Shoegaze

[OubliantLeSang]

This movement seems to have come back out of nowhere, with new flavor, attitude and influences.

I can't beleive how actually great some of these new Shoegaze bands sound
(Though I am not disrespecting the classics)

Which will inevitably bring up the topic of My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless"
One of the most historical, breath taking, and innovative albums since Joy Division's "Closer"
But I digress...

Anybody heard some of these new shoegaze bands?
TEARWAVE, Autumn's Grey Solace, Mira?

[Holic]

...Okay, what on earth is Shoegaze? I must know

[OubliantLeSang]

Well, I guess back in the day shoegaze and it's musical sister dream pop were just feeble imitations of a few great artists.
My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and whatnot.
Shoegaze usually consisted of heavily effectualized guitars...the use of tons of reverb, chorus, and delay to make a self describes "wall of sound"
All of this, in my opinion, being a big imitation of Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" album, which seemed to use these same elements, but actually didn't. It was quite an album, actually...I think it was genius...
As I remember the beginnings and roots and whatnot, it pretty much died out in the nineties, leaving behind some good recordings here and there sans the legendary ones.

And now...its back I guess, with a more nature-oriented, dark, and mysterious outlook rather than the old hipster/indie type thing.

Here are some noteable artists, songs and videos(new and old) for shoegaze and dreampop.

My Bloody Valentine- Only Shallow

Slowdive- Alison

Tearwave- Dream Bliss

Lycia- Estrella

Autumn's Grey Solace(my overall favorite band) myspace music

Love Spirals Downwards- Myspace music

[Leviathan]

I have both My Bloody Valentine albums and Treasure by Cocteau Twins. Loveless and Treasure are both excellent, I'd like to get some more stuff in the genre but there's a lot of other things I'm getting into (psych folk, post-punk, etc.) at the moment. I never was quite able to understand the difference between "Dream Pop" and "Shoegaze" though, I guess Shoegaze is considered more dissonant, but they still seem similar.

[OubliantLeSang]

Originally Posted by Leviathan

I have both My Bloody Valentine albums and Treasure by Cocteau Twins. Loveless and Treasure are both excellent, I'd like to get some more stuff in the genre but there's a lot of other things I'm getting into (psych folk, post-punk, etc.) at the moment. I never was quite able to understand the difference between "Dream Pop" and "Shoegaze" though, I guess Shoegaze is considered more dissonant, but they still seem similar.

The difference in SHoegaze and Dream Pop is probably in the realm of technical and atmospheric complexity.
Dream Pop (Cocteau Twins, Slowdive) is usually more poetic, but relies mostly on basic effectuals such as heavily washed reverb and chorus. The music has a very pop sound while tending to be natural or reflective of nature.

Shoegaze, however (My Bloody Valentine, Loveliescrushing, Autumn's Grey Solace) is very intricate and meticulous, and tends to use a more broad mixture of effects and technical skill. The guitar notes and timing is usually very warped as well as dampened. The sound can range from a soft and misty sound to a static drone. This usually is used to blend the notes and vocals together, making them sound like a wall or tapestry of lush sound. If done correctly, this can be very beautiful. Some bands, such as Autumn's Grey Solace, blend elements of metal and ambient music in order to make the music VERY reflective of nature. Not even in a fantasy sense, but really like stepping outside and into the wilderness and taking a breath.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1iiNEDOJbs