A new documentary about the explosion and quick decline of the UK shoegaze movement in the late 80s and early 90s, titled Beautiful Noise, is being prepped for release. While reading about this movie, I found myself realizing that had I been more aware of the movement - which coincided with my prime music listening late teen years - I would have, or at least should have, been a huge fan, since pretty much every band mentioned in the documentary appear somewhere on my iPod. But despite a massive obsession with the Jesus & Mary Chain around 1992-93 (past its heyday of course), I didn't really like any of these bands when they were around. Much like the rest of the country. And yet albums like My Bloody Valentine's Loveless or the J&MC's Psychocandy are considered cultural touchstones that have generated nothing but praise in the twenty odd years since their release.
For the uninitiated, shoegazing was so named by the British press due to the musicians' proclivity for a motionless performing style - standing on stage and staring at the floor while playing their instruments. The music is known for its extensive use of guitar effects, and indistinguishable vocal melodies that blended into the creative noise of the guitars. The movement, short on vibrant personalities and performances and instead simply concentrating on the music, obviously didn't offer much crossover appeal in America, and was pushed aside in favor of grunge and Britpop by the mid 90s. A recent revival by artists like Asobi Seksu is sometimes called "nu-gaze."
Here's a bunch of tracks on my iPod that fall squarely into the shoegaze realm. Sadly, I don't have much Cocteau Twins, who are considered the "founders" of the movement, along with contemporaries J&MC and the bands that defined the genre, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Slowdive.
- Download My Bloody Valentine - "Sometimes".mp3
- Download My Bloody Valentine - "Only Shallow".mp3
- Download My Bloody Valentine - "Drive It All Over Me".mp3
- Download Ride - "Leave Them All Behind".mp3
- Download The Jesus & Mary Chain - "Just Like Honey".mp3
- Download The Jesus & Mary Chain - "Never Understand".mp3
- Download Cocteau Twins - "Crushed".mp3
- Download Slowdive - "Catch the Breeze".mp3
- Download Slowdive - "When the Sun Hits".mp3
- Download Slowdive - "Allison".mp3
- Download Curve - "Clipped".mp3
- Download Swervedriver - "Duel".mp3
- Download The Boo Radleys - "Lazarus".mp3
- Download Asobi Seksu - "Thursday".mp3
My Bloody Valentine - "Only Shallow"
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