Andrew Lyman
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In a recent interview, Atlanta-based four-piece Sword II described their ambition to create music that "gives you the opportunity or the space to go beyond even what is real — or what other people think of as real. It’s just this kind of wild space where we’re renegotiating what it means to be a person." It would be naive to expect any music to be able to truly rewire your entire understanding of personhood, but the quote does, at the very least, suggest that whatever Sword II are smoking is potent enough to conjure up some truly out-of-the-box thinking.
"Body" is taken from the group's forthcoming debut, Spirit World Tour, out on June 23. It starts in a hazy, vaguely psychedelic fashion before drummer Frio's programmed beats kick things up a notch. With the temperature-raising rhythm in place, things begin to lift off and leave reality behind. A jangly guitar rings out as Mari González and Corey Zuko's vocals melt into one another. They sing about out-of-body experiences and being chained to the world. Memories from a whole new perspective. Eventually, the drums open up into a disco-like rhythm and, just when Sword II have reached their summit, "Body" begins to wind down and slowly returns to earth. Maybe they aren't changed forever, but their horizons remain forever broadened.
