Swearing At Motorists
Exile On Gipsstrasse
Secretly Canadian [2006]
Recorded in a Berlin U-Bahn station, Exile on Gipsstrasse captures Swearing At Motorists at their most inspired. Frontman and mastermind Dave Doughman set up a tape machine and two microphones near closing time, turning the echoing underground into his own reverb chamber. The result lands somewhere between a live and studio album—no crowd noise, but plenty of that raw, in-the-moment energy.
Imagine hearing someone play through a long hallway, the volume turned just halfway up. That’s the atmosphere Doughman bottles here: intimate, imperfect, and completely alive. The project began when three of these recordings appeared on Last Night Becomes This Morning earlier in 2006, and Doughman soon wondered what an entire album in that stripped-down style might sound like. Exile on Gipsstrasse answers that question beautifully. It’s a short, 25-minute burst of lo-fi immediacy—an offbeat experiment that pays off, and one that’ll have you reaching for the repeat button more than once.
Key Tracks: “Coming Home [Richard Hawley]” / “Northern Line” / “Ten Dollars”
Artists With Similar Fire: Alejandro Escovedo / Gram Parsons / Guided By Voices
A lifelong fan of new music—spent the '90s working in a record store and producing alternative video shows. In the 2000s, that passion shifted online with blogging, diving headfirst into the indie scene and always on the lookout for the next great release. Still here, still listening, and still sharing the best of what’s new.
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
- Christopher Anthonyhttps://thefirenote.com/author/canthony/
