Phil Wilson

English singer/songwriter Phil Wilson got his start as a founding member of influential indie pop group the June Brides. The group formed in 1983 and released their first singles in 1984. Despite a mini-album (There Are Eight Million Stories) that topped the U.K. indie charts in 1985, the group was unable to sign a long-term deal with a label and ended up splitting in 1986. Wilson then began a solo career, signing with Creation records and releasing two singles for them in 1987. The Caff Corporation also issued a Wilson single that year. None of the releases caught on with the record-buying public and Wilson decided to retire from music, taking a civil service job that kept him a way from music for two decades. His return began in 2005 with Cherry RedÆs release of a deluxe two-disc compilation of songs by both the June Brides and Wilsonsolo. WilsonÆs legend was further boosted by article in the Guardian penned by author Dave Eggers that lavishly praised Wilson and lamented his disappearance. Later that year, Still Unravished: A Tribute to the June Brides, which featured fans like the Manic Street Preachers, the Tyde, and Jeffrey Lewis, was released. Around this time, Wilson gave up his job, moved to the countryside, and began seriously working on music again. Before delving back into songwriting, he worked on covering other artists' songs in interesting ways. The results of these experiments can be heard on his first post-retirement release, 2008Æs Industrial Strength, a four-song EP for Slumberland on which Wilson essays acoustic covers of songs by Throbbing Gristle, Kraftwerk, Faust, and S/T. In 2010, Slumberland released a single (ôI Own Itö) in October, and then a full-length album (God Bless Jim Kennedy) in November. The album features all Wilson-composed songs, and heÆs joined by ex-June Brides Jon Hunter and Frank Sweeney, as well as Arash Torabi and Andy Fonda. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi...

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