Siren

Prior to launching his individual artistic journey, Kevin Coyne served as the focal point for the band Siren. That ensemble cut a pair of LPs during the closing years of the 1960s and the opening stretch of the 1970s on Dandelion, the British indie imprint devoted to underground sounds and overseen by DJ John Peel. Elements that would define Coyne’s extensive solo output already surface clearly across Siren’s recordings, where his pained, scraggly, and soulful vocals share space with lyrics that mix humor and occasional bitterness. Guitarist Dave Clague, formerly of the Bonzo Dog Band, joined pianist Nick Cudworth in shaping much of the group’s songwriting while supplying its understated bluesy and folksy backdrops. Siren’s modest catalog expanded substantially in the mid-’90s when DJC issued three further collections built largely from unreleased tracks.