I’ve been putting off this particular post for quite some time, hoping that I’d have some good news to share (as is often the case with these “Whatever Happened To” subjects). Alas, as of today there is none, but also there is no bad news, allowing us to take some solace in the sage wisdom of “No news is good news.”

But back to the subject at hand: The Sundays. Sounding both like a female-fronted Smiths and a lyrically coherent Cocteau Twins, the London-based quartet delivered three albums of lovely, jangly pop over an eight-year stretch. Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, their debut, was issued in 1989. Sophomore disc Blind didn’t see the light of day until three years later. And another five passed before The Sundays resurfaced in 1997 with Static and Silence. Of course, hearing Harriet Wheeler’s sweet siren of a voice singing new songs made any wait well worth it. But now that a full decade has since ticked by, a fourth album doesn’t appear to be forthcoming.

After the release of Static and Silence — single “Summertime” reached #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart — Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin, the real-life couple who form the band’s core, turned their primary focus to family life. Raising two kids, they’ve been seemingly content away from the spotlight, leaving us to wonder whether anything more from The Sundays will ever be.

Who thought the world would be that way? Surprise, surprise, surprise… “Here’s Where The Story Ends,” indeed:

Now I didn’t pick up on The Sundays until 1991, when Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic belatedly took up residence in my dorm room stereo. Anxious to hear something new from the band, Blind arrived right on time the following year (delayed a bit, as a gift under the Christmas tree). To this day, lead single “Love” is still firmly lodged in my brain.

“Love” was a #2 Modern Rock hit, so perhaps you can’t get it out of your head, either. (Take that, Kylie Minogue.) Hear here:

“Monochrome,” the final track on Static and Silence (and thus the last in The Sundays’ recorded history) recalls the July 20, 1969 telecast of the first lunar landing. Until that giant leap was witnessed by the world, some doubted it was even possible. So is it wishful thinking that the planets may yet align for The Sundays before this decade is done?

Week after week, we wait, hoping to hear Wheeler’s ethereal voice floating through the air once again.

Rediscover The Sundays’ musical oeuvre via iTunes and Amazon MP3.