Lilys are an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

formed in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

D.C DC, D.C., D/C, Dc, or dc may refer to: Places * Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia), the capital and the federal territory of the United States * Bogotá, Distrito Capital, the capital city of Colombia * Dubai City, as distinct from the ...

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 band's biggest hit, "A Nanny In Manhattan", which reached No. 16 in the UK after being used in a Levi's advertisement directed by

Roman Coppola Roman François Coppola (born April 22, 1965) is an American director, screenwriter, producer and the son of Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola. For the 2012 film ''Moonrise Kingdom'', he and co-writer Wes Anderson were nominated for the A ...

.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 836-837

Heasley collaborations and productions

Heasley has collaborated with other acts such as Nobody, appearing on the band's 2005 single "Fancy", a cover of the Kinks song,Mosurak, Doug (2005)
Still Single, Vol. 3
, ''Dusted'', 2005, retrieved 24 December 2009 and

The Brian Jonestown Massacre The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American musical project and band led and started by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The group was the subject of the 2004 documentary film called '' Dig!'', and have gained media noto ...

, singing "Tschuss" on their 2003 album ''

And This Is Our Music ''...And This Is Our Music'' is the ninth studio album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre, released on October 7, 2003, on Tee Pee Records. It was re-released on A Records, packaged alongside the "If Love Is the Drug, Then I Want to O.D" single, and ...

''. He also contributed "effects" to Poole's "Snowcicle" on the band's ''Alaska Days'' album, and performed on Apples In Stereo's 1995 album ''Fun Trick Noisemaker'', and

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...

's 2009 album ''

Middle Cyclone ''Middle Cyclone'' is the fifth studio album of American alternative country singer-songwriter Neko Case, released on March 3, 2009, on the ANTI- record label. Her first solo effort in three years, Case stated that "it took a very long time to m ...

''. He co-wrote the Twitch Hazel contributions to their 1997 split double-7-inch EP ''Kramer's Beach''. He has also produced recordings by other artists including The Asteroid#4 (''Apple Street: A Classic Tale Of Love And Hate'', ''King Richard's Collectibles''),

The Ladybug Transistor The Ladybug Transistor is a Brooklyn-based indie pop group associated with The Elephant Six Collective. History Started in 1995 by Gary Olson, Edward Powers and Javier Villegas, The Ladybug Transistor released '' Marlborough Farms'' the sa ...

, and Mazarin and co-engineered Echo Orbiter's ''Laughing All The While''.

Musical style

The band's

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

has shifted style several times in its history. The early recordings, including debut album ''In The Presence of Nothing'', were strongly influenced by My Bloody Valentine. They then moved through

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 as ...

before settling on a new style that has been described as

mod revival The mod revival was a subculture that started in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and later spread to other countries (to a lesser degree). The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence lasted for deca ...

and a particularly strong influence from

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

, and other 1960s bands such as

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

and

The Zombies The Zombies are an English rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two fu ...

leading to the 1996 album '' Better Can't Make Your Life Better'',Howard, Brian (2003)
A Man Up
", ''

Philadelphia City Paper ''Philadelphia City Paper'' was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The independently owned paper was free and published every Thursday in print and daily online at citypaper.net. Staff reporters focused on labor issues, ...

'', 22–28 May 2003, retrieved 23 December 2009Lewis, Catherine P. (2006)
Lilys ''Everything Wrong Is Imaginary''
, ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', February 3, 2006, retrieved 23 December 2009 Later releases included elements of

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

and a return to their earlier

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

sound. The band have gained a reputation for sounding very similar to other artists and bands over the years, with Michael Sandlin of

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

going as far as saying "You might say Lilys frontman Kurt Heasley is a world-class thief",Sandlin, Michael (1999)
Lilys ''The 3-Way''
",

, April 20, 1999, retrieved 24 December 2009 but as one journalist put it "I know we're supposed to hate bands that sound too much like other bands, but the difference with the Lilys is that they do it so blatantly and so shamelessly that it's somehow rendered okay."Chang, Vickie (2006)
Sounds Just Like Awesome: 90s rockers the Lilys ripped off pretty much every band ever
, ''

OC Weekly ''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. OC Weekly was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007. The paper was distributed at coffee ...

'', July 6, 2006, retrieved 24 December 2009

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

described the band's sound as "amplified watercolors".Murray, Noel (1999)
Rock Steady: Three bands stay true to rock 'n' roll, with mixed results
, ''

Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...

'', May 20, 1999, retrieved 23 December 2009

Discography

Albums

*'' In the Presence of Nothing'' (1992), Slumberland *'' A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns'' (1994) (10" mini album),

SpinART SpinART Records was a New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Black Francis, Frank Black, and Michael Penn. The label was started by Joel Morowitz and Jeff Price in 1991. SpinART ...

*'' Eccsame the Photon Band'' (1994), SpinART, reissued in (2015),

Frontier Records Frontier Records is an independent record label, started in 1980 in Sun Valley, Los Angeles by Lisa Fancher, a former employee of Bomp! Records and writer of the liner notes for the first album by The Runaways. History Frontier Records first ...

*'' Better Can't Make Your Life Better'' (1996), Che/Primary *'' The 3 Way'' (1999),

Sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

*'' Zero Population Growth: Bliss Out Volume 15'' (1999), Darla *'' Precollection'' (2003),

Manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

, reissued in Europe with 3 bonus tracks as ''The Lilys'' (2004), Rainbow Quartz *'' Everything Wrong Is Imaginary'' (2006), Manifesto

Singles/EPs

* "February Fourteenth/Threw A Day" (1991), Slumberland * "Tone Bender" (1993) * ''Tone Bender EP'' (1994), Summershine - first 2 singles re-released as EP * "Returns Every Morning" (1996), Ché * "A Nanny in Manhattan" (1996), Ché * ''Which Studies the Past?'' EP (1996),

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

* ''Services (For the Soon to Be Departed)'' EP (1997), Primary * "A Nanny in Manhattan" (1998), Ché ( UK No. 16) * ''Lilys/Aspera Ad Astra Split'' (2000),

Tiger Style Tiger Style is an American independent video game studio. The studio was founded by industry veterans Randy Smith and David Kalina in 2008. Their first title '' Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor'', was released in August 2009, followed by ''Wak ...

, split EP with Aspera Ad Astra * ''Selected'' EP (2000), File 13 * ''Well Traveled Is Protest'' Lilys/Big Troubles Split 7" (2012), Speakertree Records

Compilation appearances

*"Any Several Sundays" appears on ''...One Last Kiss'' (CD) (1992),

spinART Records 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 bankr ...

*"Claire Hates Me" appears on ''Neapolitan Metropolitan'' (3 x 7-inch EP box set) (1992),

Simple Machines A simple machine is a mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force. In general, they can be defined as the simplest mechanisms that use mechanical advantage (also called leverage) to multiply force. Usually the term refer ...

*"Excelsior Plainslide" appears on ''Ten Cent Fix - A Jiffy Boy Records Compilation'' (1993), Jiffy Boy Records *"Strange Feelin'" appears on ''Sing A Song For You: Tribute To Tim Buckley'' (2000), Manifesto *"Dreams Never End" appears on "Slumberland Records - The First 20 Years" (2009),

Slumberland Records Slumberland Records is an American independent record label, formed in 1989 in Washington, D.C. and based in Oakland, California. The label has released recordings by Velocity Girl, Honeybunch, Lilys, Stereolab, Evans The Death, St. Christopher ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from Washington, D.C. Musical groups established in 1988 Rocket Girl artists Frontier Records artists Sire Records artists Elektra Records artists SpinART Records artists Low Transit Industries artists Darla Records artists