Ah, shoegaze. Arguably one of the best genres ever, and infinitely full of talented bands. Bands who create luscious soundscapes with through the use of guitar effect pedals and dreamy vocals, enveloping the listener in walls of dreamy, blissful noise. Yes, there truly is almost no genre as wonderful as shoegaze, and it more than deserves the recent wave of interest it has sparked, but it is important to remember what is truly actual shoegaze, and what is merely hipster trash latching themselves onto the genre name because it seems like a good tag for their bandcamp. And so, we begin our journey to true shoegaze enlightenment and knowledge. The first step of this journey is to get some common questions out of the way now, and clear up some misconceptions.
Common Misconceptions about Shoegaze:
1.) Shoegaze, is, in fact, an actual genre. It refers to an often dreamy type of post punk heavily drenched in reverb and often relying on synths and whisper-y vocals, pioneered by such bands as The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Moose.
2.) No, Superheaven is not shoegaze. For whatever reason, people seem to like calling them a shoegaze band, however, they are not a shoegaze band. They are pretty rad though, and should be appreciated.
3.) No, Title Fight is not shoegaze. I get it,
Hyperview relied heavily on effects. I even liked the album a decent mount, and believe it is a great jumping off point for people unfamiliar with shoegaze. However, it is not a true shoegaze album, and should not be called one, no matter how much the kid in the floral print shirt who listened to
Soulvalki once insists it is.
4.) No, Turnover is not shoegaze. I highly recommend staying away from that album as well, as it essentially sounds like Turnover found a chorus pedal for the first time and was really, REALLY excited about it. I also find it interesting that as soon as Title Fight released Hyperview and people started talking about shoegaze again, Turnover conveniently switches their sound to try and match. However, they did a very poor job, and can never hid the fact that they were a pop punk band or the fact that they put out a split with Citizen, no matter how much reverb they drench their crappy song writing in.
Shoegaze: 10 Classics/Essentials of the genre
Now that I have answered some basic shoegaze questions and given a brief background knowledge, it is time to start you on your journey through the musical realm that is shoegaze with these classic albums, ranked in order of importance/need to listen to.
1.) My Bloody Valentine- Loveless (1991)
Ask any good shoegaze fan and they will tell you,
Loveless is THE definitive shoegaze album and all around masterpiece. The album transcends normal musical boundaries and limits, transporting the listener to a world of beautiful reverb and noise. Kevin Shields guitar playing and songwriting is unlike any other, and is instantly recognizeable and unique. It is hard not to be taken to a higher plane of being while listening to this album. It is also by far the most important of the three "holy trinity" shoegaze albums.
2.) Slowdive- Souvlaki (1993)
This is the second most important of the "holy trinity" albums, and arguably the more influential on the general outcome of shoegaze as a genre. While
Loveless is undoubtebly the essential shoegaze album and the true magnum opus of the genre,
Souvlaki arguably had a far larger influence on the total outcome of the genre. Slowdive provided a much less chaotic sound than MBV, instantly more accessible, and far easier to imitate.
3.) Ride- Nowhere (1990)
This album is the final of the "holy trinity" and, similair to
Souvlaki, offers a much more accessible listen. Ride always had heavy doses of power pop influence in their sound, often leading to jokes about their shoegaze credibility, but were undeniably one of the best shoegaze bands. Every track on
Nowhere is rich with texture and warm, enveloping layers of noise that sooth the listener and create rich soundscapes.
4.) The Jesus and Mary Chain- Psychocandy (1985)
With
Psychocandy, TJAMC truly began the shoegaze revolution. Everything was cranked up to its max volume, and all limits were pushed on this album. Before
Psychocandy, it was almost unheard of to use the disgusting amount of reverb that TJAMC did, but they did it anyways, and thank god they did.
Psychocandy was a complete game changer, and an absolutely essential listen in order to fully under shoegaze as a genre.
5.) Chapterhouse- Whirpool (1991)
Whirpool holds a truly special place in my heart. Unlike the much darker, moodier tones of many other shoegaze albums, Chapterhouse presents a much bouncier, light weight version of shoegaze, more accurately recalling shoegaze's dream pop roots instead of its post punk roots. Not to mention that some of the songs have straight up dance-y elements, allowing you to truly groove to this album, something that is practically unheard of with other shoegaze albums.
6.) Lush- Spooky (1992)
Lush, like Ride, had a slight love for power pop that was ever present in their sound. More importantly, however, was their love for dream pop, which helped to give their dark, brooding songs a little bit of sweetness. Lush is by far one of my favorite shoegaze acts, and is a must for anyone who currently enjoys bands such as Best Coast, Camera Shy, or Whirr.
7.) Swervediver- Mezcal Head (1992)
Don't be fooled, while the album cover may appear like it belongs to a god awful 90's pop punk act such as Blink 182, it actually covers an alt rock heavy shoegaze masterpiece. Swervediver was decidedly different from their peers, favoring a bit more solid alt rock elements akin to Smashing Pumpkins or Sonic Youth over the full on blissed out route. While Swervediver may have never whisper-sung their vocals, or even turned the reverb all the way up,
Mezcal Head is still an essential shoegaze listen for any fan of the genre.
8.) Catherine Wheel- Ferment (1992)
If Swervediver and Slowdive had a love child, the result would be Catherine Wheel. They were more drawn to the Slowdive, all-blissed-out style of shoegaze then Swervediver was, but also had an undoubted ability to create solid, alt rock styled riffs to help draw the listener in. And, fun facts about this band, the singer is first cousin's with Iron Maiden's own singer Bruce Dickinson. Both bands are also named after 18th century torture devices, so vocal talent and fascination with torture devices clearly runs in the family.
9.) Pale Saints- Mrs. Dolphin (1991)
While the album cover bugs/creeps me out to no end, this is an album that I find myself constantly listening to, and for good reason. Pale Saints has such a charming and unique brand of shoegaze that is strangely magnetic. To my ears, it always appears as if they strip down the soundscapes much more, only relying on thin layers of fuzz instead of heavy ones. This on its own helps to create new, unique textures that draws on shoegaze's post punk influence, as post punk was always a very bare, somewhat minimalist genre.
10.) Cocteau Twins- Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)
Yes, technically a dream pop album, but also an insanely important/influential band for the development of shoegaze. All of the early shoegaze bands worshiped this band, and one of their key members, Robin Guthrie, has produced and mastered numerous, numerous shoegaze albums. Again, although this album isn't "technically" shoegaze, its influence is undeniable, and you're only hurting yourself in the long run by not listening to it and enjoying it like everybody else.
10 Essential "Nugaze" Bands/Albums:
The term "nugaze" often refers to the new wave of punked up shoegaze bands that are injecting the music with a whole new type of energy. While many people have no idea what they are talking about and refer to bands such as Title Fight (No), Turnover (Still laughably bad), The Silversun Pickups (Really alternative press?), and The Deer Hunter (Once again, good job Alt Press) as nugaze bands, they are completely wrong, and should probably not be talking about shoegaze. So instead of those bands, here are 10 essential Nugaze bands/albums to satisfy your new found love for shoegaze.
1.)
Nothing- Guilty of Everything (2014)
I'll be honest, before Nothing, I really had no idea shoegaze existed. Then, one fateful day while scrolling through the A389 bandcamp page as I am prone to do, I discovered the incredible
Downward Years To Come EP. Nothing takes the dark, moody element of shoegaze to a whole new level, adding a bit of hardcore and punk influence into their sound, giving their music a sort of heaviness completely foreign to shoegaze. They have arguably been one of the most influential bands on the progress and direction of the scene over the past few years, and it really is criminal not to check them out if you enjoy shoegaze.
2.)
Whirr- Pipe Dreams (2012)
If you don't know Whirr at this point, I would honestly be amazed. This band is more than a little adept at stirring people up and causing controversy. Like their contemporaries in Nothing, they make heavily punk influenced, dark, moody shoegaze, but have always carried much more of a dream pop edge to their sound. Personally, I prefer their material with the female vocalist, but really just about all of their albums and ep's are fantastic and come highly recommended. It is also notable that their guitar player, Nick Basset, played bass in Deafheaven up until Sunbather, and is in another awesome dream/indie pop band Camera Shy, as well as being the current bass player for Nothing.
3.)
No Joy- Wait To Pleasure (2013)
No Joy reminds me of Chapterhouse with a far more punk leaning, and in no way is this a bad thing. Their songs are often catchy, bouncy, and completely hypnotic.
Wait To Pleasure is a masterpiece of a shoegaze album and comes highly recommended.
4.)
Pinkshinyultrablast- Everything Else Matters (2015)
Right now, Nothing Else Matters is sitting pretty near the top of my AOTY list for 2015. Pinkshinyultrablast won instant favor in 2011 when they emerged from the Ukraine with their dancy, light weight, take on dream pop/shoegaze, and continue to impress with two new songs. If you enjoyed Lush or The Cocteau Twins mentioned above, this EP is an essential listen for you.
5.)
Ringo Deathstarr- Colour Trip (2011) - (Note: God's Dream is linked instead. Still a fantastic album.)
Do you wish members of My Bloody Valentine and The Ramones made an album together? Well if that is so, for whatever reason, Ringo Deathstarr is about as close as you'll get to that wish coming through. Unlike Turnover, this band knows how to retain a strong pop punk backbone while layering on the fuzz, creating a completely unique and interesting take on shoegaze. Personally one of my favorite shoegaze bands/albums.
6.)
Cheatahs- Cheatahs (2014)
These boys from Britain came roaring into the shoegaze scene last year, contributing a surprisingly throwback heavy shoegaze album that hit all of the right spots. I can't really find words to describe this album, other than absolutely fantastic, but it is definitely worth checking out.
7.)
Seasurfer- Dive In (2014)
If you love post-punk and shoegaze, you'll love Seasurfer. Seasurfer are a band from Germany, drawing on many of post-punk's dark and moody elements and blending them with quicker punk tempos as well as mass amounts of shoegaze in order to create one hell of a shoegaze album. From start to finish this album consistently presents itself as a completely unique and interesting take on the genre, demanding repeated listens and a fine attention to detail.
8.)
Wildhoney- Sleep Through It (2015)
When I first heard Wildhoney, I was immediately in love. They take everything I love about dream pop, hard coat it with a layer of shoegaze, and present a beautiful, poppy product that immediately embeds itself into your brain. And, in case you were wondering, the band lifting their name from a Beach Boys album absolutely does factor into their sound, as Wildhoney loves to whip out a good surf riff and pop melodies abound through out the album.
9.)
Aerofall- Aerofall (2014)
Aerofall is a Russian shoegaze outfit, and boy do they ever impress with their first full length. It takes a much more mellow, less in your face approach to the genre, creating dark soundscapes for the listener to get lost in. Everything about this album is just beautifully done and overall wonderful.
10.)
The Cherry Wave- Avalancher (2014)
If you like Nothing, you will not only like, but love this band. Not to say they are ripping off Nothing, in fact they are very far from it. The Cherry Wave presents a noisy, somewhat heavy variation of shoegaze heavily routed in psychedelic rock music. If you want a good album to blast as loud as possible and lose your hearing to, The Cherry Wave is definitely your kind of band.
