English Gene had their heyday during the 90's, being known for a slew of tracks such as "Olympian", "London, Can You Wait?", "Haunted By You" and "Sleep Well Tonight". They split up at the end of 2004, amicable and from good reasoning.

Despite being compared with The Smiths - despite more rocky tracks with infinitely simpler guitar-arrangements (no diss though) - they stood their own with good melodies, fine guitar-driven tracks and Martin Rossiter's quite singular voice and lyrics. They also cared about their b-sides and fans.

The best comparison that could be made is that Gene's second album also is a good collection of b-sides, alternative versions and live cuts, just like "Hatful Of Hollow".

Still, their first album, "Olympian", is the money-shot for me, bringing great tracks such as "Sleep Well Tonight" - coupled with this great English everyday video for that song.

I recommend their greatest hits-album, "As Good As It Gets: The Best Of Gene", and here's "Be My Light, Be My Guide", a great track that represents Gene well.

As usual, the track will be deleted in a week.

[audio:https://niklasblog.com/wp-content/2006-12-04-gene.mp3]