Swell WHENEVER YOU’RE READY (Beggar’s Banquet)

The California dream-pop outfit Swell have done plenty of shape shifting since guitarist/vocalist David Freel and drummer Sean Kirkpatrick formed the duo in 1989. Several line-ups ballooned them to a four-piece before they shrank to just Freel on their previous release, 2001’s Everybody Wants To Know (Beggars Banquet). But they return to their duo roots for their seventh album, and the configuration seems to suit them.

Whenever You’re Ready shimmers and sways with melodic bravado as the two musicians play off each other to achieve a textured sound that’s fleshed out by guest musicians including producer Andrew Murdock (Godsmack) on bass plus keyboards and violin. The pretty moments are given enough edge by Freel’s achy vocals and thick, sawing chords, which cut through the billowing acoustic-guitar rhythms and Kirkpatrick’s understated, brassy drum beats. Their interaction shines when a rattling beat ricochets off an infectious, shuffling guitar over diffuse effects on "Say Goodbye," or when a distorted electric-guitar buzz alternates with bursts of acoustic guitar and drums on "Better Than Oil."