Tiltmaster

Tiltmaster is a one-man band from Boston, comprised of Darryl Blood. Swan Girth is his debut CD, which follows numerous indie cassette releases that have been recorded since 1994. In the same way that Lou Barlow mastered the lo-fi home recording with Sebadoh, et al., Blood has continued the comfortable, Boston tradition of four-track taping. Tiltmaster is a roller-coaster ride through the feelings and emotions of Blood. His ability to strum a good indie rock tune ("Welcome to My Silo") and then drop his guitar to take up the piano for a heart-wrenching ballad ("Sore") is quite admirable. The constant switch from Sonic Youth guitar jams to Rufus Wainwright show tunes to Nick Drake love songs are what makes Swan Girth such an interesting listen. The subject matter is love, love and more love. Most of his songs speak about loss or regret of a lover, and he has the talent to give the listener something to think about (which is rare). Swan Girth is the sound of a talented songwriter telling his story that should definitely be heard.