Blind - By The Sundays
Introduction

I am a huge music fan. (Big surprise). I listen to music as many hours of the day as I can. As my CD collection grows over the years, it allows me to voluntarily choose music to affect my mood. Sometimes it's fun to throw a in Cure CD on an overcast day to make it even more depressing. And sometimes I choose bands that can do nothing but put me in a good mood when I listen to them. The Sundays are one of those bands. In fact they're probably No. 2 on the list, right behind The Cocteau Twins. It seems I'm not the only one who does this, though. Back in 1992 I went on a ski trip to Caberfae in Cadillac, MI with several of my friends. One of them, my friend Dave, had driven separately since he had come straight from college. He arrived at the hotel just a little after us...

*literally bounces into the room*
"Hey guys!"
"Um, hi Dave. Why are you in such a good mood?"
"Because I listened to the new Sundays CD all the way here! I'm in such a good mood."
*bounces around the room some more*

Now if you knew Dave, you'd say this was a normal state for him, but he was a bit more bouncy than normal that day.

History

The Sundays formed in the summer of 1987 in London, England. Originally, the group consisted of vocalist Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin. After the duo had written several songs, they added a rhythm section, featuring bassist Paul Brindley and drummer Patrick Hannan. In August of 1988, the Sundays performed their first concert, playing at a club in Camden, London. The concert generated good word-of-mouth within the industry and the group were the target of a record label bidding war. By the end of the year, the band had signed to Rough Trade records, home of indie legends The Smiths. They would sign a deal with DGC Records for American distribution within a year.

Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic was released in 1989 to critical and commercial success. The album was an exquisite texture of gilded guitar work blended with Harriet's atmospheric vocals. Comparisons were made to Cocteau Twins, 10,000 Maniacs, and of course, The Smiths. The band quickly established a loyal fan base in England and abroad. They followed the album with a tour of the States, Japan, and the UK, opening for Belly.

Following their 1990-91 tour, the band stayed fairly quiet until late 1992 with their sophomore release Blind. Somewhat darker and more serious than Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, Blind was greeted with mixed reviews but was an immediate hit in the U.S. and U.K. In America, "Love" became a number two modern rock hit and "Goodbye" peaked at number 11. Although Blind was initially successful, it didn't have they staying power of the debut and dropped out of the charts by the summer of 1993.

Unfortunately for fans, the band practically disappeared for 5 years after the release of Blind. Harriet and David, who have been together for over 10 years, had a child and built a music studio in their home. They finally broke the silence with a new album in 1997, Static & Silence. The first single, the delightful "Summertime", shot to the top of the indie charts in both the US & the UK and became a favorite on college radio. MTV even put the video into heavy rotation. The band followed up with a brief tour of the US & UK in Fall 1997. As of this writing, future tour plans and releases are not known.

Opinion

The Sundays have always been one of my favorite bands, ever since a friend mentioned "a new band that sounds like the Smiths but with a girl on vocals!". Now with 3 albums under their belts, they've become talented musicians who can write beautifully intricate songs. (Listen to "Girl" off of Static & Silence with headphones.) And they have a sense of humor. ("I Kicked A Boy" off of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.) As I mentioned earlier, they're one of several bands whose music always seems to put me in a good mood. Always delightful, Harriet's voice and David's guitar put a tap in my foot, and a smile on my face.

Medic

11.1.99