Strictly East Coast

Album review

With the revolving door of their band's lineup showing no signs of slowing, founding Swirlies Damon Tuntunjian and Andy Bernick developed the experimental, noisy side of their band. This included incorporating more drum loops and other electronic elements into their music, and on 1998's Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music, inviting top East Coast DJs to remix songs from their previous albums and collaborate on new material.
A generous 16 tracks long, the individual merit of each track on Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music varies with the DJ doing the remixing. DJ Spooky's take on "In Harmony Retrograde Transposition" opens the album on a high note, retaining the hovering, shimmery feel of the original's guitars and framing it with spacy keyboards and jackhammer drum beats. Bob Brass' sleek "Sterling Moss (Slippy Mix)," and DJ Rich Costey's remix of "San Cristobal de las Casas" also keep the Swirlies' dreamy pop essence intact in high-tech settings.
Some of Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music keeps the group's playful experimentalism high in the mix: DJ Carlos "Soul" Slinger's mix of "Boys, Protect Yourselves from Aliens," which features video game sound effects, a funk guitar, and heavy synth bass, and Dog vs. Mice Parade's mix of "Who Was in Scituate on the 4th of July?" morphs from analog synth tinkering to minimalist piano tinkling. The real treat, however, is "Symphony of the Sneaky Flutes," a trio of naive, ambient-inspired analog synth pieces that wobble and float like a lo-fi version of Eno's early synth works. Far from remaining tied to their guitar-based pop roots, the Swirlies continue to push the envelope as they create playful, intriguing music.

© Heather Phares /TiVo