Mr. Gnome

Formed in Cleveland, Ohio, during 2005, Mr. Gnome took shape as a duo through the partnership of Nicole Barille and Sam Meister, who had already played together in a modest local band. Their melancholy, prickling, guitar-driven sound draws from Cat Power-influenced indie rock acts such as Land of Talk and Lightning Dust. Still that same year the pair issued their debut EP, Echoes on the Ground, on their own homemade label El Marko, with a self-titled follow-up arriving in 2006. Two years later came their first full-length album, Deliver This Creature.