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Last Active 10-27-22 11:13 pm
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Shoegaze Time, or The Gang Goes to a MBV Concert

Loveless finally clicked and it feels so good -- This calls for a solid month of shoegaze. In following with Boney's ongoing list, post some recs and I'll give my thoughts on them. Unoriginal, I know, but it's a good chance to get the lesser known stuff out and about too -- a.
1The Goslings
Grandeur of Hair

Tyler
From the very start, the brand of shoegaze The Goslings bring about is closer to drone than noise but never forget to include a little variation to their songs' structure so their style doesn't wear thin nor waver in Grandeur of Hair's 62 minute runtime. Special mention goes to "Overnight" for its similarities to early Earth and "Dinah" for essentially being heavier than most metal out there. 3.6 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Overnight", "Dinah"
2Alcian Blue
Slow Colorless Stare

Tyler
This is more in line with what I feel like shoegaze should be all about -- an insane attention put into detail, waves upon waves of instrumentation that doesn't overpower nor fade away into the background but holds the entire composition together, in which without it, it'd all fall apart in an instant. However, where my ideals end is where Alcian Blue's lack of intriguing songwriting comes into the fray. All in all, Slow Colorless Stare is solid, passable shoegaze that would be a decent gateway into the genre for any beginner. One thing is for sure, this will be in rotation for quite a while. 3.2 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Faded Song"
3Jesu
Silver

Toad
Like with Slow Colorless Stare, this is quite accessible and a feasible entryway for anyone interested in the shoegaze genre. Unlike the album mentioned prior, Silver is four tracks of wondrous shoegazey goodness and doesn't fuck around in getting straight to the point. I like that. It also helps the production on Silver isn't flat so the structures of each song doesn't get lost within all the instrumentation. 4.0 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Dead Eyes"
4Pink Playground
Destination Ecstasy

Six
This simply didn't make any decent impression on me. A deficit of interesting songwriting, one-dimensional production and songs that won't ever stick with you past a single listen. 2.3 / 5 ; choice cuts: n/a
5Here
Swirl

Six
I don't know how to properly explain this. Swirl sounds wonderful and there's little to complain about throughout its 47 minute runtime. There's no bad songs and each piece comes across as one little segment of an entire, singular work. One song cannot work without the other, for each song is necessary to Swirl's progression. 4.0 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Ravens", "Now"
6Planning for Burial
Below the House

Snake
Something about this feels off to me. Parts of it sound cheaply produced, others sound more akin to sludgier metal acts rather than shoegaze. The songwriting here is interesting, but the choice in direction on Below the House works against Planning for Burial's music when it has a sound so many other groups have, especially when Have a Nice Life is a labelmate on The Flenser. Nice try, however -- but this really reeks of something that people who don't like shoegaze and/or metal would appreciate. 3.4 / 5 ; choice cuts : "Dull Knife"
7Yohuna
Patientness

Snake
Indie rock passing as dream pop passing as slowcore passing as shoegaze. "Chinese Sleep Chant" is more shoegazey than this and that was three minutes of aimless studio fuckery put in as filler between subpar Coldplay tracks. 2.1 / 5 ; choice cuts: "The Moon Hangs In The Sky Like Nothing Hangs In
The Sky"
8Moscow Olympics
Cut The World

Hal
Concisely made, just under 30 minutes - Moscow Olympics nails it. The aesthetic is there, the right mood is there, it's all there. 3.7 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Ocean Sign"
9Tatuki Seksu
Hanazawa

Hal
Cut the run of the mill cutesy j-pop vocals and you'd have a solid instrumental EP. 3.0 / 5 ; choice cuts: "口笛ジェット (Shoegaze arrange)"
10The December Sound
The Silver Album

Space
Distorted sounds of silver, talk to me, make me feel like (what?). The Silver Album sounds like the end result of the holy union of the noise Loveless and lush Souvlaki, an afterglow that never ceases to be. Vocals are indecipherable, almost instrument-like instead of taking the lead; the compositions got that trademark "i'm so fucking obsessed with my distortion pedals" sound that so many shoegaze bands adore, especially in its nu-gaze phase and it even has moments of clarity that offers a brief reprieve from its own chaos. Hot damn, this is happening, alright. 4.3 / 5 ; choice cuts: "No Heaven Like Hell", "Kill Me (Before I Kill You)", "Not If It's On Your Own Time"
11Xinlisupreme
Tomorrow Never Comes

Sach
The soundtrack to a future that never came; "Nameless Song" practically echoes "Hi Baku Sho" by This Heat (a very good thing) and bookends an hour of IDM/noise/gaze/krautrock freakouts. Skullfuckery ensues. 3.5 / 5 ; choice cuts: "All You Need Is Love Was Not True", "Fatal Sisters Opened Umbrella"
12The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa
Susurrate

Sach
Loveless' czechoslovakian cousin that is never invited to the shoegaze reunions and broods on about its merry way. Unlike its more famous relative, Susurrate uses melody as its main asset instead of roaring volume but never forgets that home is where the heart (in this case, foot > on pedal? i don't know) is. Effects galore, a true mark of an adept shoegaze collective. 3.7 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Sweet Abyss"
13Swirlies
They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days...

Boney
Samples litter this record, and just like Lilys' second record, this has a bit more to do with dream pop than shoegaze. A grower? Maybe. 3.1 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Sunn"
14Astrobrite
Crush

Stallion
A bit thin on interesting ideas that doesn't really bring anything new in particular to the table, but makes up for it with quality compositions that never exactly bore. 3.4 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Crasher", "Comet"
15Swallow
Blow

Keyblade
16Tearwave
Different Shade of Beauty

Keyblade
17Stella Luna
Stargazer

Sinternet
18Coaltar of the Deepers
Submerge

Aberf
fucking lol did i forget this was on the list when I checked this out or what? Submerge kicks all kinds of ass and chews bubblegum. Riffage, wild electronica reigns supreme and sadboy gaze remains in the corner with the dunce hat, coming out only on The Lifeblood to make you a sad, sad bitch. Great album. 4.9 / 5 ; choice cuts: "Cell", "Submerge", "The Lifeblood"
19Kinoko Teikoku
Uzu Ni Naru

Aberf
20Arctique Circles
Golden Gloom

Balls
21Asobi Seksu
Citrus

FadedSun
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