Black Tambourine

Black Tambourine
OriginSilver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
GenresIndie pop, noise pop, shoegaze, lo-fi
Years active1989–1992, 2012
LabelsSlumberland, Audrey's Diary
SpinoffsVelocity Girl, Lilys
Past membersPam Berry
Archie Moore
Brian Nelson
Mike Schulman

Black Tambourine was an American indie pop band and one of the earliest Slumberland groups of the early 1990s. Formed in Silver Spring, Maryland, the band comprised vocalist Pam Berry and instrumentalists Archie Moore, Brian Nelson and Mike Schulman. Along with Tiger Trap, Lois, Honeybunch, Tullycraft, and Beat Happening, they are considered to be one of the most influential bands of the American twee pop movement. Black Tambourine was described by Allmusic as one of the "seminal American indie pop bands of the 1980s."[1]

History

The members came to the project already acquainted with each other: Both Nelson (also of Big Jesus Trashcan) and Schulman were in Whorl together, while Schulman (also of Powderburns) co-founded Slumberland Records. Moore, meanwhile, was in Velocity Girl and played on early recordings by Lilys.[1][2]

The band's influences include the Jesus and Mary Chain, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound technique, Galaxie 500,[3] the Wedding Present, Big Black, Head of David, Pussy Galore, the Birthday Party, the Velvet Underground, Love, and the Byrds.[4] Mike Schulman has stated that "our other bands (Velocity Girl, Whorl) were noise bands who played pop songs, but Black Tambourine came at it the other way around."[5]

Black Tambourine would eventually break up as Velocity Girl and Whorl took up increasingly more of the members' time.[4] Berry went on to co-found the fanzine Chickfactor with Gail O'Hara in 1992.[3][6] Due to demand for a reissue of their recordings, the band released Complete Recordings on CD and 10 in vinyl in 1999.[5] In 2010, Black Tambourine released a self-titled compilation which included tracks from all their previous releases, as well as new recordings of four unreleased songs.[3]

Discography

EPs

  • By Tomorrow 7-inch EP (1991, Slumberland Records)[7]
  • Throw Aggi Off the Bridge 7-inch EP (1992, Audrey's Diary)[8]
  • OneTwoThreeFour 7-inch EP (2012, Slumberland Records)[9]
  • Black Tambourine Cassette digital EP (2010, self-release)
  • Black Tambourine cassette EP (2012, self-release)

Compilation albums

Compilation appearances

  • "We Can't Be Friends" on One Last Kiss (1992, spinART)[10]
  • "Pam's Tan" on What Kind of Heaven Do You Want? 7-inch EP (1989, Slumberland)

References

  1. 1 2 Ankeny, Jason. "Black Tambourine – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Black Tambourine releases, videos and more". slumberland records. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Lindsay, Cam (April 23, 2010). "Black Tambourine". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Moyer, Matthew (June 25, 2010). "Black Tambourine – Barbed Wire Kisses Goodbye". Ink19. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Edgardo Rodríguez, Juan (April 11, 2026). "Black Tambourine Interview (2010)". No Ripcord. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ Cherkis, Jason (June 18, 2018). "Chickfactor: The Little Zine That Shaped Indie Music Culture". HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Black Tambourine : By Tomorrow". Slumberland Records. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Throw Aggi Off the Bridge – Black Tambourine : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ "OneTwoThreeFour | Black Tambourine". Blacktambourine.bandcamp.com. May 15, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ Ribas, Michael. "One Last Kiss – Various Artists : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
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