Ilium

A short-lived teenaged three-piece from Chicago, Ilium combined the math rock and roll complexity from the past due-’90s Chicago music picture having a melodic prettiness more good Canterbury progressive rings from the ’70s. While their two EPs broke small new floor musically, they’re incredibly listenable and certainly well worth a pay attention or three. Ilium (called for the imaginary environment of Kurt Vonnegut’s 1st novel, Participant Piano, a stand-in for the author’s then-home of Ithaca, NY) was led by guitarist Wayne Hughes and in addition presented bassist Thomas J. Quinn and drummer Christopher Robert. Hughes created the group in senior high school, greatly influenced from the Tortoise/Gastr del Sol/Ocean and Wedding cake axis of Chicago avant-rock, the groove-oriented minimalism of Kraftwerk as well as the electronica-heavy lineup of Hefty Information, the label began by his old sibling, John Hughes III. (And yes, the Hughes males will be the sons of ’80s superstar film movie director John Hughes.) Inside a 12 months, the trio authorized to Hefty and released the Plexiglass Cube EP, a couple of five untitled instrumentals made by regional heavyweight Bob Weston. Color by Figures, another EP, this time around with six untitled songs, adopted in 1999. Nevertheless, Ilium split soon thereafter, as educational pursuits required precedence.