Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
The dreamy, bittersweet world of Margot & the Nuclear So and So's is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Richard Edwards, who formed the eight-piece indie rock collective in his native Indianapolis. Named after the Margot Tenenbaum character in Wes Anderson's sophisticated comedy The Royal Tenenbaums, the band took root in 2004, when Edwards decided to flesh out his scenic chamber pop sound with help from Andy Fry (guitar), Jesse Lee (cello), Emily Watkins (piano), Hubert Glover (trumpet), Chris Fry (drums), Casey Tennis (drums/percussion), and Tyler Watkins (bass). The band's debut album, The Dust of Retreat, was issued on the local independent label Standard Recording in Spring 2005. The picturesque, dozen-song set earned the band a loyal following, and in November 2005, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's signed with Artemis Records. A remixed and remastered version of The Dust of Retreat was released in March 2006, but a series of label acquisitions (Artemis bought V2, Virgin Records effectively absorbed the band, and Capitol merged with Virgin) convinced the band to partner with another company. They relocated to the Epic roster in October 2007 while working on their sophomore release. After tracking approximately 25 songs, however, the band clashed with Epic over which songs to include in the final product. Accordingly, two versions of the album were released: Animal!, a vinyl and digital release of the band's preferred version, and Not Animal, a traditional CD release featuring those songs favored by the label.
~ MacKenzie Wilson & Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
