Favez

Originally operating as the Favez Disciples, the Lausanne-based quintet shortened its name in 1997. Guitar-driven indie rock from vocalist Chris Wicky and the remaining members conveyed a brooding quality on the 1998 debut J'aime Beaucoup Ce Que Vous Faites. The band laid down its second album, A Sad Ride on the Line Again, inside a church before Doghouse Records issued the third release, Gentlemen Start Your Engines, in 2000. With producer John Agnello on board, the musicians pursued a stronger rock focus for the following effort, stripping away much of the subdued material that defined the early catalog. The result, From Lausanne, Switzerland, arrived as a noticeably energetic and brash statement compared with anything the group had previously recorded.