Lowsunday

Even as contemporary sounds push forward into uncharted territory, countless musicians continue delving into approaches once dismissed as relics, and in doing so they sometimes uncover unexpected vitality. Pittsburgh’s Lowsunday exemplifies this pattern under the guidance of Shane Sahene, a devoted admirer of ’80s British post-punk rock. Sahene drew from the atmospheric intensity of the Sound, Bauhaus, the Chameleons, and Echo and the Bunnymen when he assembled and directed the ensemble in the mid-’90s. Originally configured as the five-piece Low Sunday Ghost Machine, the lineup featured guitarist Scott Bechillion, keyboardist Dale Reckless, drummer J. P., and bassist Marc Turina. In that formation the group quickly cultivated an ardent local audience through its theatrical yet somewhat imitative performances, an appeal documented on a self-issued debut album that faithfully preserved those qualities and expanded the band’s reach beyond Pittsburgh. Subsequent personnel shifts prompted both the adoption of the shortened moniker Lowsunday and a complete roster replacement around Sahene, now including guitarist Shawn Leslie, drummer A. T. Vish, and—added shortly afterward—bassist Bobby Spell. The revised unit, still without Spell, produced the follow-up Elesgium, an album on which Sahene and his collaborators refined the earlier material into a more distinctive and intricate style. This work solidified Lowsunday’s standing within the shoegaze and goth underground, leading to a contract with Projekt Records in early 2001; Elesgium appeared again soon after on the label, while the quartet—now featuring Shawn Bann in place of Leslie—turned its attention to forthcoming projects.