Richard Swift, Producer Of Indie Stars And Solo Artist, Dies At 41

July 3, 2018 12:01 PM

Richard Swift, producer of indie stars and solo artist, dies at 41 after a short illness. You might have known him as the production brain behind successful albums from Damien Jurado and Foxygen; you may have followed his work as a member of various indie-darling bands, like The Shins, The Arcs, and the Black Keys.

You might not be as familiar with his rich and vibrant back catalog of solo work. Title tracks from each of his solo releases do a reasonable job of relating his talent, style, and mastery — someone who could plug into the nostalgia of any era and re-express it as perfectly formed pop song, each one a mini-masterpiece.

Walking Without Effort (2005)
The Novelist (2005)
Dressed up for the Letdown (2007)
The Atlantic Ocean (2009)

Dave Depper of Death Cab for Cutie on Swift:

Richard Swift was some impossible amalgamation of Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, and Levon Helm, beyond soulful on any instrument he picked up, and a writer of hilarious, heartbreaking, funky, psychedelic songs.

Painfully apropos bonus track: The End of An Age

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posted by missmobtown (20 comments total)

Lovely tribute on KEXP today, with a playlist of his contributions. Not surprisingly, it's a deep well of tracks that will carry into the evening.
posted by prinado at 12:35 PM on July 3, 2018

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posted by oneironaut at 1:05 PM on July 3, 2018

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posted by rhizome at 1:08 PM on July 3, 2018

This is awful. And 41 is WAY too young.
posted by biscotti at 1:47 PM on July 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

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posted by jokeefe at 3:12 PM on July 3, 2018

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I was such a fan of his music. I followed him when he was releasing borderline-terrible praise & worship under the name Dicky Ochoa, and when he joined/produced for Starflyer 59 and eventually launched his solo career. His music is a thing to behold, simultaneously tossed-off and carefully produced. He was involved with so many good records and I was always on the lookout for his next thing. I'm gutted that he's gone.
posted by sleeping bear at 3:19 PM on July 3, 2018 [3 favorites]

Damn. So sad. His work on the several Damien Jurado albums he produced is magical, amazing.
posted by eustacescrubb at 3:45 PM on July 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

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posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:20 PM on July 3, 2018

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posted by riruro at 4:27 PM on July 3, 2018

His Discogs page lists all of the music he was involved in--it's extensive.

He also seemed to announce a new solo album just a couple of months ago on Instagram.
posted by sleeping bear at 4:40 PM on July 3, 2018

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posted by limeonaire at 7:56 PM on July 3, 2018

So bummed about this. He was one of the greats.
posted by Dokterrock at 10:30 PM on July 3, 2018

Oh man. He was great. I think this is my favourite track.
posted by Mocata at 1:56 AM on July 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

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posted by filtergik at 4:53 AM on July 4, 2018

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posted by Ber at 11:33 AM on July 4, 2018

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posted by Joey Michaels at 12:05 PM on July 4, 2018

Dressed up for the Letdown is a masterpiece. A tragic loss to music, indeed.
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posted by eusebis_w_adorno at 5:29 PM on July 4, 2018

Update from family. A real tragedy.
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:35 PM on July 9, 2018

Just horrible. Thank your posting that update, Lutoslawski :(
posted by missmobtown at 5:10 PM on July 14, 2018

Fucking alcohol. I want to commend the family for coming forward with that; it may save someone else's life.
posted by thelonius at 6:06 PM on July 14, 2018 [1 favorite]