Richard Swift's final album is testament to a great talent taken too soon

After his tragic, still-raw death at the age of 41, Swift’s career can be viewed through the lens of finality. The Hex, in many ways, typifies his style but also offers a more refined version of it. He still sings in a classically ‘indie’ mode (the similarities to Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen are apparent, and he’s sometimes a little Bowie-ish), he still incorporates a multitude of timeless sounds and influences into his sound (from Motown to classic singer-songwriter to bar-room piano blooze), and he’s still playful and witty, sincere and precise.

The tracks here are diverse, drawn from the full range of flavours you might find on Swift’s most-played Spotify playlist. There’s more than a little touch of Nilsson on “Dirty Jim”, and across the album – Nilsson being one of the primary influences on Swift’s career. Swift ranks alongside Hamilton Leithauser and Josh Tillman as being music’s loyalest Nilsson-ites. He even played a part in the recording of Leithauser’s Nilsson-esque solo record Black Hours.

“Wendy” is an homage to Phil Spector pop, complete with “da-doo-ron-ron"s and a classic pop swing. “Broken Finger Blues” is a wry, soulful ode to, well, a broken finger – an injury that threatened Swift’s equally rewarding career as a sideman to bands like The Shins, The Black Keys and (eventually) The Pretenders.

“Kensington!” is a uniquely thrilling tribute to the wildness of Swift’s beloved Funkadelic, while the title-track is a seductively sexy hymnal. Album highlight “Babylon” is a soulful, groovy little number that evokes Marvin Gaye.

It’s a deeply engaging, consistently great release from a uniquely interesting artist. It’s just a damn shame that he’ll never get the chance to do it again.