Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales formed in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, with Thomas Linley-Wright and Emily Barker on vocals and guitar, Sam Jones on bass, and Ben Nicholls on drums. Their name nods to the British actress, which fits their slightly offbeat approach. They put out their first album, Chrysalis, in 2005, and the song Crisp from that record got some attention for its moody, folk-tinged sound.

That debut mixed folk and indie elements in a way that felt both delicate and grounded. Tracks like Deadman and Don't Let The Flowers Die showed their knack for wrapping somber themes in gentle arrangements. The band's dynamic came from how Linley-Wright's and Barker's voices worked together, one more direct and the other airier, over Jones's steady bass and Nicholls's textured drumming.

Around 2007, they had some kind of legal tangle with a label over creative control, though the details are fuzzy. Whatever happened, it didn't stop them from putting out songs like Fifty Tons Of Life and Freak Machine, which kept that same atmospheric quality. They never really blew up huge, but they carved out a space where their music could breathe.