9 Ways to Sunday

Nine Ways to Sunday enter the '90s with an undying affection for the preceding decade. The band's self-titled debut from 1990 is almost like an essay on mid-'80s college radio sounds: crooned vocals; jangling guitars; shimmering keyboards; and hyperactive, propulsive drums. Like the Ocean Blue, Nine Ways to Sunday are an American group with an English crush. However, their sound is more stripped down than the Ocean Blue's. Nine Ways to Sunday could be seen as predecessors to Jars of Clay, at least in spirit.