Alison's Halo

Alison's Halo is a dream pop band from Tempe, Arizona. Their sound, distinguished by airy vocals and delayed guitars, is often also associated with shoegaze.

History

Alison's Halo formed in Tempe, Arizona in the fall of 1992. The original lineup included vocalist/guitarist Catherine Cooper, guitarist Adam Cooper and bassist Lynn Anderson (they dubbed their drum machine "Alison"). The band quickly obtained opening slots for touring acts like Ultra Vivid Scene, Curve and Stereophonics, performed at several festivals, and recorded two demo cassettes, Slug and Halo. They added drummer Thomas Lanser prior to recording their debut single, "Dozen", released in early 1995 on Independent Project Records. The lineup changed again, with bassist David Rogers (also of Half String) and drummer Roger Brogan replacing Anderson and Lanser. Their first album, Eyedazzler 1992-1996, a CD compilation of songs the band created between 1992 and 1996, was released in 1998 on Burnt Hair Records.^[1]

After the dissolution of Alison's Halo in the late 1990s, Adam and Catherine Cooper recorded Burt Bacharach-influenced pop at their home Jetpack Studios under a variety of band names. As the Pastry Heroes, they released the five-song Horn Rim Fury CD EP in 1998 on Submersible Recordings. As Kitten Factor, they put out the three-song "Surround" 7" EP in 1999 on Sunday Records, as well as the "Nite Lite" single. In 1999 they changed names again to Insta, rereleasing Horn Rim Fury under that name via Sunday Records. Insta released a full-length album, Checklist for Love, in 2002 on Sunday Records. Adam Cooper also recorded as the solo project Lochheed.^[2] Drummer Brogan joined Sonic Boom's band Spectrum in 2008.

In 2009, the Coopers reactivated Alison's Halo and released several digital compilations of old material via their website, including three live albums and the Jetpacks for Julian demos EP.^[3] A deluxe reissue of Eyedazzler 1992-1996 was announced for release via the Captured Tracks label's "Shoegaze Archives" series on December 3, 2013, but has not yet been issued.^[4][5][6] The band also announced plans to record a new EP.^[7]

On April 13, 2016, the band self-released a digital single, "Some Heaven"/"The Hardest Part", both tracks being demos from the 1990s.^[8]

Discography

Singles and EPs

• Slug cassette EP (1993, self-released)
• Halo cassette EP (1994, self-released)
• "Dozen" / "Calendar" 7" single (1995, Independent Project)
• Jetpacks for Julian digital EP (2009, self-released)
• "Some Heaven"/"The Hardest Part" digital single (2016, self-released)

Compilation albums

• Eyedazzler 1992-1996 CD (1998, Burnt Hair Records)

Live albums

• Live at the 1995 All Fish Go to Heaven Festival: Hollywood Alley - Mesa Arizona digital album (2009, self-released)
• Live at the 1995 Beautiful Noise Festival: Downtown Performance Center - Tucson Arizona digital album (2009, self-released)
• Live at the 1995 Beautiful Noise Festival: Rancho De Los Muertos - Phoenix Arizona digital album (2009, self-released)

References