An
indie rock band centering around the talents of frontman Kurt Heasley. Lilys began life making
shoegazer dreampop in the vein of
My Bloody Valentine, drifting breathy vocals over distorted guitar fuzz. 1996 saw an abrupt shift to
British Invasion rock with the release of the decidedly
Kinksy
Better Can't Make Your Life Better. A track off the album,
A Nanny In Manhattan, was selected for a
Levis tv commercial in the UK, giving the band some much-deserved exposure and a brush with near-
fame. Lilys' most recent full length album,
The 3 Way, is a progression of
BCMYLB's 60s sound, adding
strings,
saxaphone and
farfisa into the mix. Occasionally
labyrinthine song structures and comparatively
abstruse hooks make The 3 Way initially less accessible than its predecessor, but it's a fine album that improves with repeated listens. Like fellow American indie-rockers
Guided By Voices and the best
Elephant 6 bands, Lilys transcend criticisms of derivativeness by exploring their influences with
creativity and
flair.
Discography:
1992 In the Presence of Nothing
1993 Tone Bender (ep)
1994 A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns
1995 Eccsame the Photon Band
1996 Better Can't Make Your Life Better
1996 Which Studies The Past (ep)
1997 Services (For The Soon To Be Departed) (ep)
1999 The 3 Way
1999 Zero Population Growth: Bliss Out 15
2000 The Lilys/Aspera Ad Astra (split release)