Laika were an English band formed in 1993 and helmed by Margaret Fiedler (lead vocals, programming) and Guy Fixsen (guitar, programming). Their lineup also included John Frenett (bass), Lou Ciccotelli (drums), Louise Elliott (flute, saxophone), and Rob Ellis (drums). Laika released two subsequent albums, 2000's Good Looking Blues and 2003's Wherever I Am I Am What Is Missing, after which they entered an indefinite hiatus.

History

1993: Formation

Margaret Fiedler moved from New York City to London in 1989 in search of music which better suited her interests. The first significant band she joined was Moonshake, in which she was one of two lead vocalists, a songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist predominantly playing guitar, keyboards and samplers. Moonshake's songwriting was split between Fiedler and co-vocalist David Callahan, who had a very different style: Callahan favoured an art-punk storytelling approach with a dub/funk undercurrent while Fiedler preferred a more enveloping and abstract approach drawing on rhythmic krautrock-esque loops and murmured vocals. The early Moonshake records, released on the Too Pure label, were engineered by the producer Guy Fixsen, who had also worked with bands including My Bloody Valentine and The Breeders.

The creative tensions in Moonshake ultimately became personal and the band broke up after a tour of the United States in 1993. While Callahan kept the Moonshake name and continued the band (along with the drummer Mig Morland and various guest musicians), Fiedler and the band's bass guitarist John Frenett both left. Fiedler began working with Guy Fixsen as her writing and recording partner, as well as beginning a romantic relationship with him. The new partnership, with Frenett playing bass guitar, continued to develop the approach Fiedler had taken with her songs in Moonshake. The band named themselves after the Russian dog Laika, the first animal to orbit the Earth.

1994–2000: Active recording and performance

In Laika's first incarnation, Fiedler, Fixsen, and Frenett were augmented by the flautist and saxophonist Louise Elliott and the drummer Lou Ciccotelli (God, Eardrum, SLAB!). On recordings and in live shows, Fiedler and Fixsen shared guitar, keyboards and sampling, with Fiedler doing most of the vocals. The group's first album was the acclaimed Silver Apples of the Moon, released on Too Pure in 1994. Shortly afterwards, Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey, Spleen) joined as an occasional second drummer and percussionist.

The band quickly became popular interviewees in the alternative and underground music press, its music praised for mingling intricacy, polish and accessibility with experimentation and originality. In 1995, Fiedler described her band's music as "just like trip-hop, but much much faster" and declared her distaste for the then-current Britpop, citing a preference for jazz and dub. She later recalled that "Guy and I were interested in rhythm but couldn't get excited about 4/4 time|. So, influenced by bands like The Young Gods, we wanted to take rock rhythms and turn them upside down. 7 is great!"

In 1996, Laika contributed to the AIDS benefit album Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, produced by the Red Hot Organization.

Laika's second album, Sounds of the Satellites, was released in early 1997. Many of the previous album's more abrasive edges were smoothed away in favour of a sleeker, though not much less experimental, dance tone. The group continued to attract a lot of press attention, particularly when they supported Radiohead on tour, and continued to be an underground favourite, despite not having a hit. A third album, Good Looking Blues, was released in 2000. The same year, Fiedler played in PJ Harvey's backing band on an extensive world tour promoting Harvey's album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. On this tour, she played guitar, cello and other instruments. Fiedler, now known by her married name of Mags McGinnis, has divided time between several ventures, including music, writing, candlemaking, working in copyright law for the BBC, and running the rights clearance service Mineral Point Music Ltd. She played rhythm guitar for English rock band Wire on their 2008 tour of Europe and North America, replacing Bruce Gilbert. Their work utilizes both electronic and organic approach to songwriting with live drums and percussion, together with guitars and samples, creating a complex layered and polyrhythmic blend of beats and diverse analogue sounds that defies simple categorization. They were among the first wave of bands to be classified as post-rock; in a 1994 article in Melody Maker profiling the genre, journalist Simon Reynolds described Laika's sound as a "blend of machine-music and flesh-and-blood funk... combining the 'magical', superhuman effects of sampling with the 'warmth' that comes from real-time interaction between players".

Discography

Studio albums

  • Silver Apples of the Moon (1994, Too Pure)
  • Sounds of the Satellites (1997, Too Pure)
  • Good Looking Blues (2000, Too Pure)
  • ' (2003, Too Pure)

Compilations

  • Lost in Space: Volume 1 (1993–2002) (2003, Too Pure)

Singles and EPs

  • Antenna EP (1994, Too Pure)
  • Almost Sleeping EP (1997, Too Pure)
  • Breather EP (1997, Too Pure)
  • "Uneasy" (2000, Too Pure)
  • "Black Cat Bone" (2000, Too Pure; 12" vinyl only)
  • "Badtimes" (2000, Too Pure)

Tracks on various artists compilations

  • "If You Miss (Laika Virgin Mix)" (from Macro Dub Infection, 1995)
  • "Lower Than Stars" (from Volume 12, 1995)
  • "German Shepherds" (from Whore: Various Artists Play Wire, 1996)
  • "Looking for the Jackalope (236 Remix)" (from Beat Experience, 1997)
  • "Black Cat Bone" (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Radio Sunnydale – Music from the TV Series (UK version), 2003)

References

  • Official website
  • Discography from official Too Pure website
  • Biography from official Too Pure website
  • Concert photos by Laurent Orseau (Black Session)