Sonic Superduo: Magnetic Morning

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SAM FOGARINO can recall the first time he heard the British band Swervedriver.

"I remember my girlfriend handed me the ['Raise'] cassette back in 1991 or so," said the Interpol drummer. "I was driving back to her house, and it was in Florida, where you have to drive on a highway wherever you went, and I put it in and, next you know, I was just accelerating faster in my little four-cylinder car, rattling. And I was like, 'What is taking me over? Must be this band.' And that was it."

Fast-forward to 2006, and Fogarino and Swervedriver singer-guitarist Adam Franklin met to discuss the former playing with the latter during a solo tour.

But as much as Fogarino loved Franklin's careening atmospheric rock in Swervedriver, as well as his singer-songwriter-y Toshack Highway project, he was busy enough playing drums in Interpol.

Yet the duo kept in touch, and Magnetic Morning was born soon after. Fogarino realized this was the chance to make an album, "A.M.," not only with one of his favorite musicians, but also featuring his own music — an opportunity that never presents itself in Interpol.

"I made that attempt one time — and that was the last time," Fogarino laughed. "Interpol has such a precise method of writing music, and it took a little time for everybody to realize that and not try to fix what's not broken. I decided instead of being angry in such a great band and disturbing the flow there, I'll just go make my own record."

Like the name implies, "A.M." is a morning album: drowsy but alive, combining Franklin's laconic and lovely voice with Fogarino's dense chordal melodies.

"He was able to spend a lot more time on lyrics and vocal melodies and then just embellish the basic parts of the song," Fogarino said.

Live, Fogarino sticks to drums in Magnetic Morning, effectively going into the background again, but in many ways, "A.M." is his record.

"It can be bone-chilling in that this could fall on deaf ears and I could go back to Interpol with my tail between my legs," he said. "Or I could just take the attitude that finally it's done. ... That's a blessing in itself — mission accomplished."

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Photo courtesy Ink Tank PR