Swirlies - Brokedick Car (Album Review)

Swirlies - Brokedick Car

(1993)


My copy: 1993 7” on blue vinyl by Taang! Records.


Brokedick Car was a single that was released around the same time as the debut LP from the Swirlies in 1993. The short 7” included a mix of “Wrong Tube” which is an interesting choice from an album filled with arguably much better songs. Still, “Wrong Tube” is a snappy and sweet, lighthearted take on the searing guitar work of Sonic Youth. It has a slightly more elaborate structure than other tracks from the album proper, with a fun bridge that releases its tense melody right at the end of the song. 

This single also collects the two home-recorded oddities “Labrea Tarpit” and “You’re Just Jealous,” the former of which is mostly just a goofy assortment of tribal percussive sounds against an angular riff. The final track, however, is an interesting lo-fi experiment that showcases a different, weirder side to early Swirlies. The bass and drums are very deep, the tone is dark and there is a sense of mystery until a wave of distortion is unleashed, with the bass diving into a moody progression that isn’t far from post-hardcore music. The guitar is only intelligible as the song mixes in strange fluttering noise loops and bizarre vocals before looping and fading out. 

Brokedick Car is a cute little project that does well to accompany their first record, and it feels like an updated take on the emotional lo-fi of Eric’s Trip.
 

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