Years Active: 27 (with sporadic breaks).
Provenance: Boston/Cambridge, MA.
Essential Albums: Blonder Tongue Audio Baton, They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons, and Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music.
Essential Songs: “San Cristobal de la Casas,” “Tall Ships,” “Pancake,” “House of Pancake,” “Upstairs,” “In Harmony New Found Freedom,” “Sounds of Sebring,” “Sunn,” “Sarah Sitting,” “Her Life of Artistic Freedom,” “Didn’t Understand,” “Chris R.,” “Bell,” “Vigilant Always,” “His Love Just Washed Away,” “Park the Car by the Side,” “Trudy.”
Influenced by: My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Slowdive, Pixies.
Influence on: Lilys, Starflyer 59, Asobi Seksu, A Place to Bury Strangers, Whirr, Ringo Deathstarr, Jetman Jet Team.
Precautions: Original guitarist/vocalist Seana Carmody is no longer with Swirlies, which is a damn shame, as her singing helped to define the group’s tartly sweet sound as crucially as Bilinda Butcher’s did for MBV. But trust head Swirlie Damon Tutunjian to find a suitable replacement, as Deb Warfield of Gold Muse will chip in on vocals, guitar, and keyboards.
