My Sad Captains - Fight Less Win More (2011)

London indie rock act My Sad Captains formed in 2009, made up of guitarist/sonic manipulator Nick Goss, vocalist/guitarist Ed Wallis, bassist Dan Davis, and drummer/vocalist Jim Wallis. The bandmembers took their name from a line in a poem from Thom Gunn and cultivated a hypnotic, pulsing indie rock sound. Following a few early singles, the band released debut album Here & Elsewhere in 2009, following up in 2011 with Fight Less Win More. They toured internationally in support of both records, playing the South by Southwest festival as well as sharing a stage on tours with acts like Califone and Still Corners. Their third album, Best of Times, arrived in 2014 on the Bella Union label. In a major reboot of their lineup but not their sound, Goss and Jim Wallis then left the band, which welcomed guitarist Leon Dufficy and drummer Ben Walker for 2017's Sun Bridge, also on Bella Union. By the time of its release, Dan Davis had pulled up stakes for California and was replaced on tour by bassist Steve Blackwell. ~ Fred Thomas