Morphine

The Cambridge, MA, trio Morphine were one of the most compelling bands of the ’90s alt-rock movement. Led by baritone vocalist Mark Sandman, who plucked out lithe grooves using one- or two-string basses, the group combined smoky jazz rhythms with rock ’n’ roll tenacity, leading to brooding moments (the languid “Cure for Pain”) and frantic outbursts (the beehive-buzzy “Honey White”). A former member of the ’80s Boston band Treat Her Right, Sandman formed Morphine in 1989 with saxophonist Dana Colley. After debuting in 1992 with Good, the band broke through the next year with Cure for Pain, which featured songs like the punkish seduction “Thursday” amid moodier fare. Morphine continued to release singular albums until Sandman died of a heart attack during a show in 1999, putting an end to the band. However, the surviving members kept Morphine’s songs and inventive sound alive with 2000’s posthumous album The Night and projects such as Orchestra Morphine and Vapors of Morphine.