Deep waters

With Portland currently weathering a deluge of jangley guitar-pop, distinguishing oneself from the masses of emerging talent in the field can prove an imposing task. While a majority of Portland’s musicians labor to develop a sound that will set them apart from their peers, Swim Swam Swum’s Matt Taylor has already latched onto a songwriting ideal that has propelled recognition of his band’s music.

As he put it, “I try to write energetic simple songs that are fun to play and hopefully fun to listen to as well.”

The simplicity of this mission statement has been key to his success, as all of Swim Swam Swum’s exports have been approachable, direct and contagious to a fault. While indie music as a whole has spent the decade moving further toward the orchestral, Taylor and company have been working to crystallize the near perfect momentum of its elemental legacy.

Taylor conceded that he’s “not trying to write adventurous music,” but even though Swim Swam Swum travels in some well-trodden territory, their expertise in the landscape makes up for their dearth of sonic breakthroughs. In a musical league that would likely include Weezer and Built to Spill, Swim Swam Swum’s songs come readymade with enough rhythmic enticements to make an audience move and enough melodic hooks to keep it that way.

This formula of equal parts lopsided guitar and bright, chirped vocals opens itself up to infinite nuance, and Matt Taylor has happened upon one of its more fruitful embodiments. Persistence with his craft has further refined his playing, but the meandering path of Swim Swam Swum’s development has proven to be a much more elusive progression.

“I moved to Portland in late 2004,” Taylor said of the band’s genesis. “I love the music scene and I have a bunch of friends living here. I played guitar in a bunch of bands but never tried singing, so I started writing songs and attempting to sing.”

Building off his significant guitar chops, Taylor crafted songs that reflect his mastery of the instrument as well as a keen ear for melody. With this short catalogue to call upon, he started what has become the long and circuitous process of forming Swim Swam Swum.

“I was sick of being in bands that broke up after six months,” Taylor said. “So I write all the songs. That way if someone quits the band, they can be replaced.”

This attitude proved to be useful as Swim Swam Swum’s initial months were repeatedly marked by lineup changes that caused the band to progress in fits and starts.

Initially Taylor enlisted drummer Seth Denlinger for the group, and the two recorded a four-song EP with prodigious northwest producer Skyler Norwood (Dirty Mittens and Point Juncture, WA). In keeping with his role as the region’s premiere hired gun, Norwood “affected [Swim Swam Swum] in a surprising way” and helped the group come out with an EP that sizzled with their trademark energy.

While that 2006 release is still the only recorded output available from Swim Swam Swum, Denlinger left the band shortly after the recording, and Taylor was once again beset with the task of raking the classifieds for collaborators. This time he was able to accumulate a drummer as well as bass player, both of whom could approximate the sound that had been lain out on the first EP. With his amorphous lineup in a temporary state of stability, Taylor set about releasing and promoting the EP through his self-realized Lola Records, a “record label that [Taylor’s] friends made up so they could pretend to be on a label.”

The EP’s reception by the Portland music world was generally positive, and their energetic four-song calling card was quickly circulated throughout Swim Swam Swum’s hometown. Though Taylor has since changed bass players, it seems that the longevity and general feel of Swim Swam Swum’s output has been solidified by this release, which has allowed the band to go to work writing and recording more material.

Taylor professes that the group has “evolved and experimented a lot” since their initial outing with Norwood and that changes should be apparent in their next recorded effort, which is tentatively scheduled to begin production in February.

For a solid band with a reputation for not playing beyond their means, Swim Swam Swum has managed to cause a good deal more excitement than most groups who traffic in such well-trodden musical ideals. That the band doesn’t venture far beyond their area of expertise has been well established, but for that very reason, the prospect of a more experimental album from them is intriguing.

Whatever sonic territory Taylor and company choose to explore next, it is sure to be expertly realized and well worth the attention of rock fans in Portland and beyond.

Swim Swam SwumJanuary 12 at the Tonic Lounge3100 N.E. Sandy Blvd.9:30 p.m.