The Montgolfier Brothers

The Montgolfier Brothers were a British ambient/experimental pop duo formed by brothers Mark and Mike Moakes. Active in the 2000s, the pair crafted richly textured music blending brooding atmospherics, electronic glitches, and introspective lyrics, often compared to artists like Talk Talk or Bark Psychosis. Their albums—including *Seventeen Stars* (2002) and *The World Is Flat* (2005)—showcased a knack for merging melancholic melodies with cinematic soundscapes, earning them critical praise for their genre-defying approach. Though largely under-the-radar commercially, their work developed a cult following, particularly for collaborations like Robert Wyatt’s haunting vocals on *Journey’s End*. The duo took their name from the 18th-century inventors of the hot-air balloon, nodding to their music’s ethereal, weightless quality. Their releases, including *All My Bad Thoughts* (2006), remain cherished by fans of thoughtful, boundary-pushing indie-electronica.

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