Charalambides is an
avant-garde musical group originally from
Houston,
Texas, United States and lately of
Austin, Texas. They were formed in 1991 under the short-lived name Mutual Admiration Society by Tom Carter, Christina Carter and Kyle Silfer, and later members have since included Jason Bill and Heather Leigh Murray. The band has long considered itself primarily a duo between Tom and Christina Carter. Their music contains elements typical of
psychedelic music such as reverb,
backwards recording, extended instrumental jamming and the use of found sounds, which led to them being described as part of the
New Weird America movement. In addition to several major releases on labels such as
Kranky, Eclipse Records, and
Time-Lag Records, they have also released many small edition CD-Rs on their own Wholly Other label, and other small independent labels, some of which have later been re-issued (Our Bed is Green, and Historic Sixth Ward for example).
Their name derives from the surname of a customer at the record shop where core members Tom Carter and Christina Carter met, who are divorced but remain together as a musical unit. They have also released albums on Kranky and Eclipse Records under their own names, as well as several small edition CD-Rs. In addition, the two have collaborated with numerous other musicians such as
Loren Mazzacane Connors,
Yellow Swans and Robert Horton.
Selected discography
Primary album releases on Siltbreeze and Kranky
Our Bed Is Green CS-100 (No Label, 1993) Reissued as 2CD on Kranky, 2005