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Post by glider on Nov 25, 2016 20:49:31 GMT -5
Along with neo-psychedelia, ambient, and space rock, this is one of my favorite musical genres. The genre was birthed out of a hybrid of noise pop and alternative rock - combining riff centric music with walls of sound and heavily drenched reverberation on guitars, bass, etc. The result is the power of abrasive rock but with the ambient and textured atmospheres. The shoegazing term was coined from guitarists fiddling with pedal effects most of the time to achieve these effects, hence looking down at their boards the majority of the time. As stated, the genre's origins lie in pop songs, which executed terrific dreamy atmospheres, but lacked the ferocity and power of rock songs. Shoegaze corrected this and thus a fantastic genre was born! Most people don't "get" this genre, primarily because it isn't straight foward music - it comes in different forms by different artists and takes shape immediately once you give the bands that pioneered the sound notice. Whether it's the sheer soundscape-shoegaze style of My Bloody Valentine, the poppier and slightly more conventional approach by Slowdive and Ride, or the neo-psychedelic approach by the early Verve, you'll see the genre has alot to offer. Important Albums to the genre
01. 1991: Loveless (My Bloody Valentine) - [Avant-rock, noise pop, dream pop]
 Considered the quintessential shoegaze album, Loveless is dominated by guitarist's Kevin Shield's crazy intellectual genius in which has given him the de-facto label of the father of Shoegazing. Each track is drenched in reverb, swirling guitar effects and hazy noise that is perfectly represented on the album's cover. I can't really recommend a particular track on the album since they all sound alike, so just dive in and explore it for yourself.
02. 1993: Souvlaki (Slowdive) - [Space rock, Ambient, Indie pop]
While I can also recommend their debut - 'Just For A Day' - Souvlaki features a much more dense and expansive sound. The album originally began as as one inspired by Joy Division and the 'Low' era of Davie Bowie, but the demos were rejected by then Creation Records boss Alan McGee. It wasn't until Brian Eno came in to assist with with a couple tracks, in which the band drew greater inspiration to create a much more varied record. From the soft indie pop track 'Here She Comes', to the shimmering guitar, Smith's esque 'When The Sun Hits', and onto the space rock/ambient/neo-psychedelic juggernaut known as 'Souvlaki Space Station' - the record is a very important listen for those wanting to get into the genre. 03. 1990: Nowhere (Ride) - [Neo-psychedelia, Indie pop/rock, Noise rock]
:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-383011-1256054115.jpeg.jpg) Given most people here know of the band's guitarist Andy Bell, should be a good reference point. Before joining Oasis and crafting lukewarm pieces with the band, Bell spearheaded Ride along with Mark Gardener. Ride's debut has many similarities with Souvlaki, but focuses on a heavier rock sound. Songs like Seagull and Kaleidoscope are driven by faster tempo and more conventional indie rock themes, but immediately shifts tone on songs such as Dreams Burn Down - which showcase their more indie pop side, yet will shift towards noise rock. Polar Bear is another point of interest with its interesting use of tremolo effects, and of course the biggest song of the album - Vapour Trail - is basically everything, yet so simple. Also check out Going Blank Again, the follow up. 04. 1993: A Storm In Heaven (Verve) - [Neo-psychedelia, Ambient, Space rock, Dream pop]
 This album is probably the least shoegaze centric one I've listed. In my opinion, Verve only made one TRUE Shoegaze track (She's A Superstar) - which was a non-album single. Nevertheless, much of what the previous albums listed include, in apart of A Storm In Heaven. The album's title is the definitive description of the whole album - a raging storm of sounds. You have your rockier tracks like 'The Sun, The Sea', 'Slide Away' and 'Blue', yet then ambient, atmospheric tracks like 'Virtual World', 'Already There', 'Beautiful Mind', and 'Make It 'Til Monday'. 'Star Sail' is the sound of a raging neo-psychedelic storm, and 'Butterfly' reminds me of the soundtrack to a gritty dystopian old west film. This album really has a bit of everything attached to it. Required listen to any music lover I believe. I can go on for days about this genre but I would to hear other people's thoughts, from those who love the genre like I do, and also those just getting into it. Any questions? Need a particular playlist from artists? Discuss! and here is the best Shoegaze sound of all time (IMO): : 
Here's more:
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Post by Lennon2217 on Nov 25, 2016 20:58:28 GMT -5
No Swervedriver or Telescopes? Sinner!
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Post by glider on Nov 25, 2016 21:02:16 GMT -5
No Swervedriver or Telescopes? Sinner! Unfortunately I've never heard of these bands! Hit me up with a playlist! |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 21:30:56 GMT -5
MBV are great, Only Shallow was the first track I heard by them, and still the best imo, although To Here Knows When, Soon and Glider to name a few are great  A lot of other shoegaze genre music has dated a bit worse though imo, so I've never particularly enjoyed much else from bands like Slowdive and Ride, although the sounds themselves still stand out. I always feel that the best part of the whole shoegaze genre, rather than the individual bands though, are the sort of textures that have been picked up by a variety of different bands decades later |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2016 22:24:43 GMT -5
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Post by carlober on Nov 26, 2016 4:10:31 GMT -5
I had the idea of creating a Shoegazers' Hideout thread for a while, thanks glider While I love My Bloody Valentine (Loveless is an absolute masterpiece), I'm more of a Ride/Slowdive guy. My first step into the genre was (predictably) with A Storm in Heaven, which shocked me a bit at the time since I had only heard Bittersweet Symphony and a few other Verve hits before. The power of Nick's guitar fascinated me, but it was something I was not accustomed to. It was loud, at times clashing, often mixed in a impassable wall of noise. And I hadn't even listened to My Bloody Valentine yet  I like pretty much every shoegaze act now. From MBV's craziness to the more dreampop-oriented vibe of Lush and Slowdive's moody soundscapes. It's also nice to see that in recent years there's been a sort of shoegaze revival: old bands have reformed (and Lush has just splitted - again...!), but there are also a lot of younger/newer bands which are breaking into the scene, or which have done so in the '00s. I'll post some recommendations in this thread from now on  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2016 5:59:12 GMT -5
Nowhere and Loveless are the masterpieces of the shoegaze movement. Both in the top 10 of the 90's, imo.
Love Shoegaze !
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2016 6:13:57 GMT -5
Funny how a derogatory term has turned almost into a "badge of honor"... Neil from Slowdive would like to call it "Progressive Guitar Music"...  Love it though, and thanks for making the thread. |
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Post by Lennon2217 on Nov 26, 2016 9:36:07 GMT -5
Definitive playlist time!
Sometimes - My Bloody Valentine
Blue - The Verve
Vapor Trail - Ride
Rave Down - Swervedriver
Black Metallic - Catherine Wheel
The Perfect Needle - The Telescopes
When The Sun Hits - Slowdive
Lazarus - The Boo Radleys
Nothing Natural - Lush
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Post by glider on Nov 26, 2016 10:31:14 GMT -5
I had the idea of creating a Shoegazers' Hideout thread for a while, thanks glider While I love My Bloody Valentine (Loveless is an absolute masterpiece), I'm more of a Ride/Slowdive guy. My first step into the genre was (predictably) with A Storm in Heaven, which shocked me a bit at the time since I had only heard Bittersweet Symphony and a few other Verve hits before. The power of Nick's guitar fascinated me, but it was something I was not accustomed to. It was loud, at times clashing, often mixed in a impassable wall of noise. And I hadn't even listened to My Bloody Valentine yet I like pretty much every shoegaze act now. From MBV's craziness to the more dreampop-oriented vibe of Lush and Slowdive's moody soundscapes. It's also nice to see that in recent years there's been a sort of shoegaze revival: old bands have reformed (and Lush has just splitted - again...!), but there are also a lot of younger/newer bands which are breaking into the scene, or which have done so in the '00s. I'll post some recommendations in this thread from now on That sucks to hear about Lush  While I love the sheer ethereal soundscape of MBV, I'm much more into the Ride/Slowdive/Verve stuff as well. Those three bring in a mix of numbing neo-psychedelia, coupled with space rock and ambient textures that's much more layered - yet don't stray too far from their groundwork. I too was suprised of how different The Verve sounded pre-Urban Hymns - their musical progression from space rock/ambient/shoegaze to dirtier, more abrasive rock on A Northern Soul is incredible. |
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Post by asimarx on Nov 26, 2016 17:19:48 GMT -5
Definitive playlist time! Sometimes - My Bloody Valentine Blue - The Verve Vapor Trail - Ride Rave Down - Swervedriver Black Metallic - Catherine Wheel The Perfect Needle - The Telescopes When The Sun Hits - Slowdive Lazarus - The Boo Radleys Nothing Natural - Lush Nice selection! Thanks for reminding me on Catherine Wheel, heavily underrated band. Looking at the list, I suppose you could add a band like Galaxie 500 in a broader sense of showgaze music as well. However, next to MBV's Sometimes, I think this is the best showgazing sounding song ever, love that band. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2016 5:46:36 GMT -5
Now I really need to get the EP I guess...
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Post by idleroses on Nov 27, 2016 9:50:45 GMT -5
Loveless is a stone cold classic album, those fucking sonics maaaaannnnnn
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 8:01:04 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 8:28:51 GMT -5
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Post by glider on Nov 28, 2016 17:36:53 GMT -5
Posted this a while back. A Japanese shoegaze band made a tribute record to several different Beatles songs and gave them a shoegaze touch. Tomorrow Never Knows sounds incredible on this, as does the other tracks!
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Post by carlober on Nov 28, 2016 17:47:29 GMT -5
glider, yeah those are pretty great! My favorite one is probably Let It Be. I love how it grows.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2016 6:59:00 GMT -5
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Post by World71R on Nov 29, 2016 22:25:13 GMT -5
Discovered this gem by a band called Bloom, thanks to a song discovery service I'm subscribed to:
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Post by KRRRRRRR on Nov 30, 2016 4:42:35 GMT -5
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Post by carlober on Nov 30, 2016 5:05:38 GMT -5
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Post by matt on Nov 30, 2016 21:31:14 GMT -5
There's always been a fine line between space rock, neo-psychedelia and shoegaze with many acts from the latter genre often incorporating them all into one album, or even one song. The band Sun Dial released their debut album in 1990 just as shoegaze was beginning to reach its peak. Although explicitly space rock rather than actual shoegaze, it shares influences certainly in terms of its hazy melodies.
The song below, Plains of Nazca, reminds me somewhat of Gas Panic with a reminiscent psychedelic groovy bass-line, and the guitar riff (around about the 2.30 mark) which uses a similar tone and riff that Noel plays on the demo version. It got me wondering whether Noel used the song as an inspiration to Gas Panic, but in general, it makes you realise the debt that Standing on the Shoulder of Giants owes to these sub-genres from the early 1990s.
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Post by mkoasis on Nov 30, 2016 22:21:06 GMT -5
Not really a shoegaze album but I was quite surprised to find out how shoegaze influenced Sloan's debut album Smeared (1991) was. I'd always thought shoegaze was a very British thing, so it was very unexpected from a Canadian band. The title is very fitting in describing the hazy fuzz that defines the album's sound.
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Post by Manualex on Nov 30, 2016 22:38:34 GMT -5
If you guys havent heard Dynamo by Soda Stereo it has fantástic stuff in there.
Balls to put an álbum like that after having the monster that was Canción animal Which was a more pop rock kind of deal.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2016 4:06:24 GMT -5
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Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5