Blonder Tongue Audio Baton
Encyclopedia
Blonder Tongue Audio Baton (sometimes spelled Blondertongueaudiobaton) is a 1993 album by Swirlies
, released on CD, LP and cassette. The majority of the album was recorded in the summer of 1992 at Q-Division, Boston with engineer/co-producer Rich Costey. It is possibly their best-known and most critically praised work, with many critics citing it as a "lo-fi
" answer to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless
. Allmusic calls it "a mainstay of early-'90s indie music."
Some tracks from it appeared, in altered form, on the band's 1994 Brokedick Car EP.
The album is named after an obscure and expensive audio graphic equalizer, made from 1959-61 which was used extensively while tracking the album. It was co-lead singer Seana Carmody's last full album with the group, before she formed the Farfisa-driven and somewhat more pop-oriented Syrup USA
.
In addition to the standard track listing, two session out-takes exist and are in unofficial circulation. The first is an unfinished rerecording of "Park the Car by the Side of the Road" and the second is the original studio recording of "Trudy" (a four track version also exists). The version of "Park the Car by the Side of the Road" that appears on the record is not actually from the BTAB sessions. Rather, it is a remix (with some re-recorded vocals) of a track released as part of the "Error" single in 1991. A later 8-track version of Trudy was eventually released as part of the Simple Machines Working Holiday 7" series. Neither out-take has seen official release.
Swirlies
Swirlies is an shoegaze band from Boston that formed in 1990. They have often been compared to My Bloody Valentine.-Formation and early career:...
, released on CD, LP and cassette. The majority of the album was recorded in the summer of 1992 at Q-Division, Boston with engineer/co-producer Rich Costey. It is possibly their best-known and most critically praised work, with many critics citing it as a "lo-fi
Lo-fi music
Lo-fi is lower quality of sound recordings than the usual standard for music. The qualities of lo-fi are usually achieved by either degrading the quality of the recorded audio, or using certain equipment. Recent uses of the phrase have led to it becoming a genre, although it still remains as an...
" answer to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless
Loveless (album)
Loveless is the second studio album by alternative rock band My Bloody Valentine. Released on 4 November 1991, Loveless was recorded over a two-year period between 1989 and 1991 in nineteen recording studios...
. Allmusic calls it "a mainstay of early-'90s indie music."
Some tracks from it appeared, in altered form, on the band's 1994 Brokedick Car EP.
The album is named after an obscure and expensive audio graphic equalizer, made from 1959-61 which was used extensively while tracking the album. It was co-lead singer Seana Carmody's last full album with the group, before she formed the Farfisa-driven and somewhat more pop-oriented Syrup USA
Syrup USA
Syrup USA was a four-piece indie pop band from Boston, Massachusetts. They formed in 1993 and disbanded in 1998. The brainchild of lead singer and guitarist Seana Carmody , Syrup USA blended elements of 1960s pop with the bombastic panache of 1990s rock and splashed heavy helpings of synth-pop all...
.
In addition to the standard track listing, two session out-takes exist and are in unofficial circulation. The first is an unfinished rerecording of "Park the Car by the Side of the Road" and the second is the original studio recording of "Trudy" (a four track version also exists). The version of "Park the Car by the Side of the Road" that appears on the record is not actually from the BTAB sessions. Rather, it is a remix (with some re-recorded vocals) of a track released as part of the "Error" single in 1991. A later 8-track version of Trudy was eventually released as part of the Simple Machines Working Holiday 7" series. Neither out-take has seen official release.
Track listing
All tracks by SwirliesSwirlies
Swirlies is an shoegaze band from Boston that formed in 1990. They have often been compared to My Bloody Valentine.-Formation and early career:...
- "Bell (Intro)" – 0:12
- "Bell" – 4:29
- "Vigilant Always" – 5:10
- "His Love Just Washed Away" – 5:24
- "His Life of Academic Freedom" – 2:07
- "Pancake" – 3:15
- "Jeremy Parker" – 4:14
- "Park the Car by the Side of the Road" – 5:04
- "Tree Chopped Down" – 3:12
- "Wrong Tube" – 5:06
- "Wait Forever" – 4:18
Personnel
- Ron Rege – Masking tape pull recordist on intro.
- Andy Bernick – Bass, Radio
- Seana Carmody – Guitar, Vocals, Minimoog, Mellotron (actually a Chamberlin to be precise)
- Ben Drucker – Drums (7, 8, 9)
- Kevin March – Drums (?)
- Mark Rivers – Drums (?)
- Damon Tuntunjian – Guitar, Vocals, Minimoog, Mellotron (actually a Chamberlin to be precise)
- Torr - Moth talk
- Dan - Moth talk recordist
- Sentridoh - Moth talk ambient music (oops...)
Other credits
- Swirlies – Producer, Mixing, Engineer
- Rich Costey – Engineer, Mixing, Co-Producer
- Kerri Bennet – Artwork, Art Direction, Design
- Ron Rege – Art Direction, Design