AC Acoustics | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1990–2003 |
| Labels |
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| Members | Paul Campion Caz Riley Dave Gormley Mark Raine Paul Murray |
| Past members | Roger Ward James Barrett- Bunnage Reid Cunningham |
AC Acoustics were a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow, [1] formed in 1990. Over their thirteen years of existence, they released a string of singles, EPs and albums on a number of independent record labels. They split up in 2003.
AC Acoustics formed in Glasgow in 1990. Initially, they were heavily inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain – blending white noise with early Pavement-style experimentation and, on occasion, augmenting their two guitar, bass and drums instrumentation with saxophones and violins.
Their first recording was the 1992 five-track Wrist Eye demo, which featured Gerard Love from Teenage Fanclub on backing vocals. The demo gained them a recording contract with the independent label Elemental Records, who released their debut single, Sweatlodge/MV, in 1993. Displaying an aptitude for getting on the bill at disproportionately high-profile gigs, they opened for PJ Harvey, Spacemen 3 and The Jesus Lizard, amongst others.
In 1994, the band's debut album, Able Treasury, was released, which provided a demonstration of the unusual approach to song titles that would continue throughout their career (amongst others, the album featured songs called Mother Head Sander, Oregon Pine Washback and Sister Grab Operator). Shortly after this release, Mark Raine replaced Roger Ward on guitar and the band then began work on their next album.
Victory Parts was released in 1997 and the band promoted it through tours with Embrace, Stereophonics, dEUS and Placebo (Brian Molko was a champion of the band and often wore a Stunt Girl T-shirt, including on Placebo's Top of the Pops appearance for Nancy Boy). By this time, their sound had evolved into dense, fuzz-heavy riff-based music with cryptic, poetic lyrics.
In 1999 one of the band's songs was chosen to be on Seriously Scottish: Music from Contemporary Scotland, a CD compiled by the Scottish Arts Council to send to cultural ministries in other countries. [2]
Despite the accolades for Victory Parts in the music press, [3] [4] AC Acoustics remained a cult act. They were at times called "a typically unambitious indie band". [5] They left Elemental and signed with Yoyo Recordings, releasing the EPs Like Ribbons and She's With Stars. They parted with Yoyo in 2000 and moved to Cooking Vinyl, releasing a further EP Crush (continuing the Placebo connection thanks to backing vocal contributions from Brian Molko). [6]
The band's line-up was augmented by a keyboardist, Paul Murray, and two further albums, Understanding Music and O followed, the latter being quickly completed in ten days. Understanding Music was described by The Scotsman as "their best album to date", [1] with The Times noting "intimate confessionals and juddering guitars that threaten to tumble from the skies". [7] A favorable review in The Guardian said, "There are times when only introspection will do, and those are the moments when AC Acoustics come into their own" [8] whilst the NME claimed the album "...smashes the limited boundaries of its particular genre." [9] A BBC Music review marking the re-release of Understanding Music, published in 2010, commented: "...we can today give AC Acoustics the recognition and respect they deserved a decade ago." [10]
The band split up in 2003.
They featured twice in John Peel's annual Festive 50 chart, both tracks featuring on the Victory Parts album:
Prior to AC Acoustics, Dave Gormley played drums for fellow Glaswegian band Thrum.
Fire records reissued Understanding Music in 2010, receiving a glowing 8/10 review from Drowned in Sound . [11]
Placebo are a British rock band, formed in London in 1994 by vocalist–guitarist Brian Molko and bassist–guitarist Stefan Olsdal. Drummer Robert Schultzberg joined in late 1994, but left in 1996 shortly after the release of the band's eponymous debut album due to conflicts with Molko, and was replaced the same year by Steve Hewitt.
Placebo is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released on 17 June 1996 by record label Virgin. It is the only album recorded with drummer Robert Schultzberg before his departure from the group.
Black Market Music is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Placebo. The album took nine months to record, from late-1999 to mid-2000; the longest that the band has ever spent recording an album to date. It was released on 9 October 2000 by record label Hut.
"Pure Morning" is the first single from British alternative rock band Placebo's second album, Without You I'm Nothing (1998). The single was successful in the United States, reaching number 19 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, and it also reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. Worldwide, the song reached the top 50 in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Ireland and New Zealand. In October 2017, the song was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry.
Kristeen Young is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Young began playing piano as a child. She has released seven studio albums. Young has also sung with several artists including David Bowie, Morrissey, Brian Molko of Placebo and The Damned. She also recorded with record producer Tony Visconti, drummer Dave Grohl, and guitarist Nick Zinner.
Without You I'm Nothing is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Placebo. Recorded in mid-to-late 1998, it was released on 12 October 1998 by record labels Hut and Virgin Records.
Victory Parts is the second album by Scottish indie rock band AC Acoustics. The album was widely acclaimed in the music press and displays an evolution of the band's sound from The Jesus and Mary Chain-derived noiseniks to wall-of-sound rock.
"Nancy Boy" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo, released on 20 January 1997, as the fourth single from their debut self-titled album, released on Hut Records. As with their first single "Come Home", the single edit is a re-recorded version, noticeably different from the album version. "Nancy Boy" contains themes of drugs, sex, gender confusion and bisexuality. "Nancy Boy" became their breakthrough single, peaking at number four in the UK Singles Chart a month after the single's release. While Placebo originally charted at number forty upon its release, after the release of "Nancy Boy" the album re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number five in February, staying on chart for thirteen weeks.
"Come Home" is a song by English alternative rock band Placebo. It appears on the group's 1996 eponymous debut album and was released as the lead single from the album on 5 February 1996.
"Every You Every Me" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo, released as the third single from their second album, Without You I'm Nothing, on 25 January 1999. It was released as a 2-CD set and on cassette, but promotional copies on 12-inch vinyl exist. The single managed to chart at number 46 in Australia, number 99 in Germany, and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. There are two versions of the video, both filmed live at London's Brixton Academy; one includes clips from the film Cruel Intentions. A alternative video taking place at a casino was filmed in November 1998 but would not be released until 18 years later as part of the promotion for A Place for Us to Dream.
"Taste in Men" is a 2000 single by the English alternative rock band Placebo. Taken from their third album, Black Market Music, it reached number 16 in the UK singles chart.
"Special K" is a single by British alternative rock band Placebo, released on 19 March 2001 on CD and 12" vinyl, taken from their third album, Black Market Music. The title is slang for Ketamine, and the song itself is supposed to explore "the link between drugs and love," and "Special K" is uppers and the rush of falling in love."
Battle for the Sun is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Placebo. It was recorded in Canada in 2008 and released on 8 June 2009 by record label PIAS. It is their first album with new drummer Steve Forrest, following the departure of Steve Hewitt in 2007.
B3EP is an EP by alternative rock band Placebo, released on 15 October 2012 through record label Vertigo.
Loud Like Love is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo, recorded between 2012 and 2013 and released on 16 September 2013.
"Too Many Friends" is a single by alternative rock band Placebo, the first single off of their seventh studio album Loud Like Love. The single was released on 8 July 2013, as a digital download but was actually released on 23 August 2013 in physical format as a limited edition CD and 7" single in Germany. The song deals with people on the internet and being far more close to friends on the internet, rather than off the computer. It is also about loneliness, which Placebo frontman Brian Molko said was the "modern version of, 'I’m sitting by the phone, waiting for you to call.'"
MTV Unplugged is a live album by the English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released on 27 November 2015, in the formats of CD, DVD, Blu-ray, double vinyl, limited edition double vinyl picture disc, digital download and limited edition super deluxe box set. Recorded on 19 August 2015 at The London Studios, it is part of the MTV Unplugged series.
Life's What You Make It is an EP by the English alternative rock band Placebo, released on 7 October 2016. It includes three cover songs, as well as the 2016 single "Jesus' Son" and two live recordings of "Twenty Years".
"Jesus' Son" is a song by the English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released as a single on 19 August 2016, and was featured in their 2016 EP Life's What You Make It as well as the band's compilation album A Place for Us to Dream later that year.
Never Let Me Go is the eighth studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo, recorded between 2019 and 2021 and released on 25 March 2022. The album was made available for pre-order on 9 November 2021.
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