Einstein's Sister

Although Bill Douglas (vocals) and Kerry Tucker (guitars) have been performing together for over a decade — even releasing their first album under the Douglas & Tucker name — the Illinois-based power pop outfit of Einstein's Sister began their pseudonymous career in 1997 with the release of OarFin Records' Oceanus. The band's unabashed synthesis of Squeeze-like nasal whines and Jellyfish's idiosyncratic hooks did not gel well with Oceanus' producer, so the band returned to their original indie-based inclinations, which, by most appearances, served as a fortunate move for the band. 1999's Learning Curves began a strong cult following and peculiar music licensing (NBC, MTV, the Oxygen Network) while the following year's Humble Creatures finally showed not only what seemed like a full, stable lineup (adding Andrew Brock to bass, Steven Volk to guitars, and ex-Tripmaster Monkey's Marty Reyhons on drums), but national media praise as well.