shoegaze/dreampop

[frankie teardrop]

the old shoegaze thread was caught up in banter and heated debate about the roots of an otherwise clear genre and was a bit of a mess, so let's try this again. this is a catch all thread for all things shoegaze, a genre coined in the late 80s/early 90s to describe a particular wave of alternative bands. think: layer upon layer of delay, reverb, and chorus pedals (wall of sound style). detached vocals. roots in psycedelica, goth, etc. key bands that influenced include velvet underground, the chameleons, felt, cocteau twins, jesus & mary chain, etc.

it can be aggressive or more subdued and hauntingly beautiful. i prefer the latter variant, but both are great.

dreampop dates back even earlier and encompasses the same sort of roots- post punk mixed with ethereal haze. hard to draw the line between the two, outside of time period.

here's some shoegaze/dreampop anthems for those unfamiliar:

ride- drive blind
house of love- christine/shine on
slowdive- spanish air/alison
cranes- shining road
kitchens of distinction- quick as rainbows
curve- horror head
pale saints- sight of you
my bloody valentine- only shallow
secret shine- loveblind
mary goes round- mary's garden
lush- nothing natural
mazzy star- ghost highway
medicine- aruca
jesus & mary chain- april skies
catherine wheel- black metallic
lulabox- ride on
sunshot- stop me
chapterhouse- falling down
moose- butterfly collector
lowlife- from side to side
cocteau twins- heaven or las vegas
adorable- sunshine smile
the chameleons- monkeyland
for against- echelons
the cranberries- pathetic senses
ecstasy of saint theresa- fluidum
the heart throbs- dreamtime
swervedriver- duel
the telescopes- the sleepwalk
breathless- smash palace

& hell, even oasis & blur have one great shoegaze song each under their belt (columbia and sing, respectively).

modern bands i like: a place to bury strangers, screen vinyl image, ceremony, alcest (black metal with shoegaze influences), etc.