Biography
Drawn to psychedelic pop and rock laced with improvisational flourishes, the Boston-based quartet Abunai! count themselves among the foremost devotees of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd. The group first assembled in the mid-'90s when bassist Dan Parmenter, guitarist Brendan Quinn, and drummer Joe Turner—each previously active in other local ensembles—began convening for informal sessions. Multi-instrumentalist Kris Thompson soon augmented the lineup on organ, synthesizer, and theremin, completing the four-piece configuration. Under contract with the independent imprint Camera Oscura, the band delivered two albums in the closing years of the decade: Universal Mind Decoder in 1997 and Mystic River Sound in 1999. These releases earned notice in Magnet, Rolling Stone, and Alternative Press while also securing airplay on the BBC program hosted by John Peel. Abunai!'s third album, Round Wound, arrived in 2000 and distilled multiple years of rehearsal-studio improvisations into a cohesive set of tracks. Beyond his work with the quartet, Thompson directs the experimental ensemble the Lothars, whose membership centers on a collective of theremin performers.
Albums
