Epicycle

Brothers Ellis and Tom Clark spent years collaborating before launching Epicycle toward the end of the 1990s. Their debut applied the dynamic shifts of emo rock, bright melodies, and an openness to instruments rarely heard in alternative rock, drawing immediate attention when it appeared in 1998. Rather than rush out a follow-up, the group chose to lend their efforts to several other projects. They began with Kevin Tihista’s Don’t Breathe a Word and Judo, supplying production and nearly all of the instrumental support. That work led to sessions with Nikki Sudden, which in turn drew in Jeff Tweedy; both contributions found a place on Sudden’s record. Ellis next joined the Chamber Strings and June & the Exit Wounds, after which he rejoined his brother to start writing again. They entered the studio in spring 2002, tracked Swift over the next several months, and issued the album that autumn.