A 1990s Seattle group known for one massive radio hit and several sharp, overlooked albums.
If you only know 'Flagpole Sitta,' try 'Old Hat' next, it's from the same album and has that same wired, clever feel. For their later sound, 'Ballad of the Tragic Hero' shows where they went after the hit.
Most people know 'Flagpole Sitta' from the radio in 1997, but that song's cynical energy runs through their whole catalog. Tracks like 'Old Hat' and 'Paranoia' from that same debut album show they were more than a one-hit wonder. Their later work, including 'Ballad of the Tragic Hero,' kept that literate, anxious tone alive even after the spotlight faded.
They formed in Seattle in the mid-90s and released 'Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?' in 1997. After a hiatus, a different lineup returned for two more albums in the 2000s before activity stopped. The 2018 political use of 'Flagpole Sitta' without permission sparked a public dispute, their last notable public moment.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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