Wedding Present, The Vinyl Records
Built around David Gedge's insistent voice and earnestly lovelorn lyrics, the Wedding Present are one of the founders and driving forces of indie rock in the U.K. Though the cast revolves around him, Gedge's devotion to quickly strummed guitars, lively tempos, and sharp hooks has stayed the same since their first single in 1985. The band started off awkward and energetic on those initial singles and 1987's George Best album, but as their confidence and instrumental prowess grew their sound became richer and more powerful, as on 1991's noisy masterpiece Seamonsters, happily grungy as on 1994's Watusi or light and fizzy (1996's Mini EP.)