Love Child (l-r):
Rebecca Odes, Will Baum, Alan Licht
MICHAELGALINSKY
THERE are usually several reasons why a band that’s talented, founded in good faith and ticks the right zeitgeist boxes should falter while their peers streak past them, but in Love Child’s case it’s hard to cite just one with certainty. Mentioned favourably in the same breath as Yo La Tengo, Sebadoh and Beat Happening when they debuted in 1990 with a seven-inch, the trio went on to release two albums, the zippy amalgam of punk, art/noise rock and lo-fi indie pop that was Okay? (1991) and 1992’s shoegazeinclined Witchcr aft .However, the acclaim faded and they disbanded not long after. Maybe the departure of founding member and drummer Will Baum in between albums was a hitch; the era’s all enveloping wave of grunge can’t have helped. More likely, having a sound that switched stylistic emphasis between songs made Love Child an awkward act to sell.