Marion

One of the might-have-beens of the mid-'90s Britpop explosion, Marion made for a slightly inconsistent but often quite striking band. Based out of Manchester, the five-piece took declared inspiration from earlier musical giants of the city such as Joy Division and the Smiths (in the case of the latter, to the extent where they recruited that band's old manager Joe Moss to handle their affairs). Strong hints of older rock & roll crept in as well, from the Beatles to the Buzzcocks, making for a sometimes captivating blend topped off by frontman Jaime Harding's passionate (almost...