Majesty Crush

Last updated
Majesty Crush
Origin Detroit, Michigan, United States
Genres Shoegaze, dream pop, indie rock
Years active1990–1995
LabelsVulva, Chameleon/Dali, Davies Productions, Ché Trading, Numero Group
SpinoffsP.S. I Love You, Astrobrite
Past membersHobey Echlin
Odell Nails
Mike Segal
David Stroughter
Website https://majestycrush.bandcamp.com/

Majesty Crush was an American indie rock band influenced by the shoegaze genre popularized in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, they formed in 1990 and broke up in 1995. The band's lineup consisted of lead singer David Stroughter (1966-2017 [1] [2] ), bassist Hobey Echlin, guitarist Michael Segal and drummer Odell Nails III.

Contents

History

Majesty Crush served as the opening act at shows in the early 1990s for such bands as Chapterhouse, Curve, Mazzy Star, Royal Trux, and The Verve. The song "No. 1 Fan" picked up significant radio airplay on Windsor, Ontario's 89X, and led to Majesty Crush signing with Dali Records, a Warner/Elektra subsidiary. The label released Love 15, the band's lone studio album, in 1993. [3] AllMusic's Joshua Glazer described the album as "a testament to what might have been, if only the band's four members lived in Manchester instead of Detroit." [4] The band's momentum came to an abrupt halt, however, when Dali folded within a month of the album's release. [3] [5] Majesty Crush returned a year later with the self-released Sans Muscles EP before breaking up in 1995. [6] David Stroughter went on to form the band P.S. I Love You. [7] Odell Nails later drummed for Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, the similarly shimmery and ethereal bands Astrobrite and Mahogany, and the more garage indie-punk outfit Hunters.

In 1996, a Majesty Crush live performance was released as P.S. I Love You. About 50 of the first copies were credited to the group, but the rest of the copies were credited to P.S. I Love You. [8]

In 2009, Full Effect Records released the compilation album I Love You in Other Cities: The Best of Majesty Crush 1990–1995. OC Weekly 's Dave Segal remarked that the album "offers 14 reasons why we should still care about this footnote in shoegaze-rock history." [3] AllMusic's Heather Phares called it "a good retrospective of a band that just may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time." [6] Laura Witkowski of Metro Times said the album "feels like the work of a superfan, one keen to share his excitement for a band deserving of more attention than it received." [9]

In 2017, Stroughter was killed by Los Angeles police officers after a slow-speed chase. This confrontation stemmed from two domestic incidents earlier in the day. [2]

In 2020, Third Man Records chose "No.1 Fan" to be the lead off track of its Southeast Of Saturn compilation focusing on the best under-discovered early 90s ethereal and shoegaze bands from Detroit and its surrounding areas. In 2023, the surviving members entered into an exclusive license deal with the Numero Group which would begin remastering and reissuing various tracks in preparation for Butterflies Don't Go Away, a compilation of their discography, which was released on March 29, 2024. [10]

Musical style and lyrical content

While incorporating the same lush, dreamy sound as other shoegaze acts of the time, it was the lyrics of Majesty Crush songs that set them apart from other artists of the genre. Stroughter's often strange and obsessive lyrics cover such subjects as stalking Jodie Foster ("No. 1 Fan"), torture ("Boyfriend"), heroin ("Horse"), a female cashier at an adult book store ("Sunny Pie"), actresses ("Uma"), tennis stars ("Seles") and Italian porn stars ("Cicciolina"). [3] [4] [11] The band's musical roots were focused on post-punk and new wave, specifically Joy Division and The Jesus and Mary Chain. [12]

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

EPs and singles

Related Research Articles

Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume. It emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s among neo-psychedelic groups who usually stood motionless during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state. The name comes from the heavy use of effects pedals, as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lush (band)</span> English rock band

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.

<i>Carnival of Carnage</i> 1992 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

Carnival of Carnage is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on October 18, 1992, by Psychopathic Records.

<i>Ringmaster</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Insane Clown Posse

Ringmaster is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse, and their second Joker Card in the first Deck of the Dark Carnival mythology. It was originally released on January 28, 1994 via Psychopathic Records and was reissued in 1998 through Island Records. Recording sessions took place at 313 Studio in Detroit. Production was handled by Mike E. Clark and ICP themselves. It features guest appearances from Capitol E and Jumpsteady. The album's lyrics describe the leader of the Carnival, who serves as one of the judges of one's soul in the afterlife, as being created from the listener's own evils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slowdive</span> British shoegaze band

Slowdive are an English rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Rachel Goswell, Neil Halstead, Christian Savill (guitars), Nick Chaplin (bass), and Simon Scott, all of whom played on the band's debut studio album, Just for a Day (1991). Halstead is the band's primary songwriter.

<i>Forgotten Freshness</i> 1995 compilation album by Insane Clown Posse

Forgotten Freshness is a rarities album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse. Released in 1995, the album features unreleased and "lost" tracks that are harder to find elsewhere.

Karate is an American band, formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1993 by Geoff Farina, Eamonn Vitt and Gavin McCarthy, with Jeff Goddard joining in 1995. The band split up in 2005 before reuniting in 2022.

<i>Tunnel of Love</i> (EP) 1996 EP by Insane Clown Posse

Tunnel of Love is the fourth EP by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on April 19, 1996, by Psychopathic Records. It is the third and final "sideshow" entry in the group's Dark Carnival saga.

The Curtain Society is an American band which formed in Southbridge, Massachusetts in 1988, and consists of singer/guitarist Roger Lavallee, Ron Mominee and Duncan Arsenault. Their stylistic influences include pop, shoegazing, Dream pop and alternative rock & roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chisel (band)</span> American punk rock band

Chisel is an American punk rock band from the United States. In their original run, the group released two full-length albums and a compilation of early recordings on Gern Blandsten. In 2022, their music began being reissued by The Numero Group. Later that year, they reunited to play the Numero Twenty festival and a series of shows around the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Radio Dept.</span>

The Radio Dept. is a Swedish dream pop band from Lund, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison's Halo</span> Musical group in Tempe, Arizona

Alison's Halo is a band from Tempe, Arizona. Their sound, distinguished by dreamy vocals and loud, spacey guitars, is often also associated with shoegaze and dream pop.

<i>Methodrone</i> 1995 studio album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Methodrone is the debut studio album by American psychedelic rock band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, released in 1995 by record label Bomp!.

Astrobrite is an American shoegaze project by Scott Cortez (lovesliescrushing) which has included members of Mahogany, Majesty Crush, Paik, Xebec, Coaltar of the Deepers (Narasaki), Airiel, Gel Set, Fauvely, Melissa Arpin-Duimstra, Jason Baron and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babe (Serbian band)</span>

Babe is a Serbian rock band.

Reel Life Productions, also known as Gothom Records, is an independent record label based in Detroit, Michigan most associated with the hip hop subgenre horrorcore. The label was founded in 1989 by James H. Smith and his younger brother, rapper Esham. Since its formation, RLP had released much of Esham's discography, and had been home to a number of other artists, including Natas, Dice, Mastamind, T-N-T and The Dayton Family.

E for Explosion are an American alternative rock/shoegazing band formed by former JamisonParker singer Jamison Covington after the group's breakup in 2005. The only two constant members of the band were Covington and his wife, Dai Britain Covington (keyboards). After undergoing a hiatus in 2013, the band self-released two EPs in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuck in the Sound</span> French Indie Rock band

Stuck in the Sound is a French indie rock band formed in Paris in 2001. The current band line up consists of Jose Pedro Fontao, Emmanuel Barichasse, Arno Bordas and François Ernie. The group are presently signed to Discograph Records and have to date released six studio albums; their first commercially released album Stuck In The Sound was released in 2004 and their most recent album, Billy Believe, was released in 2019. During June 2023, the band decided to dismiss Arno Bordas, the founder bass player, following artistic and relation discrepancies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pity Sex</span> American alternative rock band

Pity Sex are an American alternative rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. The band formed in 2011, and released two studio albums – Feast of Love (2013) and White Hot Moon (2016) – prior to their split. The band combined elements of indie rock, shoegaze, dream pop and noise rock in their music, and were described by Pitchfork as "post-coital pop-punk". The band announced its reunion in 2022, as part of the Sound & Fury festival line-up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brian Jonestown Massacre</span> American rock band

The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American rock band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990.

References

  1. ↑ Echlin, Hobey. "David Stroughter, 1966-2017: A remembrance". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
  2. 1 2 "Officer Involved Shooting of David Stroughter" (PDF). Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Segal, Save (2007-10-11). "Sprawl of Sound". OC Weekly . Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  4. 1 2 Glazer, Joshua. "'Love 15' - Overview". AllMusic . Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  5. ↑ Duffy, Thom (1994-02-19). "Thrill of Discovery Draws Biz to MIDEM Showcases". Billboard . Vol. 106, no. 8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 45. ISSN   0006-2510.
  6. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "'I Love You in Other Cities: The Best of Majesty Crush 1990-1995' - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  7. ↑ Torreano, Bradley. "Majesty Crush - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  8. ↑ "David Stroughter (P.S. I Love You) interviewed by Keith Mckinnon (Klefsigns Television)". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  9. ↑ Witkowski, Laura (2009-02-25). "Days of future passed". Metro Times . Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  10. ↑ "Majesty Crush Announce Career-Spanning Double-LP Butterflies Don't Go Away". 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  11. ↑ Young, Robert (1993-11-04). "Majesty Crush loves to play the fame game". The Post and Courier . p. 17-D. Retrieved 2012-07-29.
  12. ↑ Group, Gary Graff | | For MediaNews (2024-03-29). "Detroit '90s band Majesty Crush gets its due with new compilation". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.