Oceansize

In the wake of Radiohead, multiple British groups produced expansive, atmospheric sonic textures, yet Oceansize resisted easy categorization alongside Coldplay or Travis. Their wide-ranging influences spanned classic space rock from Pink Floyd to more recent counterparts such as Mogwai and the Verve, alternative metal from Jane's Addiction and Tool, shoegaze from My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver, and experimental leanings from Can and Tortoise. Assembled in Manchester, England, the lineup included vocalist/guitarist Mike Vennart, guitarists Gambler and Steve Durose, bassist Jon Ellis, and drummer Mark Herrin. After cultivating a regional audience with independent output—the single "Saturday Morning Breakfast Show," the 2000 EP Amputee, and the 2001 EP A Very Still Movement—the band earned local acclaim as Manchester's best unsigned act. The year 2002 brought tours with the Cooper Temple Clause and a strong showing at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, prompting Beggar's Banquet to sign them and release their first widely available EP, Relapse. Additional dates with Cave In followed, and early 2003 saw the EP One Day All This Could Be Yours surface as a preview of their debut album, drawing strong press reaction. Effloresce arrived in the UK in September 2003, backed by a European run with Aereogramme, while further singles "Remember When You Are" and "Catalyst" continued to enlarge their audience. The album reached the United States in spring 2004.