All of Auburn Lull‘s Begin Civil Twilight is worth listening to, but “Arc of an Outsider,” with it’s lovely, floating, wistful, waltz-time beauty, has always been my favorite.
Posts Tagged ‘Shoegazer’
Shoegazer Sunday: Auburn Lull’s Arc of an Outsider
Sunday, July 1st, 2012Shoegazer Sunday: Black Tamborine’s “By Tomorrow”
Sunday, June 24th, 2012I see that some online sources are calling Maryland’s Black Tamborine (active during the first wave of Shoegaze in the 1990s) “Twee Pop.” Screw that. Sounds like Shoegazer to me.
Shoegazer Sunday: Curve’s “No Escape From Heaven”
Sunday, June 17th, 2012The thing about Curve’s “No Escape From Heaven” that strikes me as I listen to it now is just how much it sounds like 1991. There was a huge amount of change going on that year, both grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam) and otherwise (Slowdive, Tori Amos), but there was a particular style of female lead vocals that featured bright, upbeat, autoharmonized choruses with a lush, vibrant, full sound, as though all the girl groups of the 1980s (Go Gos, Bananarama, etc.) were distilled into their essence, with an assist from the very latest recording technology. You could hear it everywhere, including bands people have completely forgotten about. (When is the last time you heard Voice of the Beehive on the radio?) Even though this is definitely Shoegaze, you can still hear the same tonalities to it.
Shoegazer Sunday: Jon Hopkins’ “Monsters Theme”
Sunday, June 3rd, 2012Here’s Jon Hopkins haunting theme from the excellent science fiction film Monsters, featuring perhaps the climactic moment of the film. (Howard Waldrop and I reviewed it, and I highly recommend making an effort to see it.)
I defend this as Shoegazer mainly on feel; others may categorize it as electronica or ambient, but I think it falls between those two. Available on iTunes.
Shoegazer Sunday: Sway’s “Opentillate”
Sunday, May 27th, 2012I thought that “Fall” from a few weeks ago worked well enough that we should follow it up with “Opentillate,” another song available on iTunes.
Shoegazer Sunday: I Break Horses’ “Winter Beats”
Sunday, May 20th, 2012I was able to catch most of the M83 show here in Austin. While good, I was equally impressed with Swedish opening act I Break Horses (not to be confused with the Seattle band of the same name, or the Portland band Sparkle Pony), which played a very tight set.
Their online music is good, but they’re much better live, and I’d recommend catching the M83/I Break Horses tour if they come around your neck of the woods.
Shoegazer Sunday: Sleep Dealer’s “The Tenth Planet”
Sunday, May 13th, 2012We’ve had Shoegazer bands from the UK, the USA, Japan, and France, so why not one from Russia? Named after a Mexican SF movie I really need to track down, here’s Sleep Dealer with “The Tenth Planet”:
Shoegazer Sunday: Sway’s “Fall”
Sunday, May 6th, 2012Here’s the California Shoegazer band Sway with “Fall” (which is available on iTunes):
Not only are there six bands named Sway, there’s another Shoegazer band named Sway out of New South Wales, Australia!
Shoegazer Sunday: Curve’s “Frozen”
Sunday, April 29th, 20121990s British duo Curve walk the line (if there is one) between Shoegazer and Dreampop on their song “Frozen”:
Shoegazer Sunday: Drifter’s “Fade”
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012This is almost an extended loop rather than a standalone song, but it’s a very pleasant one, that seems to have been composed as a general tribute to shoegaze.