Spain was born at University of Irvine when bassist Josh Haden, the son of Charlie Haden and brother of half of That Dog's line-up, and previous punk-rocker in Treacherous Jaywalkers, joined forces with guitarist Ken Boudakian. A couple of singles, I Lied (Nathanus, 1994) and Dreaming Of Love, revelead their slow-motion melodies in a vein not too different from Galaxie 500.
The quartet on The Blue Moods Of Spain (Restless, 1995) is already a consummate builder of slow, atmospheric tracks. The band has matured beyond the song format and stretches out with lengthy, gloomy, stationary tone poems that borrow the pace and the mood from slo-core (Seam, Codeine, Low) and bend it to a more trascendent and more existential (as in "noir") attitude. World of Blue (14 minutes) is the tour de force, but the band is capable also of humbler ditties like Spiritual and Ten Nights.
Surrendering a bit of that intellectual/erudite attitude, She Haunts My Dreams (Restless, 1999) is a more folkish affair that leans towards the introverted, doleful ballads of the Red House Painters and American Music Club.
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