Lush were an English rock band formed in London in 1987. The original line-up consisted of Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Steve Rippon and Chris Acland (drums). Phil King replaced Rippon in 1991. They were one of the first bands to have been described with the "shoegazing" label. Following the death of Acland, the group disbanded in 1996.
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Doolittle is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in April 1989 on 4AD records. Its idiosyncratic lyrics were written by the Pixies' main songwriter and lead vocalist Black Francis, and allude to surrealist imagery, biblical violence and descriptions of torture and death. Their 1988 album Surfer Rosa was highly acclaimed, leading to high expectations for its follow up. Doolittle' was an instant critical success, and became their break-through album. It was especially well received in Europe, where the British music weeklies Melody Maker and Sounds both named it as their album of the year.
Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects.
4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of the label's first four singles. Later that year, Watts-Russell and Kent purchased the label from Beggars Banquet to become an independent record label, and Kent sold his share to Watts-Russell a year later.
Dubstar are an English indie-dance duo, performing songs with hints of Britpop, dream pop and synth, as well as the occasional pop ballad and guitar-laden rock with industrial twists. The group was formed in 1992 by Steve Hillier and Chris Wilkie in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Sarah Blackwood joined in 1993 as vocalist.
Both Sides Now is a concept album and studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell that was released in 2000. It is her 17th studio album. The album won two Grammy Awards in 2001 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the song "Both Sides Now" and a Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Client are an English electronic music group from London, formed in 2002. They are most popular in Germany where they have had limited commercial success. They typically combine airline hostess uniforms or shiny fetish fashion outfits with glamour-girl aesthetics and harsh electronics to create a sound reminiscent of early forays into electronic sound manipulation and new wave. Their uniforms have become their trademark.
Technique were a British synthpop band from the mid-1990s featuring Kate Holmes of Frazier Chorus and singer Xan Tyler. The band was named after New Order's 1989 album of the same name, and they were signed to Creation Records, the record label owned by Holmes's husband, Alan McGee.
Lovelife is the fourth and final studio album by English rock band Lush. It was released on 5 March 1996 by 4AD. On Lovelife, the band moved away from their earlier dream pop and shoegazing style and embraced a more Britpop-oriented sound. The album was produced by Pete Bartlett and the band at Protocol Studios in London, and engineered by Giles Hall. Three songs were released as singles: "Single Girl", "Ladykillers", and "500 ", all of which achieved moderate success on the UK Singles Chart, reaching the top 30 positions. On release, Lovelife reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart.
The discography of American alternative rock band The Breeders consists of five studio albums, one live album, three extended plays, ten singles and twelve music videos. Kim Deal, then-bassist of American alternative rock band the Pixies, formed The Breeders as a side-project with Tanya Donelly, guitarist of American alternative rock band Throwing Muses. After recording a demo tape, The Breeders signed to the English independent record label 4AD in 1989. Their debut studio album Pod was released in May 1990, but was not commercially successful. After the revival of the Pixies and Throwing Muses in 1990, The Breeders became mostly inactive until the Pixies' breakup in 1993. With a new lineup, The Breeders released their Safari EP in 1992, followed by their second studio album Last Splash in 1993. Last Splash was The Breeders' most successful album; it peaked at number 33 on the United States Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1994. The album spawned the band's most successful single, "Cannonball". The single peaked at number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number two on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
Ray is the second album by the English pop group Frazier Chorus, released in 1991 by Virgin Records. A limited edition version of the LP and CD included The Baby Album, a four track bonus remix disc. The four bonus remixes were also appended to the end of the cassette edition. The songs were written by Tim Freeman.
High Violet is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010, in Europe and on May 11, 2010, in North America via 4AD. The band produced the album themselves, assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their previous albums Alligator and Boxer at their own studio in Brooklyn, New York, and at Katis' Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The sculpture on the album cover was created by artist Mark Fox, and is called The Binding Force.
Preservation Act 2 is a 1974 concept album by the English rock band the Kinks, and their thirteenth studio album. It sold poorly, and received a mixed response among critics. Ken Emerson, in Rolling Stone, held out the album as an "underrated" one in the Kinks' repertoire.
Sue is the debut album by English pop group Frazier Chorus, released in 1989 by Virgin Records.
Wide Awake is the third and final album by English pop group Frazier Chorus, released in 1995 by Pinkerton Records. In 1996, Pure Records released the album in the US with a different running order and three extra tracks.
Monkey Spunk is a compilation EP by English pop group Frazier Chorus, self-released by the band in 1998. The EP includes five previously unreleased demos which were recorded following the band's split from Virgin Records but before the recording of the Wide Awake album (1995). This "official bootleg" release was only available through the Frazier Chorus website.
The Recordings of the Middle East is the first extended play released by Australian folk band The Middle East on Spunk Records. The band released the EP in Australia on October 27, 2009, and in the United States on June 8, 2010. The Middle East made the album available to download from their Myspace page on October 27, 2009. Prior to the release of this EP and the band's first hiatus they released a longer version of this record with three extra tracks: "Pig Food", "The Fall of Man", and "Tsietsi".
Love This Giant is a studio album made in collaboration between musicians David Byrne and St. Vincent, released on 4AD and Todo Mundo on September 10, 2012, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. Marking Byrne's ninth studio album overall and Clark's fourth, Byrne and Clark began working together in late 2009, using a writing and promotion process that Byrne had previously used on his 2008 collaboration with Brian Eno Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The duo had previously played together live at an Actor Tour concert, and on the album Here Lies Love. The performers enlisted a variety of brass musicians to augment their songwriting and toured over the following year to promote the album.
Jamie Freeman was a British singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, who previously fronted The Jamie Freeman Agreement. He was the brother of actor Martin Freeman and musician Tim Freeman. He co-founded Union Music Store in Lewes, East Sussex with his ex-wife, Stevie Smith. He was a member of the Americana Music Association (Nashville) and Americana Music Association UK. His song, "The Fire", co-written with Ben Glover, was nominated for UK Song Of The Year at the UK Americana Awards.
