Codeine

Codeine formed in Richmond, Virginia with John Engle on guitar and vocals, Chris Brokaw on bass, and Stephen Immerwahr on drums. Their first album came out in 1990, and they put out two more before calling it quits in 1994. People sometimes call them slowcore, which fits the deliberate pace and spare arrangements on songs like 'Hard To Find' and 'Barely Real'.

Their sound had a certain quiet pull, built from slow tempos and a kind of hushed atmosphere. It wasn't flashy, but it stuck with you. You can hear it on 'Atmosphere,' a track from their second album that other bands like Low and Mogwai would later cover.

They didn't last long as a band, but their records found an audience among listeners who appreciated something more patient and textured. After they broke up, groups like Red House Painters and Mazzy Star mentioned Codeine as an influence, which says something about the space they carved out in the early '90s.