18th Dye: My Forgotten Favorites

18th Dye were a German trio who made some of the most beautiful noise of the 1990s. The band, signed by Matador Records at the encouragement of Yo La Tengo, released two albums and an EP with that label. Of these, the band's noisy debut, Done, is available through Rhapsody as is the highly-recommended Crayon EP. Their swan-song LP, Tribute to a Bus, is sadly missing from the service.

Despite making great music with a back story that seemed tailor-made for the music press, 18th Dye never hit the big time in the U.S. Hardly made the small time, in fact. But they did leave a musical legacy for anyone who likes off-kilter melodic guitar skronk with dreamy vocals. This playlist includes some of my favorites, including my Rhapsody re-discovery of the week, the song "Ray." Enjoy!