Butterglory

by Erik HageButterglory is a lo-fi indie-rock duo from Lawrence, KS (via California) who, much like Pavement, early Yo La Tengo, and the Archers of Loaf, produce tuneful yet skewed tracks. (Live, the two employ additional musicians to fill out the sound.) The groups songs often skitter off into skronk and feedback and then, just as quickly, re-emerge as pop gems. The pair, Matt Suggs and Debby Vander Wall, released their debut full-length, the sloppily produced yet beguiling Crumble, in 1994. They followed that with Downed, a singles collection which compiled material from the duos four 7 EPs. Despite the patchwork, the effort is strong and works as a cohesive album. Subsequently, bassist Stephen Naron came on-board as a full-time member. The result of the lineup addition (and perhaps just experience) was the more mature and crafted approach of 1996s Are You Building a Temple in Heaven. Nevertheless, a lot of the ramshackle charm that defined Butterglorys earlier days was missing. The three-song EP Shes Got the Akshun emerged that same year, while the LP Rat Tat Tat followed in 1997. Matt Suggs released a solo album, Golden Days Before They End, in 2000.