The Edmund Fitzgerald were a math rock

Math rock

Math rock is a rhythmically complex guitar-based style of experimental rock that emerged in the 1980s and that was very influenced by progressive rock like King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Henry Cow - and 20th century composers such as Steve Reich and John Cage...

 band from Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, who disbanded in 2005. Their final line-up consisted of Yannis Philippakis

Yannis Philippakis

Yannis Philippakis is a singer of the alternative indie and dance punk band Foals. He is of Greek and South African Jewish descent. He left Greece with his mother when he was five years old. His father taught him to dance the folk traditional songs and sing...

 on lead guitar and vocals, Lina Simon on rhythm guitar, and Jack Bevan on drums. Philippakis and Bevan later went on to join Foals.

Overview and History

The band is known for their live shows that featured intense epic songs with minimal vocals and disjointed, technical rhythms. Influences included Sweep the Leg Johnny

Sweep the Leg Johnny

Sweep the Leg Johnny was a Chicago-based math rock band in existence from 1996 till 2002. The name is a reference to a line in the film The Karate Kid....

 and Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...

. However, other influences were so numerous and varied that the group drew from the ideas of other bands rather than their finished product.

The band split in 2005, following the departure of Simon, who chose not to pursue a musical career. They also claimed that things had become "too serious" and that they wanted to have more fun making music. This new desire resulted in the formation of Foals.

After the band's breakup, it was revealed that a two CD compilation of the band's work, titled Complete Works of The Edmund Fitzgerald, would be released, although he collection remains unreleased.

Discography

Release	Description	Record Label
Horses	Split 7”/CD with Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies Youthmovies Youthmovies were an English rock quintet, comprising Andrew Mears , Al English , Graeme Murray , Stephen Hammond and Sam Scott...	Vacuous Pop Recordings
Eli Cash	2003 Truck Festival Compilation CD	Truck Records Truck Records Truck Records was an independent record label based in Oxford, England. It grew out of the Truck Festival, held annually in Steventon, a small village near Oxford...
Two Broke Kids Bikes/These Wet Houston Driveways	Silver Rocket SR50 Compilation CD	Stupid Cat Records
My Quiets Heart Slight Of Hand	Split 12” with Bilge Pump	Noisestar