Swirl (band)
Encyclopedia
Swirl were a Sydney
, Australia
-based indie rock
band, forming around 1990 and breaking up in 2002. They released three albums and a number of EP's, mostly through independent Sydney label Half A Cow
.
and reverb on vocals. Their next album, 1994's The Last Unicorn went further into shoegazing territory, with layered, feedback-washed guitar solos and ambient instrumental tracks between songs; it also featured a guest performance by Lara Goodridge, later of the FourPlay String Quartet, on violin. In subsequent years, Swirl released a few EPs and played live in Sydney, Melbourne and other Australian cities.
Their last studio album, Light Fill My Room, was released in 2001 on independent record label
Um & Ah; it had been recorded a few years earlier and financed by Festival Mushroom Records, although the major label dropped them and the release was thus held up. Light Fill My Room was a more polished, radio-friendly affair; it had elements of Swirl's shoegazing sound, but also ballads and even a children's choir on one song. Swirl broke up in December 2002; the various members are pursuing other musical projects.
The two releases of The Last Unicorn had different track orders.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
-based indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band, forming around 1990 and breaking up in 2002. They released three albums and a number of EP's, mostly through independent Sydney label Half A Cow
Half A Cow
Half a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
.
History
Their debut album Aurora (1992) was mostly rock with some shoegazer elements, such as extensive use of guitar fuzzFuzz
Fuzz may refer to:*Vellus, a type of short, fine body hair on an animal*Tomentum, a filamentous hairlike growth on a plant*Focus , a blur effect*Fuzzbox, an electric guitar distortion effect*A derogatory slang term for the police...
and reverb on vocals. Their next album, 1994's The Last Unicorn went further into shoegazing territory, with layered, feedback-washed guitar solos and ambient instrumental tracks between songs; it also featured a guest performance by Lara Goodridge, later of the FourPlay String Quartet, on violin. In subsequent years, Swirl released a few EPs and played live in Sydney, Melbourne and other Australian cities.
Their last studio album, Light Fill My Room, was released in 2001 on independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Um & Ah; it had been recorded a few years earlier and financed by Festival Mushroom Records, although the major label dropped them and the release was thus held up. Light Fill My Room was a more polished, radio-friendly affair; it had elements of Swirl's shoegazing sound, but also ballads and even a children's choir on one song. Swirl broke up in December 2002; the various members are pursuing other musical projects.
Post Break up
In 2010, Swirl released a digital double album of EP, b-sides and live tracks called Satellites (One) and Satellites (Two). These are only available via download through iTunes.Members
- Ben Aylward (Guitar/vocals) Ben's new project Beautiful World MySpace
- Nicola Schultz (Bass/vocals) (departed 1997) Nicola Schultz MySpace
- David Lord (drums/percussion)
- Keira Hodgkison (Guitar/vocals) (joined 1997) Keira's Myspace site Keira's web page
- Richard Anderson (Bass) (joined 1997)
Discography
Full discography and purchase details available at the Half a Cow website.Albums
- Aurora album (1992, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
) - The Last Unicorn album (1994, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
/RegularRegularThe term regular can mean normal or obeying rules. Regular may refer to:In organizations:* Regular Army for military usage* Regular clergy, members of a religious order subject to a rule of life* Regular Force for usage in the Canadian Forces...
/FestivalFestivalA festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
) - The Last Unicorn album (1995, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
/Polydor) - Light Fill My Room album (2001, Um & Ah)
The two releases of The Last Unicorn had different track orders.
EPs
- Swirl EP (1991, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
) - Touch EP (1992, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
/RegularRegularThe term regular can mean normal or obeying rules. Regular may refer to:In organizations:* Regular Army for military usage* Regular clergy, members of a religious order subject to a rule of life* Regular Force for usage in the Canadian Forces...
/FestivalFestivalA festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
) - The Last Unicorn EPThe Last Unicorn EPThe Last Unicorn EP was released by the Australian band Swirl in 1995 on the record label Half A Cow. It contains two cover songs - Nick Cave's "The Ship Song" and The Carpenters' "Calling Occupants".-Track listing:# "The Last Unicorn"...
(1995, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
/Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
) - On My Own EP (1996, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
/Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
)
Compilations
- Half A Cow "Compilation" (1993, HAC28)
- Satellites (One) (2010, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
) - Satellites (Two) (2010, Half A CowHalf A CowHalf a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
)
External links
(not updated since 2001)- MySpace site featuring band's music
- Biography on Half a Cow record