American Football

American Football, also known retrospectively as LP1, is the debut studio album by American rock band of the same name, released on September 14, 1999, through Polyvinyl. It was recorded shortly after the band released their debut self-titled EP through Polyvinyl in October 1998. The group, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Mike Kinsella, guitarist Steve Holmes, and drummer Steve Lamos, recorded their debut album at Private Studios in Urbana, Illinois, with production from Brendan Gamble. American Football was positively received by critics and US college radio stations, but the band split up soon after its release. The album has since received further critical acclaim and attained cult status and is today considered one of the most important math rock and Midwest emo records of the 1990s. A deluxe edition was released by Polyvinyl in May 2014 shortly after American Football announced their reunion, the demand for which crashed the label's website, and peaked at number 68 on the US Billboard 200. A month later, a music video was released for the song "Never Meant", directed by Chris Strong, who created the cover artwork for American Football. Background Frontman Mike Kinsella previously played in Chicago-based bands Cap'n Jazz and Joan of Arc alongside his brother Tim. Mike played drums for both bands. In 1997 Kinsella started The One Up Downstairs, whose line-up consisted of Allen Johnson on bass, Steve Lamos on drums, David Johnson on guitar, and Kinsella himself on vocals. The One Up Downstairs recorded three songs that were planned for a 7" vinyl release by Polyvinyl. However, the band broke up before it was pressed, thus the record was shelved. Shortly afterwards, Lamos was jamming with guitarist Steve Holmes, who was Kinsella's college roommate. Kinsella thought he "could add something", resulting in the trio forming American Football. The band got their name from a poster that Lamos' girlfriend had spotted. The poster read, "Come see American Football, the most overpaid athletes in the world." The first time the group met it was "pretty casual", and their "[musical] ideas were noodly and meandering", according to Kinsella, who "started putting some notes to them." The trio was based in Champaign, Illinois while Kinsella was attending the University of Illinois. American Football was initially a side project, not intending to become a full-time commitment, as Holmes comments, due to them "always half-assing things".