Do the evolution

Kyality mentioned how Automatic brought him to acoustic music and opened a new doorway. Interestingly enough, REM didn't open the mellow doorway for me. I really didn't seem to grasp the whole concept of mellow/acoustic during my high school years. While REM and U2 were my favorite bands, when I turned 15 I was bound and determined to like cool music. The summer between freshman and sophomore year, I spent every waking hour listening to Q99 and X96, learning all the music that I could. Of course, this was the same time that REM came out with Monster (their so called rock album which contains more distortion and feedback then real rock. Really, I think you can only say that What's the Frequency and Star 69 are rockish tracks) so that made liking REM all the easier. I bought a bunch of grunge, post-grunge stuff. Up until I left on my mission in 1999, I eschewed the mellow. When I got home, I was in crisis. I hadn't been too big of a radio guy anyway right before my mission because I had been converted to Brit rock after a stint in London and had been buying my big 4 of Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, and Suede. However, the two years gone had cut me off from the new Brit Rock and mining the old Brit Rock was difficult as Radiohead had Kid A out (let's just admit it...it's great live meaning that great songs exist but it's so difficult to pull those great songs out of the recording) Oasis had an album that had a song called Gas Panic!, and Blur and Suede had done nothing. I was lost. And the radio played on in the background, with inept singers telling me that they couldn't make as a poor man stealing (except I think he tried to rhyme "man" with "steal...AN"), they'd go wherever I would go, that all blood was on the altar and they were free but they were headless (or so they believed), that there were 16 shades of gray (oooh, so powerful), and other such tripe. Late night 107.5 threw me a bone every once in a while. I heard Travis's Side, was surprised (I knew them from Tied to the 90s and this sounded so different), and bought Invisible Band. I heard Starsailor and bought them. Travis was challenging to me...it wasn't loud. In fact, all the tracks were quieter than Side. I didn't know what to think. So I went to London for a summer. I found Muse. Ah, the loud, but melodious sound I knew I liked. But then, the turning point. A man named James R. said, "Hey listen to this CD." I put it in. I listened. I listened. Every instinct cried "No No No No No! He sounds like a fairy! It's just too soft!" But then my brain said, "Hold on, friend! Listen! Literate lyrics! Wonderous melodies! Sarcastic, bitter lyrics wrapped in a mellow shell! IT'S GENIUS!" And I was hooked on indie. Like a drug. Over the next couple of weeks I searched cheap used record stores for the album...and I found it for 5 quid at some record store in Camden Town. I bought it. Game Over. Suddenly all this music that this blonde chick at the music library liked was pretty freaking cool. Thanks Stuart. I have half a mind to make my dear readers guess at the band and album that turned me to indie and mellowness. Take a stab at it. Some of you may already know the story. Consider yourself advantaged.