Appliance

Formed in Exeter, England, the post-rock trio Appliance originated with schoolmates James Brooks handling guitar and vocals, Stuart Christie on bass, and David Ireland on drums, whose initial efforts drew from a shared appreciation for groups including Spacemen 3 and Joy Division. After supplying their first recording, “Weightless Conditions,” to an improvisational collection on the M.T.B. label, Christie exited to concentrate on his solo work Harmony 400; bassist Michael Parker stepped in as his successor. Refining a contemplative, minimalist approach across the EP trilogy Organised Sound, Into Your Home and Time and Space—issued on their own Surveillance.com label from July 1997 through July 1998—Appliance joined the Mute roster in early 1999, promptly releasing the single “Food Music,” with the album Manual arriving that autumn. The EP Six Modular Pieces followed in mid-2000. Summer 2001 brought the eclectically cohesive Imperial Metric, an album that offered a broader perspective on a darker post-punk phase.