Album Review: Swami John Reis- Ride the Wild Night

In 2022, Swami John Reis released his first solo album. Which doesn’t feel like much of an event, because Reis is so prolific under so many names. If you don’t recognize the name right away, you will likely recognize his work in Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes or Drive Like Jehu. But he might be the busiest guy on music this side of Mike Patton, as a member of the Back Off Cupids, Custom Floor, the Sultans, the Night Marchers and a few more. In 2015, he collaborated with the Blind Shake for the album Modern Surf Classics. Indeed the new album Ride the Wild Night isn’t even Reis’s first album of the year. That would be the self titled Plosivs debut- the band formed with Pinback’s Rob Crow and RFTC/Against Me drummer Atom Williard. Like Jon Spencer, who also has a new album out, Reis is a rock lifer. And although Spencer atypically is being lauded for his new album, the two generally have been plugging away (as Uncut points out) without the kind of spotlight of say, a Jack White. Maybe Reis and Spencer don’t need critical appraisal for raw rock. I mean a song titled “Do You Still Wanna Make Out?” probably doesn’t need deep analysis (and oddly, isn’t in the Top 3 of weird song titles here). What it is though is raw rock that often reaches the high marks of the Rocket from the Crypt catalog. I haven’t give much thought for what a solo Reis record might sound like, but this is it. Reis has a real ear for pop and there’s at least three songs that could hang with a greatest hits. There’s also a few surprises - “I Hate My Neighbors…” adds synth, and it’s piano on “Days of Auld Lang Syne”. Ultimately though, this album is the definition of “it is what it is” - 60s garage rock, puerile lyrics and a good dose of shambolic swagger.