The Aluminum Group is an American pop band from Chicago, Illinois centered on brothers John and Frank Navin. The Navin brothers grew up in Detroit, moving to Chicago in 1979. In Chicago, they formed their first band in 1982, the hardcore punk band Women In Love. In 1985, they left the band, increasingly becoming interested in softer pop music. They formed a new performance art group together, Bleak House, and in 1989 started working together on what would evolve into The Aluminum Group. The band’s name is taken from a line of furniture by Charles and Ray Eames. The early line-up of the band included Eddie Carlson on bass and Liz Conant on keyboards.
The brothers self-released their debut album ‘Wonder Boy’ in 1995. Their second album ‘Plano’ followed in 1998. The album featured guitarist John Ridenour and their former Women in Love bandmate, drummer John Blaha. Their third album ‘Pedals’ was released in 1999. That same year, the band contributed a cover of L’amour Looks Something Like You to the fan-made compilation album I Wanna Be Kate.
Between 2000 and 2008 four more albums followed. The band’s music has been described as indie pop, bliss-pop, lounge tunes with a new wave bent, with comparisons being made with Eric Matthews, Belle & Sebastian, The Divine Comedy, The Magnetic Fields, and Stereolab.
References
- The Aluminium Group. Wikipedia, retrieved 10 October 2017.
