United States Three

United States Three, not to be confused with bop-fusion one-hit-wonders US3, was born under guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Vess Ruhtenberg in Indianapolis in 1996. The group rose to modest prominence in the U.S. Midwest, aligning itself with a rock revival scene in nearby college town Bloomington that also nurtured the likes of Velo-Deluxe and El Nino.

From its early power-pop leanings, the group expanded its sound and membership, evolving with the releases of the idiosyncratic Creature EP and companion LP Watergate into a rhythmically experimental outfit whose meddling with conventional songwriting formulas served to hone Ruhtenberg's pop melodicism rather than cause its abandonment.

Album reviews

Creature
Flat Earth (1999)
The EP doesn't shun the band's past work, but it certainly moves away from it, and instills a sense of wonder and anticipation in the listener. Pick it up.

Watergate
Flat Earth (1999)
It's fun to make friends with pop songs. Why not start here?