Radial Spangle

Hailing from Oklahoma City, the eclectic trio Radial Spangle introduced itself with the 1993 album Ice Cream Headache, a release whose cavernous, echoing production layers plinking guitars and feedback beneath the hovering vocals of Alan Laird and April Tippens. The 1994 follow-up Syrup Macrame delivered a marked advance, juxtaposing loud, abrasive "city songs" against loopy, gentle "country songs." Although Radial Spangle echoes the approach of Sonic Youth and Mercury Rev, the group sidesteps those acts' pretension and instead crafts material centered on sunflowers and birthdays, a refreshing departure.