Wheat

by Stacia Proefrock Decidedly low-key band Wheats dreamy sound owes a lot to the shoegazing bands of late-90s England. Formed in 1996, the band turned away from marketing themselves, instead exercising their creative whims in their live performances. A fan sent a tape to Chicagos Sugar Free Records, who signed the band immediately. Core members Scott Levesque, Brendan Harney, and Ricky Brennan helped shape the bands sound across their first two albums, aided by Mike Flood, Kevin Camara, Ricky Brennan, and Kenny Madaras. Their debut, Medeiros, was issued in 1998 and won critical praise for its ambient textures and far-ranging sound explorations. Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann helped their follow-up, 1999s Hope and Adams, pull together far-reaching influences from alternative rock, slowcore, and Brit-pop, resulting in an album that was even more ambitious than their first.