Unrest

There are some people who really like this Mark Robinson fellow, the man who has led or co-led Indie bands both popular and not quite so popular, bands like Unrest and Air Miami, to name just two. The former band was what started it all for him; along with co-lead/bassist/singer Bridget Cross, they wrote their own sublime Indie pop book, one in which gentle songs like "Imperial" burrow into the listener's brain, all haunting melody and subdued guitar playing, making it simultaneously serene and demonic. Then there are the brazen rockers rife with jagged, dissonant guitar riffs, pronounced basslines and unrelenting rhythms; turn around and you're next to the stream of buoyant, bubbly tunes certain to put a smile on your face if you love an unforgettable melody. Robinson's voice is a strong tool, one that can float on falsetto tones or belt out an impassioned warble that is definitely strange yet appealing in its pleading quality. Cross' dry voice provides a perfect counter, helping to make Unrest one of the definitive Indie bands of the early '90s.