Young Marble Giants

In stark contrast to the anything-goes, noise-derived post-punk aesthetics that held sway in the early, heady days of Rough Trade Records, the Welsh trio Young Marble Giants were the embodiment of studied minimalism: a Casio keyboard, clean but energetic guitar strums, and Alison Statton's honest and unschooled vocals. Stuart Moxham's songwriting, though low-key, did not prevent him from creating melodically compelling and poetic songs of heartache, anger, remorse, and love. The entire recorded output of this unassuming ensemble was a beautiful album and two memorable EPs, all recorded within the space of about 18 months, but their unique take on pop music was immeasurably influential on the twee indie-pop bands of the 1980s, '90s, and '00s.