Search - Swirlies :: Cats of the Wild 2

Yeah, THOSE Swirlies.

skytwo | Boston | 07/23/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"They're back-- old Swirlies and new. While browsing through the selection of NY city's fine 'Other Music' this weekend, I happened to notice that they still had a marker for Swirlies under the S's. But these guys haven't released anything in years, right? Wrong. The employees all knew that yes, this was something new by 'those Swirlies,' but nobody had heard it. The most knowleadgeable comment I got was that it was a little more electronic, but still retained the same sound. So I took a chance, seeing as how I was a fan in the early/mid-90s, and I was pleased with the results. Is it the same old Swirlies? Yeah, but in a good way. They've definitely retained the same sound, but after the 5+ years that have elapsed since 'Sneaky Flute Music,' they've obviously been evolving, maturing and expanding rather than simply relying on the same old schtick. I thought that the term shoegazer was a real misnomer for these guys back in the day, since they had a knack for moving from soft, acoustic sounds to hard-edged noise in the blink of an eye and weren't all brooding introspection (although they could be pretty self-indulgent at times). But now they've added another six years of influences and musical trends to add into their underrated stew of sometimes serious and sometimes absurdist lyrics, sometimes multi-layered and sometimes stripped down sound, and the always-welcome hodgepodge of 'field recordings' and other unusual samples. It's great to see them back in action, and I for one am thrilled. I'm confident that other fans will be pleased, and I'll stick by my claim that this group got short shrift then, and seems to be getting it now-- their mix of styles tends to get them pigeonholed with whatever happens to be the alternative flavor of the month, whether it be shoegazer or retrofuturism.One caveat. This is more of a long EP than a full-length album. Which makes it a bit pricey."