Devastations were an indie rock band from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, they were active from 2002 to 2010. The band's solemn lamentations often earned comparisons to artists such as

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and

Tindersticks Tindersticks are an English alternative rock band formed in Nottingham in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples embarked on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006 and more permanently the following year. The ...

Band history

The band was founded in 2002 by Tom Carlyon, Hugo Cran and Conrad Standish after the end of their former band Luxedo. Allmusic biography, Mackenzie Wilson/ref> Originally called ''The Devastations'' to mimic the style of bands such as ''

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

'', "The" was later dropped. On 5 May 2003 the band released their self-titled debut album. In 2004, the band was signed to

Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing D ...

for the European release. Their self-titled debut album was named by ''Rolling Stone Germany'' as the best debut of 2004. On 19 September 2005, the band released their second studio album, ''Coal''. The album was nominated for the 2005

Australian Music Prize The Australian Music Prize (often shortened to the AMP) is an annual award of $50,000 ($30,000 from 2005 to 2023) given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award was ...

. On 17 September 2007, the band released their third studio album, ''Yes, U''. The album was also nominated for The Australian Music Prize. ''Yes, U'', was also nominated for Best Album at the EG Awards of 2007. Patrick Donovan from the Age said "''Yes, U'' is a dark, sexy and at times claustrophobic record. By using an 808 drum machine and recording with Hate Rock keyboardist Adam Yang, they move into more electronic territory that recalls the avant garde works of

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

(her ethereal song "

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" was a reference point for the band's "Black Ice"), Grace Jones, Suicide, David Bowie and Scott Walker." Carlyon said "With 'Yes U'' we wanted to move away from the traditional song structure and focus more on sounds, and just see where the songs took us, We didn't want to be in control of the process. We wanted to make a different album to ''Coal''. Anyone can write a song. We were more interested in the sounds. The drum machine opened up a world of possibilities." In 2008, Devastations recorded a cover of

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

's 1981 song "

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" for '' Perfect as Cats: A Tribute to the Cure'', a charity record released in October 2008 by Los Angeles indie label

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. In 2009, Devastations collaborated with New York City-based band ''

Blonde Redhead Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar) and identical twin brothers Simone (drums, keyboards) and Amedeo Pace (lead guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals) that formed in New York ...

'' to record "When the Road Runs Out" for the AIDS benefit album ''

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'' produced by the

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. By 2010, Devastations had disbanded, although Carlyon and Standish later reunited as an electronic music duo, ''Standish/Carlyon'', releasing the album ''Deleted Scenes'' in 2013.

Personnel

* Tom Carlyon – guitar, piano * Hugo Cran – drums * Conrad Standish – vocals, bass

Discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

Australian Music Prize

The

(the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The commenced in 2005. , - , 2005 , ''Coal'' , Australian Music Prize , , - , - , 2007 , ''Yes U'' , Australian Music Prize , , -

EG Awards/Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

(previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. , - , EG Awards of 2007 , ''Yes, U'' , Best Album , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devastations Australian indie rock groups Musical groups from Melbourne Musical groups established in 2002 Musical groups disestablished in 2010