Making fun of emo people was 2006’s making fun of hipsters. And, boy, did that scene deserve it: taking some of our most profound sensations and reducing them to little more than self-conscious poses. Yet before the slickly engineered emoting of the modern army of black-fingernailed mimics what people knew as “emo” was a clutch of bedraggled tunesmiths on the edge of the hardcore scene, producing rough yet canorous slices of pop music. Somewhat uninspired, perhaps, by the shoutier aspects of punk they maintained its fractious spontaneity but emphasised its sensitivity rather than its belligerence, leading to songs that were more intimate than confrontational. Of course, it could only be defiled in the clumsy fingers of “the business”.

Here’s a selection from one of m’favourite groups, the short-lived but much-loved Texas Is The Reason…

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