Lush

Although few would probably agree with me, I think that under Robin Guthrie's guidance as producer the members of Lush were able to achieve a superior sound to Guthrie's own pioneering Cocteau Twins. They took the interesting but sometimes tedious "swirliness" of sound from the Cocteau Twins and put it into memorable pop songs. Instead of just copying the "shoegazer" sound of the day like their contemporaries, Lush crafted quality unique heartfelt tunes that have stood up to the test of time. To me Lush is one of the most under-rated bands of the last twenty-five years; the album "Spooky" is as close to perfection as a rock album can get. Although their final album Lovelife was more pop oriented than their previous work, the group never released a bad album. It is indeed a tragedy that Chris Acland's suicide shattered this brillant quartet.