Led by falsetto-equipped vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist Chris James, the Leeds, England-based Stateless -- a left-of-center, electronics-enhanced rock band that recalled Radiohead, post-Protection Massive Attack, and Coldplay in varying degrees -- took shape in 2003. Demos for the emotive songs "Exit" and "Prism #1" were picked up by BBC Radio 1 and earned the interest of Sony, where Stateless released the 2004 single "Down Here." The Sony-BMG merger brought an end to the band's major-label contract. They briefly linked with the Regal label and released the four-track Bloodstream EP. James then contributed lyrics and vocals to two songs, "Erase You" and "You Made It," for DJ Shadow's 2006 album The Outsider. Another short-term deal for Stateless yielded a self-titled album issued on !K7 in 2007. Matilda, a second album, was released on Ninja Tune in 2011 and featured strings from the Balanescu Quartet on three songs. At that point in time, the band featured James, along with kidkanevil (turntables, programming), David Levin (drums), and Justin Percival (bass). ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi