Sing-Sing were an English

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

supergroup formed in 1997 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, comprising vocalist Lisa O'Neill (who had previously worked with Locust, Mad Professor, and Kid Loco) and guitarist/vocalist Emma Anderson (formerly of Lush).Wilson, MacKenzie
''The Joy of Sing-Sing'' Review
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Retrieved 21 November 2015 They worked with a variety of musicians to create a sound which nodded to 1960s girl groups,

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

and folk. They disbanded in 2007.

History

Lisa O'Neill and Emma Anderson met via a mutual friend in mid-1997, and in early 1998 record their first demo as Sing-Sing, with Justin Welch of

Elastica Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave musi ...

on drums.Kellman, Andy
Sing-Sing Biography
,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Retrieved 21 November 2015 A second demo prompted

Simon Raymonde Simon Philip Raymonde (born 3 April 1962) is an English musician and record producer. He is the son of the late arranger and composer Ivor Raymonde. He is best known as the bass guitarist and keyboard player with the Scottish band Cocteau Twins ...

and Robin Guthrie to release "Feels Like Summer" as a single on their

Bella Union Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde. History After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twin ...

label in October 1998.Abebe, Nitsuh (2002)
Sing-Sing The Joy of Sing-Sing
,

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

, 4 November 2002. Retrieved 21 November 2015 After having a track on a split single in 1999, they started their own label, Aerial, through which they released their next two singles, "I'll Be" and a re-recorded "Feels Like Summer", in 2000. They signed with Alan McGee's Poptones label for the release of their debut album, ''The Joy of Sing-Sing'', in October 2001.Begrand, Adrian (2002)
Sing-Sing ''The Joy of Sing-Sing''
,

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

, 22 August 2002. Retrieved 21 November 2015 It was described as a "divine first album" by

and a "strong debut album" by ''

''. ''

'' gave it a 7.4 rating, with Nitsuh Abebe calling it a "tight, interesting, and great-sounding pop record". ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

'' called it "a perfect soundtrack to a lazy afternoon in the countryside".Phillips, Amy (2002)
Sing-Sing ''The Joy of Sing-Sing''
, ''

'', September 2002. Retrieved 21 November 2015 It was released in the US in 2002 by

Manifesto Records Manifesto Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California that has released records by Dead Kennedys, Tim Buckley, Cinerama (band), Cinerama, Concrete Blonde, Cranes (band), Cranes, The Czars, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Lilys, ...

. They toured the United States twice in 2002 taking in both

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

in Austin and

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

in New York. To raise funds to record a second album they sold the ''Madame Sing-Sing'' EP via their website.Wilson, MacKenzie
''Sing-Sing and I'' Review
,

. Retrieved 21 November 2015 Second album ''Sing-Sing and I'' followed in 2005, and was again well received by critics.Begrand, Adrian (2006)
Sing-Sing ''Sing-Sing and I''
,

, 27 April 2006. Retrieved 21 November 2015 Caroline Sullivan, reviewing it for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' gave it 3 stars out of 5, while ''PopMatters'' gave it 6 out of 10. Both the band's albums were produced by O'Neill's former colleague in Locust, Mark Van Hoen, but they also collaborated with the Mad Professor (remixed "I'll Be" in a lovers rock style), Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, cellist and string-arranger Audrey Riley, Poppy Gonzalez, former pianist Mojave 3, Tim Keegan ( Departure Lounge vocalist) and 4AD artist Vinny Miller. Live musicians for touring included Michael Scrivens a.k.a. Shifty (bass), Poppy Gonzalez (piano, keys, percussion, backing vocals), Miguel Morland (drums 1998–2000), Jenny Jones (trumpet and keyboards), Darren Groucutt (drums 2000–2002), and Dominic del Torto (guitarist and backing vocalist 2005–2006). At the end of December 2007, they announced via their mailing list and website that they had decided to disband.

Post disbanding

Wrake (née O'Neill) is a graphic designer, and sings with the band Lost Remnants. Anderson took part in the Lush reformation 2015-16 and released her debut solo album '' Pearlies'' on 20 October 2023 on the Sonic Cathedral label, having made videos for the singles "Bend the Round", "Clusters" and "The Presence" prior.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Joy of Sing-Sing'' (2001), Poptones * ''Sing-Sing and I'' (2005), Aerial/Reincarnate – CD includes video for "Lover"

Singles and EPs

*"Feels Like Summer" (1998),

*"I Can See You" (1999), Fierce Panda – a double A-side with

Linoleum Linoleum is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil (linoxyn), Pine Resin, pine resin, ground Cork (material), cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a Hessian fabric, hes ...

*"I'll Be"/"Western"/"I'll Be ('Dub You Can Love Mix')" (2000), Aerial/

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

*"Feels Like Summer" (remix) (2000), Aerial/Sanctuary *"Tegan" (2001), Poptones *"Panda Eyes" (2001), Elefant *Madame Sing-Sing EP (2004), Aerial *"Lover" (2005), Aerial *"Come, Sing Me a Song"/"Mister Darkness" (2006), Aerial

Other appearances

*"Feels Like Summer" appears on the 1999 Polish compilation ''Now To Jest Twoja Muzyka 06'' (''Now That's What I Call Music 06'') (Universal Music Polska 1999) *"Feels Like Summer" appears in the 2005 film ''Shelf Life'' directed by Tamar Halpern. *"Lover" was used in Episode 4 ("Fog") of the 2006 US TV series '' Saved''. *"Come, Sing Me A Song" appears in Season 2, Episode 20 ("Band Aid Covers The Bullet Hole") of the TV Series, ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

''. It then appeared on Volume 2 of the ''Grey's Anatomy'' soundtrack as an iTunes exclusive. *"A Modern Girl" was used by The Body Shop in their 2006 'Make Me Fabulous' make-up campaign (online and in-store). *"Sunbathing" appeared on ''Never Lose That Feeling Volume 2'' on Club AC30 Records in 2005. This was a cover of the Lush song, written by Emma in 1990. *"When I Was Made" appears in the 2007 movie, '' Numb''. *"Come, Sing Me A Song" appears in the 2012 film ''Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life'', written and directed by Tamar Halpern.

References

External links

* * Sing-Singat

* Lisa Wrake a
Lisawrake.com

Lost Remnants
featuring Lisa Wrake (née O'Neill)
Lost Remnants at Bandcamp
{{Authority control English all-female bands British dream pop musical groups English indie pop groups English rock music duos Female musical duos Pop music groups from London Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 British rock music supergroups Bella Union artists Sanctuary Records artists All-female rock bands All-female pop bands