Earwig

Earwig formed in Seattle in 1989 around singer-songwriter Kurt Bloch, with bassist Robin Barbur and drummer David Meinert. They put out their first album, 'Anatomical Gift,' in 1991. The title track from that record, along with songs like 'Cinema East' and 'Sleep With Me,' gave a sense of their sound, something that mixed goth atmosphere with punk's directness.

They were active through the early 1990s Seattle scene, playing shows with bands like Nirvana and The Melvins. A second album, 'The Unnatural History of Love,' came out in 1993. Tracks such as 'Monkeys On Cocaine' and 'Drag' kept with their lean, darkly melodic approach.

Earwig called it quits in 1997. They left behind those two studio albums and a handful of songs that still turn up for listeners who like that particular strain of early-'90s Northwest rock.