Oceansize

Oceansize are a five-piece progressive rock group based in Manchester, England. Formed in 1998, Oceansize have gone on to release two full length albums; Effloresce (2003) and Everyone Into Position (2005), the EP Music For Nurses (2004), in addition to a number of minor EPs and singles.

Having toured with The Cooper Temple Clause, Cave In, People in Planes, Aereogramme, Mclusky, Biffy Clyro, Porcupine Tree and Serafin, Oceansize stand out from the mainstream rock scene of Manchester, and a recent increase in popularity has seen them distributed internationally, with some claiming them to be one of the most prevalent modern progressive rock bands of late. Influences range from The Beach Boys and Black Sabbath to Can, Cardiacs, Jane’s Addiction, The Verve, Swervedriver, Tool and Tortoise. Some have compared their sound to Pink Floyd, another strong influence, as well as Mogwai and My Bloody Valentine.

Despite being labelled sometimes as a progressive band and sometimes as an indie band, Oceansize are in fact very varied in their music, with songs ranging from acoustic ballads to distorted heavy metal, frequently combining the two. The driving force behind the band is arguably the deeply poetic lyrics of frontman Vennart, although given his deliberately underwhelming studio vocals this is not immediately apparent.