If I was ever pressed into picking a favorite band, I would have to say Sixpence None The Richer. There is just a sincere quality about the music they write. Imagine my devisation when I randomly picked up CCM Magazine today at work and noticed a letter they wrote to fans announcing the band's doom.
Here are several sentances from the letter.
While we would never consider Sixpence an institution in Nashville by any means, or even an institution of the music community at large, we do look back and see that there were many people who enjoyed and identified with the worlds and music we both composed and performed. So we write to say that after much soulsearching we have decided to no longer continue as the band Sixpence None The Richer.
Thank you for being a part of our lives — without you, the listeners, the fans, the enthusiasts, we would have been gone a long time ago.
The letter also mentions that Word Records should be releasing "a collection of songs that didn't make it on to 'Divine Discontent.'"
Look later for a more indepth look into Sixpence and thier music from me later on.
Article comments
1 - visualsimplicity
I don't know why I feel so disappointed over this news. I never really gave Sixpence a try because of that overplayed "Kiss Me" song. However, I have heard over the years that they have made terrific songs despite that one hit wonder label. I suppose they're like the Cardigans in that sense. Either way I might go give them a listen now, even though it's rather late.
2 - The Theory
I suggest their self titled cd. It's a "pop" masterpiece. There are only two songs on there which are radio-friendly, Kiss Me and There She Goes. The rest are dark in tone with abstract or depressing lyrics and cello arrangements.
3 - Mark Saleski
i suspect it won't be too long before we see a Leigh Nash solo record.
4 - The Theory
She did do that solo song for the Uptown Girls soundtrack. but, eh, I don't know. She just had a child, so I wouldn't expect anything too soon. But several years down the road she may pop into a studio and record a few dittys.
5 - visualsimplicity
I'm not a big fan of either of those songs ("Kiss Me" nor "There She Goes"), so if their other songs are much less poppy and floaty in comparison, it is worth giving a try. I've heard they've done some excellent cover songs (like "Don't Dream It's Over"), though. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion.
6 - Red
I don't know much about SntR, I've seen them once live and they were okay. But Leigh Nash's husband, Mark Nash, is the drummer for one of the best bands ever.
7 - Chuck Pearson
Absolutely, positively devastating news.
I was a Christian music geek in the early 90's, and I picked up a sampler CD from the late lamented REX label in '93 that had a beautiful song on it called "The Fatherless And The Widow", by Sixpence None The Richer - the singer was this girl by the name of Leigh Bingham, and she couldn't have been any older than 14. But she sang with wisdom far beyond her years.
The fact that they broke wide is down to their immaculate songcrafting - I loved "Kiss Me" from the first moment I heard it live, just Leigh singing and Matt playing guitar, five years after I picked up that sampler incidentally - and the vision of one of Christian music's weirdest visionaries, Steve Taylor, who built the Squint Entertainment label around Sixpence and was singularly responsible for shopping the thing around to every industry guy who BREATHED.
But industry people never had a clue what to do with Sixpence. Matt Slocum writes lyrics like he lost his dad at a very young age - sakes, what was a song like "The Fatherless And The Widow" ABOUT? - they're relentlessly melancholy at times. Slocum had a strong instinct to rock out (and if you doubt this, find the album before the self-titled, called _This_Beautiful_Mess_ - the thing just shreds), Bingham (who got married, see above) had a sense for the immaculate pop tune, and neither of them liked to get to a song the usual way, both liked the off-center instrumentation thing, and that led to a lot of the frankly unsellable (awesome, mind, but unsellable) stuff that wound up on _Divine_Discontent._
Bah. This just royally sucks. Both Slocum and Nash still have great songs in 'em.
chuck
8 - Andrew Duncalfe
My favorite SNtR record is Beautiful Mess, but I lost my copy when someone jacked my car stereo- it happened to be in there at the time. Need to get around to replacing it. It's too bad the band is disbanding- they definitely were NOT your average run-of-the-mill Christian band.
9 - Aly
This blog is pretty interesting, will add a bookmark, thanks.
10 - block popup
Took the day off and was just reading up some blogs and thought I would post here
11 - karishma
i think it sucks that they broke up and it makes things even worse to think that their latest album rocked.