The end of Arab Strap made me think that it is the end of an era where many bands flourished post-britpop. Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai ( they played the Olympia here ! ) are now relatively mainstream and I can think only of Helen Love as an ‘indie' band from that time period surviving.
So, I've chosen the following criteria :
1. The band has now split. ( or will in the case of Arab Strap ).
2. The band released at least 3 albums during 1995-2005.
3. The band never achieved ‘mainstream' success but wasn't ‘obscure'.
I nominate :
A C Acoustics
Arab Strap
Astrid
the Delgados
Drugstore
Gorky's Zygotic Mincy
Hefner
McLusky
Urusei Yatsura
And my vote goes to...
URUSEI YATSURA !
( but it's so difficult to choose...)
I agree with
Mclusky
Hefner
Gorkys
i would add therapy but they did have a big burst of success so maybe they dont count.
and your vote goes to ?
?
nog
longpigs
+
they never split. Still at it!
definatly
Bis
Simian
Symposium
didn't Symposium
have TOP40 singles ?
And only 2 albums anyway...
ONE vote !
My friend's Dad was Symposium's Chauffeur...
...which is not only a pointless and uninteresting anecdote but also one I've used on here before. Yay me!
gorkys
delgados
hefner
arab
all had top 40 singles too
are you sure ?
Can't remember them being higher than 50..
delgados
no danger and wires went top 40, i'm sure of it.
first big weekend went top 40 i believe and was on a beer advert.
hmm i thought that greed ugly people just got top 40?
as for gorkys, i got that wrong, they set a record though for 8 top 100 hits without a top 40, peaking at 41, 42 and 43 at times...
greedy ugly people
got 64
.
symp werent indie you gimp
Lets not forget
Therapy? are still going
Damn criteria #3
If it wasn't for that Mansun would win easily.
Pavement
is the answer. Yes.
Yeah, but they
only just get in based on those criteria.
Otherwise, I'd go for Mclusky too.
I'll vote for Bis
If It has to be from your list, Ill vote for McLusky
i vote for bis too.
yes Bis!
Mclusky and Urusei Yatsura are up there too though.
Ok...
Since B & S are ineligible under the criteria I'll give my vote to Hefner.
um.
Alfie? Not the best but another one for the shortlist I'd say.
Did they split ?
Where's my champagne bottle...
27th October 2005.
due to the fact that "no one (was) listening".
don't know about the other
but I sure wasn't...
Still always a sad news...
( especially since I haven't champagne at home ! )
The Microphones
maybe...
if you can say that
then i can say Royal Trux.
Except they're still going.
Sort of. Phil is releasing a new 7" under the microphones name, which is pretty weird. The songs are ace Don't Smoke/Get off the Internet.
"Get Off The Internet"?
:(
I bet you're smoking while on the internet.
Phil hates you.
Oh wow.
That is pretty weird...
Well, nice work Phil. Now your band can't be the best indie band of 1995-2005. tut.
Most of the above
Plus Ikara Colt
2
albums...
oh fuck
yes :(
GUIDED BY VOICES
Hands down. They released a somewhat incredible eight albums and a load of EPs in that period, and the weakest of them, Earthquake Glue, is still a better album than most bands ever release.
But if we are talking British bands, which it seems you are from your list, then its probably got to be Mclusky. Or on the strength of the first three albums only, Six By Seven.
i thought we were talking
british.
obviously gbv win the american one.
Umm...
If I have to pick a British band, Bis is a good choice. I can't believe how underappreciated their final album seemed to be. But if not, Sleater-Kinney is the answer. Seven albums, three of them masterpieces, including the last one. How did Oh! and Rollecoaster not become radio hits? S-K was a force of nature.
sunny day real estate
Pavement or Miss Black America for me.
.
Yeah, MBA for me too.
Lyle's silly criteria (sorry Lyle!) denies it though.
1. They've not split. Hiatus, innit.
2. They released 2 albums, not 3.
Good point(s)
If we ignore the fairly pointless criteria, then MBA's inclusion is a must.
Yes indeed!
Two fantastic albums!
yes they are
see my explainations below !
did Urusei Yatsura
release 3 albums? as I only know of 2
sleater-kinney
obviously
The worrying thing about this thread
is that if anyone from Q's reading it, you're probably giving them ideas...
The Delgados
is blatently the correct answer to this question
should I submit them
an article ?
From the list above
the answer is, by some distance, The Delgados.
From other places in my head, the answer is probably Sunny Day Real Estate. But I feel somehow unclean putting them in this category.
KaitO
(although the third album was stillborn.)
we can still hope...
Third Album
It exists actually, and Mute claims they are going try to get it out.
good
news !
Delgados would just win it for me
But McLusky, Hefner and Urusei Yatsura are very close.
And
Arab Strap, natch.
Let me explain a little...
I decided to start this thread after listening to Hefner and realizing that the mid90s had seen the creation of a lot of bands that :
- had a quite long career ( hence the albums, deliberately avoiding bands like Ikara Colt or MBA who started later )
- were always praised and moderately successful all around Europe and Japan without encroaching themselves on the mainstream ( unlike B & S, Mansun, Mogwai or Idlewild ).
- sadly split quite recently.
I don't think I've seen emerged in the last 5 years another "generation" of bands of the smae kind. Now, bands generally :
- split fast after no or few success ( insert bands that you've loved in the last 5 years )
- get big or reasonably big ( insert bands that you've hated in the last 5 years )
- stay obscure when releasing a few records ( insert bands that you're still following now ).
I don't know if it's the ‘Hypization' of music or a sid effect of the internet, but bnads seem to get bigger faster ( even if they fall fast...) or to stay obscure with only a few faithful fans.
But all of this was concerning the UK ( ‘indie' american bands with a long moderately-successful career are many since the early 90s ) and not bands a bit rockier ( Hundred Reasons or Hell is for heroes seem destined to stay in my criteria...)
It was just a few thoughts anyway, a bit silly, I know !
Suprised no-one mentioned
The Auteurs.
But now I have. All better.
Equally surprised no one mentioned
Six By Seven.
Arse
Sorry dan_thw, you DID mention Six By Seven!
Blimey
Helen Love are still together? Are they still releasing music? I worshipped them when I was 17.
My vote goes to Urusei Yatsura, I still listen to 'We Are Urusei Yatsura' all the time which is more than I can say for other albums from that era.
yes they are
single 2 months ago, new album soon !
Yeah
I'd go with Urusei Yatsura, and also give a special mention to These Animal Men and Crashland even though they only recorded one album.
These Animal Men
appeared on TOTP! National infamy!
Yeah
that was ace! Them and SMASH on the same show. Beats the Oasis v Blur shenanigans any day of the week!
singer from Crashland...
http://drownedinsound.com/bands/9387
Howsabout
Mew?
good choice
aren't Mew
still going...
I've got it
The answer is Shed Seven. Case closed.
Going For Gold
was on the radio last week, I enjoyed changing the words to Going For Golf.
Getting Better is a GREAT song, I'll kneecap anyone who says otherwise.
Shed Seven
weren't even the best band from York between 1995-2005!
and they started
earlier than 1995, no ?
and had
'hit singles' !
Shut up!
VOTE SHED SEVEN!
SUEDE
simply
NO !
BEACHWOOD SPARKS !!
sort of fit the above criteria (well 2 albums and an EP) and are the best band mentioned so far..
McLusky
obvs
or
spiritualized