Swirlies
Swirlies | |
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Taang, Slumberland , Sneaky Flute Empire |
Swirlies is an American indie rock band formed in Boston in 1990. Since their first records in the early 1990s, the band has released studio and home recordings that blend shoegaze and twee pop with electronica and lo-fi music.
Swirlies released five studio albums between 1993 and 2003. The band have since assembled to tour occasionally with a roster of musicians led by founding guitarist/songwriter Damon Tutunjian.
History
1990–1991: Formation and early releases
Guitarists Seana Carmody and Damon Tutunjian met each other in Spring 1990 through mutual friend named
In November 1990, Tutunjian's high school friend Andy Bernick was enlisted to play bass and
In 1991 Swirlies made some 8-track
1992–1993: What To Do About Them and Blonder Tongue Audio Baton
In 1992 the band signed to
After a semester of birding, Bernick returned and Swirlies enjoyed a brief period of performing as a
1994–1999: Sneaky Flutes and Salons
Christina Files joined Swirlies on guitar, synths, and vocals in early 1994, and that summer the band began work on their next album. After being branded both "
More member changes occurred during this time: In 1995 DeLuca left and Gavin McCarthy manned the drum kit for two U.S. tours before moving on to work in his own group
2000–2003: The Yes Girls and Cats of the Wild
Swirles continued as a four piece under the Damon-Rob-Andy-Adam arrangement into the new millennium. Swirlies offshoot The Yes Girls (the core lineup but with
The band began to settle into being an outfit with a cast of guest musicians who revolved in and out of the group to accommodate other members' academic, career, and family commitments: Seana Carmody, Vanessa Downing, and Damon's sister Kara Tutunjian often joined onstage for live vocals, Mike Walker and Tarquin Katis occasionally sat in for Bernick on bass, as well as Ken Bernard and Kevin Shea for Adam Pierce on drums. Deborah Warfield joined the band as vocalist circa 2000, also playing guitar and keyboards live.
Swirlies eventually released Cats of the Wild, Vol. 2 on Bubblecore Records in 2003, collecting new material alongside revamped studio versions of Yes Girls songs, plus outtakes from Swirlies' early 90s recordings.[10]
Subsequent activity
The group, though sometimes sparse in regards to output, has never disbanded. They played a few shows in the northeastern U.S. in 2009 and 2011, toured the
Other releases and projects
Since their earliest demo tape, each Swirlies appearance has been marked with "This is Swirlies number __" in order of its release.
Bassist Andy Bernick maintains a label and website called Richmond County Archives that publishes material from the band's periphery. The site also serves as Swirlies' official web presence.[16]
A Swirlies tribute album, Sneaky Flute Moods: A Tribute to the Swirlies, was released online by Reverse Engine in April 2012.[17]
Singer/guitarist Damon Tutunjian produced Mew's debut album and performed in some capacity on their first five albums. He also produced a number of tracks for The Wicked Farleys debut 7-inch and first LP. He played guitar in the original incarnation of Lansing-Dreiden in the late 1990s and in the Danish band Ghost Society in 2010. In 2013, he joined Swedish band I Am Super Ape on bass guitar and synths and produced their single "Monki", featuring Mark Lanegan on vocals. He recently produced the debut album for the Swedish multi-instrumentalist Majken.[18]
Members
Original lineup (1990-1993)
Current members
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Other erstwhile members
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Tutunjian is the sole Swirlie to play with the group for its entire duration while other members have come and gone, sometimes coming back again.
Partial timeline
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/3plcsiqya7n2unaverkcbxquoele9gh.png)
Selected discography
Albums
- Blonder Tongue Audio Baton LP/CD/cassette (Taang! 1993)
- They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons (Taang! 1996)
- Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music CD (Taang! 1998)
- Damon, Andy, Rob, Ron: The Yes Girls (Pehr/Sneaky Flute Empire 2000)
- Cats of The Wild Volume 2 CD/MP3 (Bubblecore Records 2003)
EPs
- What To Do About Them mini-LP/CD/cassette (Taang! 1992)
- Brokedick Car 12-inch EP/CD/cassette (Taang! 1994)
- Sneaky Flutes and Sneaky Flute Music mini-LP/CD (Taang! 1996)
- Buffay: Damon Sez I’m Durdy (Sneaky Flute Empire, 2013)
- Magic Strop Tonight 12” (Sneaky Flute Empire, 2018)
Singles
- "Didn't Understand" 7-inch release (Slumberland Records, 1992)
- Error 7-inch (Pop Narcotic, 1992)
- Brokedick Car 7-inch version (Taang! 1993)
- Swirlies' Magic Strop: Orca vs. Dragon" 7-inch (Richmond County Archives/Sneaky Flute Empire, 2015)
- "Fantastic Trumpets Forever” flexi disc (Joyful Noise Recordings, 2016)
Split releases
- A Kinder Gentler Genocide (Swirlies appeared under the name Raspberry Bang) 7-inch compilation (Wasted Effort, 1990)
- Free Tape (cassette with Dropdead, Fast Forward, 1991)
- Red Fish Dreams 2×7″ split with Kudgel (Cinderblock/Villa Villa Kula, 1992)
- Working Holiday Series: November split 7-inch with Pitchblende (Simple Machines, 1993)
- Vents of the Ocean Floor split 7-inch with Iris (Bubblecore Records, 1996)
Online releases
- Swirlies' Magic Strop: At the Salon of WBCN 12×MP3 (Sneaky Flute Empire, 2005)
- Swirlies' Magic Strop: Winsome Zamula's Hammer of Contumely 8×MP3 (Sneaky Flute Empire, 2005)
- Swirlies' Magic Strop: Gavin's March To The Sea 16×MP3 (Sneaky Flute Empire, 2009)
Compilations
- Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music/They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons 2×LP (Taang! 1998)
- Swirlies Magic Drive: Välkommen Till Ponyklubben mixed format flash drive (Sneaky Flute Empire, 2013)
Music videos
- “Bell” (1992)
Appearances in other media
Swirlies are mentioned in the 2016 novel, Our Noise by Jeff Gomez, appearing in a fictitious record review written by the book's protagonist.[19]
In 2018 a Swirlies poster made an appearance in the Hulu TV series Castle Rock based on short stories by Stephen King and set in the 1990s.
See also
- Fat Day, authors of Cats of the Wild [Vol 1]
- Chimp rock, term that predated "sneakyflute music"
- Syrup USA, Seana Carmody's post-Swirlies band
References
- ^ Beck, Richard. "The Return of Swirlies". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
- ^ a b Foege, Alec (May 1993). "Swirlies". Spin Magazine. p. 10.
- ^ Reynoso, Jonathan (August 4, 2017). "Interview – The Swirlies". SF Sonic. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ^ a b c Wolk, Douglas. "Swirlies". Trouser Press. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Roegsen, Jeff. "1993: The Swirlies - Blonder Tongue Audio Baton". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas (October 1997). "Syrup USA". College Music Journal. CMJ.
- ^ Jarman, David (August 1996). "Swirlies: They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons". College Music Journal. CMJ.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "The Swirlies: Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Swirlies - the Yes Girls - DOA". www.adequacy.net. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Tangari, Joe (April 14, 2003). "Swirlies Cats of the Wild, Vol. 2". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Swirlies expand tour, playing 'Blonder Tongue Audio Baton' in full at Silent Barn on 4th of July". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Sacher, Andrew (June 5, 2018). "Nothing announce new album & tour with Swirlies, share "Zero Day"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Tutunjian, Damon. "This is Swirlies Number... An exhaustive list of Swirlies recordings". Richmond County Archives. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Swirlies – Winsome Zamula's Hammer Of Contumely". DisCogs. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Pearls, Bill (September 21, 2018). "Swirlies releasing new EP (stream a track); tour w/ Nothing starts this weekend". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- ^ Bernick, Andrew. "About". Richmond County Archives. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ Sneaky Flute Moods release announcement at Free Music Archive, posted by curator Dave Merson Hess on April 8, 2012.
- ^ "My Interview with Damon Tutunjian of the SWIRLIES". Velocitylab. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ Gomez, Jeff (2016). Our Noise: A Novel. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 323.
Sources
- Biography on VH1