Rex

An early version of slowcore band <a href="spotify:artist:66SqnH24eOjN0IEwWjmMyQ">Rex</a> originated in Maine in 1991, but at the time, drummer <a href="spotify:artist:5yoUXGSopCrQNEJ6fH4HYq">Doug Scharin</a> was devoting most of his time to slowcore innovators <a href="spotify:artist:60CBjmRpwr02JwAd3Ho25U">Codeine</a>. In 1994, <a href="spotify:artist:66SqnH24eOjN0IEwWjmMyQ">Rex</a> relocated to Brooklyn. With bands like <a href="spotify:artist:5lQ9ygSr6WMqXYsG00nNNY">Idaho</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7DnDHNnkHER4ompBXz1ibL">Acetone</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2GATzeg62cr6sH29wSOVWe">the Red House Painters</a> helping to keep alive the pensive, brooding slowcore movement, <a href="spotify:artist:66SqnH24eOjN0IEwWjmMyQ">Rex</a> didn't waste any time recording their self-titled debut for Southern Records that same year. This record fluctuates wildly between gentle, meandering guitar lines and powerful, emotive vocals.

The band's next album, C, revealed a significantly more mature version of <a href="spotify:artist:66SqnH24eOjN0IEwWjmMyQ">Rex</a>. The slow, rolling nature of the band was augmented by the addition of an occasional string accompaniment and a more restrained vocal and emotional focus. Adored by the critics, C established <a href="spotify:artist:66SqnH24eOjN0IEwWjmMyQ">Rex</a> as one of the premier indie rock bands earning them touring spots alongside <a href="spotify:artist:0ihBDeJlIlXo4LFfAllsGm">the Sea and Cake</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2wrhBKGC3DTNNNDRJPaxW6">Sebadoh</a>, and others.

The steady, driving nature of C neatly foreshadowed what was to come with 3. Enlisting a full-time string section for both studio sessions and touring, <a href="spotify:artist:66SqnH24eOjN0IEwWjmMyQ">Rex</a> was successful in trading their gritty slowcore/post-rock with a cleaner gentler sound. The band's maturity signals a further emphasis on clarity and composition, as opposed to previous efforts where crescendoed bursts of emotional power defined their art.

The band's ties to Chicago has incited a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:4ti1ys01b6fMkkSMqcCA1H">Red Red Meat</a>, released under the name of Loftus, and recording sessions in Brad Wood's Idful Studio. <a href="spotify:artist:5yoUXGSopCrQNEJ6fH4HYq">Doug Scharin</a> has also recorded a solo sound experiment under the name HIM, also released by Southern. ~ Marc Ruxin, Rovi