The Times were helmed by Edward Ball, a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in sharply written pop tunes with lyrics that cast a wry and often bitter gaze on English popular culture. Doling out albums in the first half of the 1980s that ranged from punchy mod revival (Pop Goes Art!) to brassy new wave (Hello Europe), the band shifted to chasing more modern styles like noise pop and Madchester as the '90s dawned, then ripened. They stuck around long enough to take the mickey out of Brit-pop on 1999's Pirate Playlist 66.