Required listening: Swing Out Sister’s ‘Shapes and Patterns’

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Seeing Swing Out Sister live last year was one of the shows I was most excited to get to see; I’ve enjoyed the musicianship and quality of the act for decades, and it was a wish that finally came true (the fact that it happened on my birthday made it even more fun for me). Continue reading

Required listening: Swing Out Sister’s ‘Private View’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-11fCIrBgX4

It’s been 25 years now since Swing Out Sister unleashed a pop confection, “Breakout,” which became their biggest hit in the U.S. Although started as a trio, the group’s been a duo since their second album, and the music has evolved, but the cornerstones have always been there – strong songs that fit well in a variety of formats, musical ambition that always yields results, and an itch to play around with music, something that comes into vision with their latest release, “Private View.” Continue reading