Shoegaze

Ness Rowlah

Norwegian Wood
Shoegaze, nu-gaze - is it wrong to like the bands that are now (well - all these three have been going for a few years) looking back to MBV? They probably don't add that much to the genre, the studied Warhol-coolness might be too studied and all - but I still find that I like em:

Autolux
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Serena Manesh
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Gliss
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Dusty

Tone deaf
I've always like MBV and Slowdive, but have real trouble enjoying anyone else beyond these two.

Another current dream-pop band; SPC ECO.

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Buick6

too punk to drunk
It's interesting how POPULAR shoegaze music is these days. I remember very clearly at the time simon Reynolds bagging the shit out of the genre as being the 'scene that celebrates itself', but in hindsight alot of the bands have dated alot better than many of the American grunge bands of the time, and there are more kids mucking around with guitars doing the shoegaze thing than before! Another thing that was interesting was that yes, all the shoegaze bands were an amalgum of Sonic Youth/Dinosaur Jr 'yr living all over me'/My Bloody Valentine and Frippertronics, but the sound coalesced into it's own tradmark that resonates until today. Not bad for a 'derivative' genre!

I recently saw DEERHUNTER who seem to be the kings of the nu-gaze sound, and despite their terrifc song 'nothing ever happened' live they were quite dull and boring, and are just a slightly juiced up version of the Pale Saints!

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c.f Pale Saints:

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I really liked this song from Moose who copped so much flack about their 'derivative sound'

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connect_icut

Well-known member
When I was compiling those "Dream Rock" mixes, I listened to a lot of minor showgaze bands, just to see is they were as shite as I remembered. Mostly, they were but that one Moose track really blew me away - great song, superb production, phenomenal drumming. I actually saw them live around the time of that single. It was at Hereford Lads Club and I was a one of about 15 people in attendance. Moose were pretty poor but the opening act was (the then virtually unknown) Stereolab, who were really great. Bought Super Electric the next day.

Not a fan of Deerhunter but I do like the Pale Saints a lot. The Comforts of Madness is a pretty much perfect album - every song is great. They could be pretty juiced up too - some nice Neil Young-esque guitar solos, anyway. The main guy also went on to form an interesting post-rock band called Spoonfed Hybrid.

The only contemporary shoegaze band I really like is A Sunny Day in Glasgow. Here's what they sound like...

http://bubblegumcage3.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/06-drink-drank-drunk-1.mp3

http://bubblegumcage3.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/08-how-does-somebody-say-when-they-like-you_-1.mp3

http://bubblegumcage3.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/03-so-bloody-so-tight.mp3

http://bubblegumcage3.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/13-the-best-summer-ever.mp3

http://bubblegumcage3.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/07-shy.mp3

http://bubblegumcage3.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/09-passionate-introverts-dinosaurs.mp3

http://bubblegumcage3.com/files/2009/12/04-failure.mp3
 

rivetrenuck

Well-known member
Whoaw, really love Autolux

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I know this may seem strange, but here some echoes of Interpol. Could Interpol be some form of Dream Pop? not necessarily shoegaze.

Interpol - Obstacle 1
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Interpol - Evil
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Though Interpol seem a lot more hhhmm Depressive? Too Serious?, Something Morbid about em. No I Change my mind, they couldnt fit, just because their morbid lyrics and depressing videos.
 
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dominic

Beast of Burden
as stated above, A Place To Bury Strangers are the class of the current shoegaze bands. i especially like their second album "Exploding Head"

as for proto-shoegaze, how about The Passions?

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i agree with comment about Lush being unfairly overlooked. Spooky-era Lush has aged very well

The Cranes were another great shoegaze band, if rather on the margins of the movement =

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Also, the latest album, 23, by Blonde Redhead was very good and very shoegazey

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dominic

Beast of Burden
Ultra Vivid Scene was also mentioned above. "Mercy Seat" is one of my all-time favorite records. However, I am unsure whether to post the superior 12" version or the video featuring a very young Moby (with hair) on bass. Perhaps both?

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Tomm

Member
Sianspheric - The Sound Of The Colour Of The Sun

One of the most criminally under-appreciated albums of the '00s. It's beautiful yet very abrasive. And 'cause nobody really ever bothered with it you can still pick up copies of the CD for like 5 quid. Winner.
 

connect_icut

Well-known member
Yes to Cranes and Ultra Vivid scene!

My one real regret about those compilations I made was that I left off "Tomorrow's Tears" by Cranes.

I did include "Special One" by UVS, though. Less shoegazey than "The Mercy Seat" but a great tune, with Kim Deal on backing vocals.

As for proto-shoegaze, anyone know Dif Juz? Kind of a cross between 23 Skidoo and Cocteau Twins.
 

catalog

Well-known member
not read it all, but this article is pretty good, or at least the bit interviewing rudy from a.r. kane is good


Interesting how his fav SF novel is Heinlein's "Stranger in a strange land" = also Charles Manson's fave.

The video of the Cocteaus performing "Pearly Dewdrops' Drops" is great - Liz Fraser's skirt!


The Veldt sound really good - not heard of them before.


No mention of dean blunt so far, which is telling.
 

other_life

bioconfused
i used to be retroactively embarrassed that i listened to so much of this shit when i was an adolescent and how influential it was on my ~sensibility~ but nah this shit is great
 

other_life

bioconfused
irt: dean blunt, i am embarrassingly and singlemindedly obsessed with his stuff right now (it's happened before) and don't feel uh, lucid enough to give a -fair- take on 'how has shoegaze impacted dean?' other than saying that his sampling felt and the pastels is a big tell.
i think that if he's trying to say anything with black metal it's that any raciology of popular music is counterproductive and racist, that genre categorisation implies a raciology to begin with and that when music like a.r. kane (or the cocteau twins or the valentines (or hype williams)) is contemporary, it defies all of that.
the black man has to fly to get something the white man can walk to.
 

boxedjoy

Well-known member
I love the 4AD shoegaze sound and My Bloody Valentine and I don't think of it really as rock/guitar music - yes it's made using those instruments but it's really all about texture rather than riff/melody, and studio effects rather authentic live recording, so in those ways it's actually almost like the way I listen to and enjoy dance and electronic music.
 
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