Friday 19 September 2008

Before I move on...

Here's a few more essential Shoegazer/dream pop albums, some of which I may come back to in the not-so-distant future...

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991): Already mentioned, legendary, but inescapable.

Slowdive - Souvlaki (1993): Another classic by these guys. So underrated!

Cranes - Forever (1993): The epitome of dreampop, and one of the best albums ever made. Listen to those vocals, like a dying baby's last breaths...

Ride - Nowhere (1990): The other emblematic shoegaze record is also a stunning noise/pop classic, all ghostly vocals and hard, beautiful riffs.

Chapterhouse - Whirlpool (1992): Where dance beats were added to the guitar noise to often stunning effect.

Jesu - Jesu (2005): Shoegaze gets a facelift on this hard-hitting, semi-metal, occasionally droning masterpiece.

Alcest - Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde (2007): One French dude takes dark metal noise and adds in the ethereal vocals and airy guitars of shoegaze, for one of the most amazing records of recent years.


Bardo Pond - Amanita (1996): More psych-noise than shoegaze, but the dreamy, lethargic pace and blissed-out vocal style are all there, so...

Lush - Split (1996): Contains the sumptuous 'Desire Lines', a strong contender for best-ever shoegaze song, as well as some of the most amazing vocals the genre has ever provided.

M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts (2003): Massive shoegaze noise added to majestic electronica a la Air, only even bigger and more powerful. Rivals Loveless for sheer power.

Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels (1983): More post-punk than real shoegaze/dreampop, but this superb, dreamy album laid the foundation for everything that came afterwards.

The Cure - Disintegration (1989): Robert Smith's dreampop excursion, featuring the band's most melancholic keyboard work and lengthy, emotional tracks of hurt and loss.

Galaxie 500 - On Fire (1989): Again, more precursors than actual genre mainstays, but their high, quavering voices and noisy guitar breaks obviously left an impression.

Mazzy Star - So Tonight that I Might See (1993): Between the slowcore of Red House Painters and the dreampop of Cranes. With such a gorgeous, sad voice!

Asobi Seksu - Asobi Seksu (2004): And shoegaze enters the new millenium, with this pop-laden rock noise record that may be a tad too referential, but still has its moments of pure shoegaze charm.

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