Black Tambourine was an American
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
band and one of the earliest
Slumberland groups of the early 1990s. Formed in
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, in practice it is an edge cit ...
, the band comprised vocalist Pam Berry and instrumentalists Archie Moore, Brian Nelson and Mike Schulman. Along with
Tiger Trap Tiger trap may refer to:
*Trou de loup, also known as tiger trap, a medieval booby trap
* Tiger Trap, an American pop band
**Tiger Trap (album)
''Tiger Trap'' is the only album released by the band Tiger Trap. It was released in 1993 on K Records ...
,
Lois
Lois is a common English name from the New Testament. Paul the Apostle mentions Lois, the pious grandmother of Saint Timothy in the Second Epistle to Timothy (commending her for her faith in 2 Timothy 1:5). The name was first used by English Ch ...
,
Honeybunch
Honeybunch is an indie pop band from Providence, Rhode island formed in 1987 by future Velvet Crush member Jeffrey Underhill, releasing a string of records before splitting up in 1995. The band reformed in 2003.
History
The band was formed in 198 ...
,
Tullycraft
Tullycraft is an American indie pop band from Seattle, Washington, that formed in 1995. They have been associated with the genre of twee pop; in fact, they are considered to be one of the true pioneers of the American twee pop movement. They are ...
, and
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and lo-fi ...
, they are considered to be one of the most influential bands of the American twee pop movement.
History
The members came to the project already acquainted with each other: Both Nelson (also of Big Jesus Trashcan) and Schulman were in Whorl together, while Schulman (also of Powderburns) co-founded Slumberland Records. Moore, meanwhile, was in
Velocity Girl
Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, and active in the Washington, D.C., area. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996.
History
The band started as the duo of Kelly Rile ...
and played on early recordings by
Lilys
Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly. Several of the band's tracks have been used in television advertisements, including the ba ...
, and Berry had co-founded the ''Chickfactor'' zine.
The band was influenced by
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
's
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of sessio ...
production style,
the Jesus and Mary Chain
The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they re ...
, and the
Shop Assistants
Shop Assistants were a Scottish indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 1984, initially as 'Buba & The Shop Assistants'.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 502 After achieving success with inde ...
.
Black Tambourine was described by
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
as one of the "seminal American indie pop bands of the 1980s."
`
Discography
EPs
*''By Tomorrow'' 7-inch EP (1991, Slumberland Records)
*''Throw Aggi Off the Bridge'' 7-inch EP (1992, Audrey's Diary)
*''OneTwoThreeFour'' 7-inch EP (2012, Slumberland Records)
*''Black Tambourine Cassette'' digital EP (2010, self-release)
*''Black Tambourine'' cassette EP (2012, self-release)
Compilation albums
*''
Complete Recordings'' (1999, Slumberland Records)
*''
Black Tambourine
Black Tambourine was an American indie pop band and one of the earliest Slumberland groups of the early 1990s. Formed in Silver Spring, Maryland, the band comprised vocalist Pam Berry and instrumentalists Archie Moore, Brian Nelson and Mike Schu ...
'' (2010, Slumberland Records)
Compilation appearances
*"We Can't Be Friends" on ''One Last Kiss'' (1992,
spinART
SpinART Records was a New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black, and Michael Penn.
The label was started by Joel Morowitz and Jeff Price in 1991. SpinART filed for ba ...
)
*"Pam's Tan" on ''What Kind of Heaven Do You Want?'' 7-inch EP (1989, Slumberland)
References
External links
Black Tambourine
{{Authority control
Musical groups from Washington, D.C.
Indie pop groups from Washington, D.C.
Slumberland Records artists