Moodswings is a musical duo composed of Grant Showbiz and James F.T. Hood. Grant Showbiz was a onetime roadie and guitar tech who later produced albums by The Smiths, Billy Bragg, Silverfish, and Gong. James Hood was a former drummer for The Pretenders, The Impossible Dreamers, Kid Creole & the Coconuts and Jeff Beck. After Showbiz and Hood teamed up in 1989, the duo released the album Moodfood (Arista/BMG, 1992), which scored a hit with the single "Spiritual High (State of Independence) Pt. II," which featured vocals by Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders). "Spiritual High Pt. III," from the same album, featured samples from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. "Spiritual High II" was played during the closing credits on the soundtrack of Single White Female, the 1992 Bridget Fonda film and was in 2000 included on The Pretenders Greatest Hits.

The Live at Leeds EP (Arista) followed in 1994 (with artwork styled after the album by the Who of the same name), and in 1997, the group released Psychedelicatessen (Arista/BMG), which featured vocals from Tanita Tikaram, on the song "Oh Happy Day'. Grant Showbiz was a member of Moodswings up until the album Horizontal, which James Hood solo-produced (Varèse Sarabande, 2002). Julee Cruise sings vocals on two tracks from Horizontal: "Seems to Remind Me" and "Into the Blue." James Hood contributed "Storm in a Teacup" from the same album for the 2005 documentary Do You Believe? Another World is Possible.