Shoegazing music fit my life perfectly during its brief lifespan in the early 1990's. The predecessors to Britpop's confident, in-your-face groups, shoegazing bands were quite literally made up of people who played their instruments while gazing at their shoes - disaffected types playing music with droning, noisey, repetitive guitar lines matched by distorted, ethereal vocals. For some reason it didn't really last. However, shoegazing pioneers My Bloody Valentine are supposed to be working on their first new album in 15-odd years and some electronic groups like M83 continue in this vein. "I only said" (stream below) drove my roomates nutty with its repetitive pattern - i still think its really cool!
The video for my all-time favorite song of the early 90's: Lush's Nothing Natural
Download a free, legal mp3 of My Bloody Valentine's "Lose My Breath"
Download a free, legal mp3 of Ride's Vapour Trail
The video for M83's "America"
3 comments:
it took a post like this for me to finish being a mere lurker and come out and say hello.
in 1992, i attended that summer's Lollapallooza event, but much to the chagrin of my friends who were there to see Uncle Al Jourgenson trip the WaxTrax fantastic, or to see (Then) alpha-seattle-longhair Chris Cornell howl in an unknown register, i was there to see Emma and Miki of Lush lay down equal law, as defined by their multiphased rickenbackers. The gorgeous harmonies removed me from the hot midwestern sun and brought me into their world, blue-green cool, swirly, and undefined.
in the years since then, i've delved into and out of the shoegaze catalog, and have been happy to see that there are those who mirror the "quiet noise" sensiblities, or at least their influences. Take a listen to Slowdive's 'Souvlakai' and Snow Patrol's 'Final Straw' and i'm sure you'll find the same similarities that i have. *shhh, just don't tell the kids that there once was another band from scotland that made tracks before them!*
if there is a God, She listens to Kevin Shields multitrack fifty-some-odd guitars.
Hey! So Kevin Shields says he's 99.9% sure MBV will be coming out with another album soon!?! Or something like that. And the more I listen to Blonde Redhead's 23 the more I think its not only awesome but a lot like Lush in so many ways (yeah!). I'd be grateful for any Low recommendations - they're still on the fringe for me... i have "trust" and bits and pieces of the new one which I quite like. Craig.
hiya. I would love to make the only educated recommendation i'm able to with Low; start with 'The Great Destroyer' (2005, sub pop). a startling, amazing piece of work. their tour agenda shows they'll be in your neck of the woods early this fall. most highly recommended live, Alan and Mimi really know how to put on a clinic in dynamics and patience within song construction.
once i played the record in its entirety while watching the first two periods of a saturday night Leafs/Habs game, hoping for a zen moment of synchronicity. whoa.
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