From: Olympia, Washington

Active: 1998–2002

I first heard them: in the early ’00s on the Smith College radio station, which happened to play “I Want More” during the minute that I passed through its minuscule broadcast range

Sound: What the punk cheerleaders in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video might sound like if they started a band.  Though Bangs featured Kurt Cobain’s ex-girlfriend’s little sister on bass, this connection wasn’t enough to get them onto a major label; they had to record in some guy’s basement, and you can tell.

Further listening: The Sweet Revenge album and Call and Response EP are both quite good, and ten years ago Bangs had several songs on this list.  The best of the departed may be this one:

“Scorpi-Oh” (2000)