The Ancients - Frozen Aisle (2018)

Earning international acclaim for their spare, dreamlike indie pop melodies, Australian combo the Ancients are led by guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Michell, previously a member of the songwriters collective Mum Smokes. Michell began mapping out plans for the Ancients in 2005 when he decided Mum Smokes were running out of creative steam; the first Ancients lineup featured Michell and two members of the Aussie roots rock band Wagons, Henry Wagon and Si Francis, but Michell put the project on hold after a few live shows. By 2007, Michell decided to give the Ancients another try and began work on an album. The initial Ancients recordings featured a rotating lineup of musicians, and the Ancients' self-titled debut album, released by the independent Moteer Records label, combined group sessions with tunes from a scrapped Michell solo effort. Released in a small edition as a CD-R, the Ancients' debut received enthusiastic reviews from the indie music press in Australia and the U.K., and Michell assembled a proper lineup for the band -- Mark Rodda (also known as an artist and video director) on guitar and bass, Georgina Ward on guitar and bass, and Raquel Solier on drums and backing vocals joining Michell on guitar, keyboards, and lead vocals. In 2009, the Ancients began work on another album, with Michell handling the production, engineering, and songwriting as well as leading the band. The album was released in 2010 under the simple title The Ancients 2 by Sensory Projects in Australia and Norman Records in the U.K. ~ Mark Deming.