Ooberman

The origins of U.K. indie pop outfit Ooberman date to 1988, when Danny Popplewell and Andy Flett first connected in Bradford. With Andy’s younger brother Steve completing the lineup, the three launched Forestry Commission, though the project ended abruptly once Popplewell relocated to Liverpool. Nearly a decade later the Flett brothers joined him in that city, carrying both their enduring bond and an archive of untouched demos as they committed to music on a professional footing. Birdlike songstress Sophia Churney and drummer Alan Kelly rounded out the roster, after which the ensemble received the name Ooberman.

Heavenly arrangements on the Shorley Wall EP drew early acclaim from Graham Coxon, who issued the release on his Transcopic label, as well as from Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield and BBC DJ Jo Whiley. A 1998 agreement with Indiependente paved the way for the Stephen Street-produced debut album The Magic Treehouse. Although the British indie press initially rallied behind the group, momentum faded; the label dropped Ooberman two years later while work on a follow-up was still under way.