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Elastica
Elastica have often been accused of riding others’ coattails, but that’s hardly a fair criticism of the punky Britpopsters. They deserve to be judged on their own strengths, not the least of which are singer/guitarist Justine Frischmann’s cool, sexy persona and the band’s knack for revved up pop hooks.

Always the focal point of Elastica, Frischmann’s music career began when she and then-boyfriend Brett Anderson formed Suede in the early ‘90s. With the addition of guitarist Bernard Butler, Suede was a hit, but Frischmann chose to leave the band when her relationship with Anderson ended in 1991. By 1993, she had formed Elastica, joined by bassist Annie Holland, drummer Justin Welch, and guitarist Donna Matthews. A limited-edition single, “Stutter,” established the band in the UK, as Frischmann’s coy rant at her lover’s impotence earned major airplay. A second single, “Line Up,” also did well (despite accusations that it copped heavily from Wire’s “I Am the Fly”), and the band spent most of 1994 recording their self-titled debut, though they stayed in the limelight thanks to Frischmann’s relationship with Blur frontman Damon Albarn.

Elastica was released early in 1995, but not before jumping a few legal hurdles. Both Wire and the Stranglers sued to block the record’s release, claiming that its songs “Connection” and “Waking Up” borrowed heavily from the two bands. Luckily, the lawsuits were settled out of court, and Elastica debuted at number one on the UK album charts, breaking the record for sales of a debut album set just seven months earlier by Oasis’ Definitely Maybe. The album took off in the US as well, with “Connection” becoming a major hit, and the band earned a coveted spot on the Lollapalooza Tour.

The happiness was short lived, however, as Holland (considered by many an integral band member) announced her departure just as the band’s star was rising. Though the band soldiered on through rotating bass players, a follow-up album seemed to linger just out of reach, and by 1999, Matthews also left the band.

Elastica’s future seemed bleak, but happily, things took a turn for the better. Holland returned to Elastica in 1999, joined by guitarist Paul Jones and keyboardists Mew and Dave Bush. An EP was released late that summer, and the band seemed re-energized, performing at many of the year’s major UK music festivals.

The band’s long-awaited sophomore album, The Menace, was released in the UK earlier this year, and will finally hit US shores on August 22nd. Meanwhile, Elastica have been busy touring the UK, Europe, and Japan, and plan to return to the US in September. They also recently recorded “Suicide,” a new song available exclusively on MUSICBLITZ.

-- Julio Diaz

Julio Diaz is the Music Editor for Ink 19, the largest music magazine in the Southeast US, and the third largest regional magazine in the country. He is the former Webmaster of The Florida Ska Web Page! and the former Vice President of A&R and Marketing for Citrus Records. His work has also been published in Focus magazine and translated into French for Dig It! magazine.


Elastica	Suicide	MP3,WinMedia	Alternative, Pop
Elastica bounces back with a vengeance! A cool and funky change of pace from these sassy Britpop lassies, “Suicide” is a MUSICBLITZ Exclusive to die for!