Biography
San Francisco’s Switchblade Symphony came together in 1989 after mutual contacts in the city’s goth scene brought vocalist Tina Root together with composer Susan Wallace. Discontented with their existing musical commitments, the pair quickly began writing and playing shows, building a loyal following in short order.
Under the Switchblade Symphony name, Root drew on her musical-theater background while Wallace applied her film-scoring skills, resulting in dramatic vocals set against layered, atmospheric arrangements. The duo’s first recordings, the self-released cassettes Fable in 1991 and Elegy in 1992, circulated primarily at live performances and soon attracted notice from key darkwave outlets, among them Propaganda magazine and Cleopatra Records.
Cleopatra offered the band a contract, leading to the 1995 release of their debut full-length, Serpentine Gallery. The album presented richer, more expansive takes on material from the early cassettes, blending poetic, otherworldly textures with touches of abrasive, mechanical rhythms. Critical praise followed, and the record secured support slots on 1996 tours alongside labelmates Christian Death as well as fellow darkwave acts the Sisters of Mercy and Type O Negative.
The group resurfaced in 1997 with Bread & Jam for Frances, their initial collection of original songs for Cleopatra. Pronounced electronic elements shaped the record, incorporating dub loops and trip-hop grooves into the band’s characteristically moody, ornate style. Strong word-of-mouth sustained its reception; singles “Clown” and “Drool” appeared afterward, accompanied by the limited tour release Scrapbook.
Having spent much of 1998 headlining and supporting other artists on the road, Switchblade Symphony delivered their third album, Three Calamities, the next year. Merging the grandeur of Serpentine Gallery with the forward-looking edge of Frances, the set highlighted the duo’s growth in both songwriting and stagecraft.
Under the Switchblade Symphony name, Root drew on her musical-theater background while Wallace applied her film-scoring skills, resulting in dramatic vocals set against layered, atmospheric arrangements. The duo’s first recordings, the self-released cassettes Fable in 1991 and Elegy in 1992, circulated primarily at live performances and soon attracted notice from key darkwave outlets, among them Propaganda magazine and Cleopatra Records.
Cleopatra offered the band a contract, leading to the 1995 release of their debut full-length, Serpentine Gallery. The album presented richer, more expansive takes on material from the early cassettes, blending poetic, otherworldly textures with touches of abrasive, mechanical rhythms. Critical praise followed, and the record secured support slots on 1996 tours alongside labelmates Christian Death as well as fellow darkwave acts the Sisters of Mercy and Type O Negative.
The group resurfaced in 1997 with Bread & Jam for Frances, their initial collection of original songs for Cleopatra. Pronounced electronic elements shaped the record, incorporating dub loops and trip-hop grooves into the band’s characteristically moody, ornate style. Strong word-of-mouth sustained its reception; singles “Clown” and “Drool” appeared afterward, accompanied by the limited tour release Scrapbook.
Having spent much of 1998 headlining and supporting other artists on the road, Switchblade Symphony delivered their third album, Three Calamities, the next year. Merging the grandeur of Serpentine Gallery with the forward-looking edge of Frances, the set highlighted the duo’s growth in both songwriting and stagecraft.
Albums
