The dB's

Kindly helping out any listeners who may be confused by their name, The dB’s provided an explanation in the title of their sparkling 1981 debut: Stands for Decibels. There was plenty more of that cheeky humor in the engaging and melodic songs crafted by the band’s two singer/guitarists, Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple, who formed The dB’s in New York in 1978. Stamey and Holsapple’s dedication to the pop fundamentals of The Beatles and The Kinks set the band apart from their punk-era peers, though the nervy tension that also coursed through Stands for Decibels and its 1981 follow-up, Repercussion, still gave their music a contemporary feel. In spite of the smarts and ebullience of songs like 1980’s “Black and White,” they struggled to find an audience. Further problems with labels led to Stamey’s departure in 1983 and the end of The dB’s original run in 1988. Later records like the 1993 compilation Ride the Wild TomTom and the 2012 reunion album Falling Off the Sky firmed up the group’s place in the pantheon of American power-pop greats.