Black Tambourine

They released only a handful of songs their two-year lifetime, but Black Tambourine has been hugely influential in the world of indie music. Conceived as an explicitly pop band pop bands were pretty rare in America, they wore their influences on their sleeves: The Jesus and Mary Chain, of course, but also folks like Phil Spector, Smokey Robinson, Love, The Ramones, Shop Assistants, Pastels, 14 Iced Bears, Orange Juice and the list goes on... The band's dark, dreamy sound was consonant with the shoegaze sounds of the day, but the classic '60s-influenced songwriting gives their tunes a timeless appeal. Formed in 1989 as a side project by members of Whorl and Velocity Girl, they soon recruited Pam Berry as vocalist. Two singles quickly followed, along with a few compilation contributions. Alas, other obligations became more pressing and the band called it a day in 1991.