De Blimp member. Moreover, it’s clear many of these songs were written around the strengths of the former vocalist, such as Bone of Dust. Furthermore, there’s a disappointing lack of quirkiness; most of the album is sterile.
Despite the story cemented with the album, there are a few salvageable relics worth discovering. Glycerine is an incredible western-esque journey from start to finish. The Hand That Feed is both moody and psychedelic. These tracks turned out superfluous. Lastly, the closer is immaculately executed. The rest is good, but rather one note. No amount of diversity in psychedelic sound design can distract from the simple chord progressions that Shamblerone completely abandoned. At the end of the day, Spaghetti Western On Ketamine is a stark reminder of what could have been had the artist been more concerned with reconciliation than pulling a petty move. The album laments in this sorrow. The artist took the easy route out, as it was most likely easier for him to isolate himself with the project, as opposed to dealing with the difficulties of reconciliation. The project’s true potential was relinquished as a result.
One can only wish De Blimp will resolve their issues in future not for the chance that they may reunite, but to deal with the uncomfortable psyche associated with such a fallout. Their goal should not be to make new music, but rather pass each other in the store one day and share a smile about the good times they had, and the good music they made. It can be done, and it takes swallowing a good amount of pride (and in my case, semen), though it will strengthen your character in future. I did it with you, Swok, and you can do it to others, no matter how broken that relationship may seem. Each member’s solo efforts since the band’s departure are missing their complimentary bread to butter; How The Beatles Cheated Their Success lacks the sincerity and powerful emotion of Swok’s Spaghetti Western On Ketamine, and Swok’s album is missing the eccentricity. If each solo artist can replicate that missing element, their works will soar.
Update: The artist has deemed me the reason he quit music. A shame. He was on the right path. He also said he’s going to delete the album so no one will ever listen to it. Too bad I payed for it and downloaded it a week’s prior. You can listen to it below.
Above Average
Listen to it here:
Edit 2/02/23: More Drama!
Seems like Q-man has posted again! This time with more lies/bullshit to make me look bad. Time to defend myself:
Posted privately in your Discord server? I found out about your album from your band-mate who posted it publicly in October. Do you think he knew it was a work in progress at the time?
Swok - Spaghetti Western On Ketamine
