Swan Island Issue #30

The Centre Will Hold (Holocene Music)

By Jim Keller
Published: December 1st, 2006 | 12:00am

Formed in Portland, Oregon, in March 2004, Swan Island makes its debut with The Centre Will Hold, an LP fortified with Sleater-Kinney’s guitar-vocal call-and-response onslaught, the Gossip’s dark dance, and Black Sabbath’s metal fantasy. The result is a carnival for the ears as the quintet pushes and pulls listeners on a whirlwind escapade through rock’s centre that leaves them with windblown hair, a sticky-sweet chin, and a minor case of whiplash. It hurts so good there’s no choice but to ride again. 

Listen to any of the tracks and I’m certain you’ll agree that Brisa Gonzalez, with her controlled vocal intonation that doesn’t quite mimic Corin Tucker’s signature vocal howling, could be the next big thing out of the Pacific Northwest. On “Night Owl” and “Flew the Coup,” her voice seems perfectly paired with the guitar styles of Aubree Bernier-Clarke and Torrence Stratton as the three come together like the harmony of the spheres. Furthermore, “Home” has the women wrapping nostalgia in a handbag and “Tracks” packs such a wallop that it takes that handbag and beats you senseless.  

Those with a more discerning eye may recognize Bernier-Clarke as the star of Sleater-Kinney’s “Jumpers” video, but the band hardly needs to rely on this type of gimmickry. With this impressive debut, it’s clear Swan Island is a band of substance; five women who bring the rock, metal, and dance, and bring it hard.