Shoegaze

MaskedJackal · #1 10-26-2007, 01:24 PM

Let's discuss this all-too-brief genre as it makes its comeback, and talk about cruical records from its time.

My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive are pretty obvious.

I want to add Swervdriver's Mezcal Head record because I think it had the best conglomeration of sounds from that era of alternative music– the trippiness of shoegaze but the huge psychedelia of Soundgarden and the Smashing Pumpkins.

I want to get into Curve and Chapterhouse, as they seem awesome in Youtube videos.

nad · #2 10-26-2007, 01:30 PM

My Bloody Valentine's Loveless is one of the greatest albums in the history of everything.

Other bands I'm very much into that were influenced by this style include Agalloch and Velvet Cacoon, but I don't think many would consider them shoegaze. Oh yeah, and I'm really getting into Cocteau Twins lately thanks to the woman's vast collection of said group.

MaskedJackal · #3 10-26-2007, 01:35 PM

I wouldn't say Agalloch is influenced by shoegaze so much as post-rock....but man, if you want to hear shoegaze with dark metal, check out Alcest and Amesoeurs.

Cocteau Twins seem interesting.

Also, I neglected to mention Swervedriver's reuniting. Stoked!

nad · #4 10-26-2007, 01:41 PM

Alcest, I heard a track by them a few months back, pretty wicked stuff. I should pick something of theirs up. Amesoeurs is a name I have stumbled across before, hmm.

But you're correct, I tend to blur the lines between shoegaze and post-rock.

lowendgenerator · #5 10-26-2007, 02:03 PM

I wonder if 'shoegaze' can mean different things to different people. The first bands I think of are Hum and Failure. Agalloch is fantastic, and while not shoegaze IMO it evokes similar feelings within me.

Slay my nuts for this, but I feel a lot of emo music is just fast tempo'd shoegaze. Does this mean I'm talking oranges to your apples?

thombo · #6 10-26-2007, 02:07 PM

godspeed you black emporer... maybe more postrock, fewer electronics, but i can't imagine any mbv fans not digging Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven. sick!

sarcastro83 · #7 10-26-2007, 02:17 PM

Early Jesus and Mary Chain? Does that count?

polara · #8 10-26-2007, 02:21 PM

You might like a band called Guitar. SUPER-dense shoegazy dreampop at first, but now they are more ambient post-rock. Also Asobi Seksu... kind of a J+M C meets Kevin Shields meets Blonde Redhead thing.

EricF · #9 10-26-2007, 02:31 PM

Autolux has some of that flavor going on.

Matt Till · #10 10-26-2007, 04:38 PM

I'm a fan of Mazzy Star, for a somewhat lesser know (perhaps) shoegaze band. I'm a fan of shoegaze stuff for sure, very dream esque.

CosmoReverb · #11 10-26-2007, 05:22 PM

Try giving Asobi Seksu a listen.

capnsandwich · #12 10-26-2007, 05:37 PM

Catherine Wheel, Chrome. One of my favorites growing up. I played it until I got sick of it and then a year later I did it again.

Jumbotron · #13 10-26-2007, 05:55 PM

I saw Jesu play last weekend, and they're really close to that territory. Lots of sound. Brilliant band, too.

MaskedJackal · #14 10-27-2007, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jumbotron

I saw Jesu play last weekend, and they're really close to that territory. Lots of sound. Brilliant band, too.

I love everything Jesu's put out (three releases in this year alone!) and was majorly peeved when I missed their Philly date a week ago.

sensible68 · #15 10-27-2007, 03:17 AM

loads of stuff to download from the swerverdriver site

http://www.swervedriver.com/downloads.asp

NoNoise · #16 10-27-2007, 07:56 AM

Starflyer 59 is a great one.

I actually just joined a new shoegaze band, but it's the second band for a couple of us, so we haven't been able to practice much.

MaskedJackal · #17 10-28-2007, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sensible68

loads of stuff to download from the swerverdriver site

http://www.swervedriver.com/downloads.asp

Totally worth it! Steve George was a great in-the-pocket player and Adam Franklin has a beautiful voice...their guitar sounds are fantastic as well.

MaskedJackal · #18 10-28-2007, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowendgenerator

I wonder if 'shoegaze' can mean different things to different people. The first bands I think of are Hum and Failure. Agalloch is fantastic, and while not shoegaze IMO it evokes similar feelings within me.

Agalloch is an amazing group, and I feel a strange, strong connection with how "grey" a lot of their music sounds..I'm also from the northwest, so maybe it's just the rainy weather!

Failure is fantastic! I need to pick up their other records but Fantastic Planet is a huge one for me. Most shoegaze makes me feel kind of blissful, and while Failure do that as well their sound was always more grunge-inspired to me, but with heavy doses of psychedelia and melancholy...I suppose it doesn't help that Ken Andrews was on a ton of heroin during the recording of the album.

Quote:

Slay my nuts for this, but I feel a lot of emo music is just fast tempo'd shoegaze. Does this mean I'm talking oranges to your apples?

What do you mean, exactly? First, is this the crappy, newer mass-marketed stuff like My Chemical Romance and Hawthorne Heights? Or do you mean the original scene like Portraits of Past and Heroin and Antioch Arrow and Rites of Spring?

Mon Rominee · #19 10-28-2007, 11:55 AM

My band is firmly rooted in the tradition, while trying to update and all that stuff.

www.curtainsociety.com

MBV
SLOWDIVE
PALE SAINTS
CURVE
SWERVEDRIVER
KITCHEN OF DISTINCTION
MOEV
LUSH
ULTRA VIVID SCENE
THE LYLYS
CHAPTERHOUSE

Oh, the list goes on and one. Loves me some shoegaze.

Silversun Pickups and Autolux among others also carrying on he torch.

lunarpollen · #20 10-28-2007, 11:58 AM

I highly recommend the Fleeting Joys

http://www.myspace.com/fleetingjoys

I love this sort of stuff