Did you know Thom Yorke's little brother could sing? May 27 '04    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line The Unbelievable Truth about little Yorke and friends. (ok, that was naff) There are a number of reasons why I've decided to write a piece on this band, not only because I happen to think they're one of the best things since sliced bread, but also because, judging from what I've read, many people here would actually like them very much. At least, those that are fans of thoughtful indie, and of course, those that are fans of Radiohead. The sad thing is, this band didn't get nearly enough of the attention they deserved when they were at their peak, and it really is a bloody shame, since they're as good, if not better, than many of the bands that share their genre that are around today. Yet their all too brief career made for some of the best music I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. The Band So from the beginning.. Unbelievable Truth were formed in Abdingdon, Oxfordshire in the UK in the mid 90's, they took their name from the Hal Hartley film of the same name. The three members of the band, Andy Yorke (Mr comfy cardigans and combat trousers), Jason Moulster (Mr Domestic) and Nigel Powell (The scariest looking thing in the world) were all friends at school, the same school that members of Radiohead attended, in fact, Jonny Greenwood was more their friend, what with being in the same year at school. Several years after they'd left school, and Radiohead had gone on to have a great deal of success with their first couple of albums. Andy Yorke, having returned from a 3 year sabbatical in Russia, succumbed to the pleas of Nigel Powell and eventually, they formed Unbelievable Truth. Their set up was thus; Andy would be the main singer and guitar player, Nigel, a very talented multi-instrumentalist, would primarily play drums (as well as keyboards in part) and Jason would play bass. They also recruited the help of another friend, Jim Crosskey, to provide further guitar assistance in the studio and on tour, he would become almost like a silent 4th wheel for the band. They quickly recorded their very first single, "Building", that would eventually be released on an Oxford based record label named Shifty Disco. They got snapped up by Virgin records, and by 1998, they'd released their first album, "Almost Here". Quick to distance themselves from Radiohead, who'd had huge success with "OK Computer" by that time, they wanted to achieve any success on their own merit, and rightly so. They had a couple of moderately successful hit singles from their debut album, and extensive European tours saw them secure quite a dedicated fanbase, including in the US. After their first album failed to make any sort of impact at large, despite being heralded in the music press as one of the best albums that year (I blame lack of proper marketing), plus a few disagreements about the recording rights of their second album, "Sorrythankyou", they were dropped by Virgin (heathens!). Eventually, they got their second album released by the company they started out with, Shifty Disco, in July of 2000. Obviously, this was a much smaller company, which meant distribution wasn't as global as it was with Virgin, and despite extensive touring, they did struggle. It all came to a head, when Andy Yorke dropped the bombshell that he wanted to leave the band and pursue an academic career, saying he'd never felt comfortable being in the spotlight, not least having to follow in the shadows of an older, infinitely more successful brother. So in September of 2000, they played a farewell gig in Oxford and their career came to a grinding halt. Nigel Powell, being the one that drove the band through sheer dedication managed to get a further album released in 2001, "Misc. Music". A 2 disc set, one of a live show, and one of various b-sides from their singles, plus a few studio recordings never released. And that underlined the end of Unbelievable Truth. Their Music Albums; "Almost Here" (1998) "Sorrythankyou" (2000) "Misc. Music" (2001) Singles; "Building" (1997) "Stone EP" (1997) "Higher Than Reason (1998) "Solved" (1998) "Settle Down" (1998.. double A side w/ "Dune Sea) "Agony" (2000) "Landslide" (2000) Their music was quintessentially what one might call, thoughtful and brooding indie. Drawing their influences from the likes of The Smiths and Mazzy Star, and of course, Radiohead. All the band were huge fans of The Pixies (indeed, Andy Yorke had a mild obsession with 4AD bands) and REM. Plus Nigel Powell was big fan of prog rock and people like Peter Gabriel, so their music made for quite an interesting mix. A mix of what could be both beautiful and delicate, which was supremely demonstrated on their first album, "Almost Here", to something that could be a little more wild and daring, like their sound on "Sorrythankyou". "Almost Here" was a collection of songs to wallow in, it came across like an angst ridden teenager, fuelled by conflicting emotions about life, whist remaining sensitive and contemplative. Complete with the odd self-loathing rant and a lesson on how to be melancholy, with style. It contained some of the their best work, in songs like "Angel", "Finest Little Space" and "Same Mistakes". It was all about the flowing, melodic guitars and the vocal full of emotion. Definitely an album to be reckoned with, and one of the best bloody debuts I've ever heard. By the time they got around to their second album, "Sorrythankyou", they'd grown up a lot, that angst ridden teenager from "Almost Here" had matured into the sensitive, yet mildly rebellious adult. It was much heavier, yet still retained that even flow of contemplation. Containing some of the most beautifully penned songs such as "A Name" and "I Can't Wait", the latter being an epic journey through a wealth of emotion via not only it's lyrics, but it's instrumentation, too. "Sorrythankyou" had more stand out tracks, including the single, "Agony", which was a wild, thrumming, absolute stonker of a song. I'll eventually get around to reviewing this one properly, when I stop being lazy and ask Shelly to add it to the database. Lyrical beauty is something I admired about Unbelievable Truth, Andy Yorke being the main lyricist, and being a sensitive and extremely intelligent man, their lyrics were always thoughtful, clever, unique. He would often write about his own insecurities, write songs drawn from his own experiences. But he could also be very funny, he could also be very scathing. As for drawing Radiohead comparisons, which I'm sure some would wonder about, to quote, well me... Since Unbelievable Truth frontman, Andy Yorke, is the younger sibling of Radiohead frontman, Thom Yorke, I know that there will be a nagging question in the back of every Radiohead fan's mind as to whether Unbelievable Truth compare. Well, they do, lyrically, but UT in my eyes, are the glasses wearing intellectual aspect of the Yorke saga. Musically, they're set apart, but both bands still have unique qualities the other can't touch... Their final album, "Misc. Music", which almost never saw the light of day, as I said, was a 2 disc set. The second disc, the collection of B-sides and unreleased tracks is an absolute marvel. Something I haven't mentioned before is that Unbelievable Truth always gave you your money's worth with their singles. Each would contain 2, sometimes 3 extra non-album tracks, and they weren't throwaway tracks, either. Some of their finest work could be found lurking as a third track on a CD single, like the brilliant "Who's To Know" from their single "Higher Than Reason", and indeed, from the same single, the track "Coming 'Round", which was a wild departure from their usual work, being an almost upbeat breezy track, worthy of the stereo on a summer's day. Then there's the beautifully aching "Nightlight" from the single "Agony". So "Misc. Music" brought all these marvels together in one place, along with previously unheard material of equal calibre. The other disc from "Misc Music" was a live set... Live Performance I saw Unbelievable Truth play 6 times during their lifespan, and I was never disappointed. Truly one of the best live bands I've ever seen perform, their gigs were always intimate, they felt personal, they made them come to life. Andy Yorke however, wasn't a performer, his shyness was ever present on stage, but that made it all the more special. But his bandmates made up for that, especially Nigel Powell, who always looked comfortable up there. And also, the silent fourth member, Jim Crosskey, who, to be honest, was a nutter on stage, but hugely likeable (his love of heavy metal meant he'd frequently burst into a head banging routine, which was mad for a bloke that was bespectacled, quite small, and frankly, looked more like someone who'd teach you geography). But they delivered, time after time, they didn't merely come on stage, play their songs note for note, then wander off.. they gave you a performance. Not always the headline, they also supported Tori Amos on her US dates in 1998. Needless to say, they were a wonderful live experience, and their gigs have been some of the most memorable I've ever attended. (And some of the scariest hair I'd ever had, as well.. it's a whole smoke extractor Vs my hair story, I won't bore you with it) After the End After they disbanded in 2000, Andy Yorke went back to University (Oxford) to continue his education, and now he's probably roaming the Siberian wasteland, writing about his experiences and his Eastern European philosophy. Jason Moulster I've not heard anything about in a few years. Nigel Powell went on to play drums in the Oxford group Congress (ex Dustball), before finally setting up his own one man band, The Sad Song Co., prior to getting a deal, he would make his material available for download, but he has since released his first album, 2003's "Misery Guts" (love that title) A clear departure from Unbelievable Truth, although it does still retain that lament-woe-is-me element, but like I said earlier, he was the prog rock fanatic, so his music is a little more experimental in that way. And there endeth my lesson in Unbelievable Truth. They're definitely worth checking out, and you could no doubt pick up their albums relatively cheaply, particularly the first one (which now probably lurks, festering, at the bottom of bargain bins everywhere, the poor thing). The sad thing is that nothing more will come (although, never say never), but at least you'll have a couple of extra decent albums in your collection. Cheers :)

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