Fuzz, Feedback, and Melancholy rockers...a top 40 shoegazer list by DSNT and me

[D_Davis]

2. Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine (Album - Loveless - 1991)



I first purchased this album around 16 years ago at the Warehouse, on cassette, on Easter Sunday on the way home from having lunch at my grandma's house. I had heard of this band and had been meaning to check them out. It was time. I had a habit of opening cassettes and listening to a few tracks in my car before heading home, and so I did so. But something was wrong. It sounded as if the tape, or worse my stereo, was messed up. Everything was all warbled and warped. The guitars sounded drunk, or like my speakers were broken. I ejected the tape and took it back to exchange for another one. Unfortunately, they only had it on CD (I rarely bought CDs back then), and so I paid the extra $5 and took it. But now I had to wait to get home to listen to it.

I got home, popped the CD into the player, and, much to my chagrin, it still sounded broken. Can music be broken? What the heck was going on here? And so I continued to listen, with a look of disgust on my face. Slowly, the look of disgust softened, morphing into one of appreciation, and by the end of a couple of listens I had learned to admire the sounds produced by Shields and company. Loveless challenged my music-appreciating sensibilities, and Only Shallow was the spearhead that burst through my ear drums and allowed me to hear music differently. This is truly a bellwether of modern music; it still sounds like it is from the future.

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[dreamdead]

D,

That Slow Dive song, "Rutti," is fanfuckingtastic (infixes rule!). Very ethereal and aware and playful in its exploration of atmosphere.

[D_Davis]

D,

That Slow Dive song, "Rutti," is fanfuckingtastic (infixes rule!). Very ethereal and aware and playful in its exploration of atmosphere.

I know.





It is awesome. One of my all-time favorite songs. From the very first note it totally relaxes me.

[Rowland]

My favorite songs from Pygmalion are probably Crazy For You and Cello, but Rutti is pretty damn good too.

[Rowland]

Also, there is a demo from the Pygmalion era that they never finished which I happen to love. It's called Red Five.

[DSNT]

Haven't forgotten about this thread .. my #2 is coming this afternoon.

[DSNT]

2. I Only Said, My Bloody Valentine (Album - Loveless - 1991)



I'm not sure which of the songs were responsible for the extended production and exorbitant cost of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, but I'm willing to be this one was at least in the top three. Like many of their songs, the swirling guitars dominate the sound, and, like many of their songs, it takes multiple listens to truly appreciate all the depth under the hood. I played this song for a friend one time and he shrugged it off, saying it was the same noisy, out-of-tune riff over and over again with very little melody. Oh, how wrong he was. I've listened to this album on and off for nearly 15 years, probably heard each song hundreds, maybe over a thousand times, and this is the one that that has the most replayability - by far! Sure, the riff is somewhat repetitive, but if you listen closely, there are slight differences and deliberate imperfections throughout, that result in true artistic beauty and grace. Every note was carefully crafted and manipulated by Shields in the studio and the result is, in my opinion, easily the best song he's ever recorded. It may also be among his most under-appreciated songs.

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Hear it on You Tube (not a video):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dfrf9qJa-Hk

[dreamdead]

Absolutely. This is definitely my favorite song off that album; "Only Shallow" feels more chaotic, but this one feels like it has more internal dynamics. Just an incredible listening experience whenever it comes on...

[D_Davis]

Nice choice!

It is hard to pick just one song off of this album, they're all so good.

I'll have my number 1 up later this afternoon.

[D_Davis]

1. Dreams Burn Down - Ride (Album - Nowhere - 1990)



This isn't simply my favorite shoegazer song - it is my favorite song, period. This song destroys my face. It's a mass of pure awesome-extract blasting from the depths of the fuck-yeah black hole. This song is so gobsmackingly good I just can't even fathom how four mere mortals wrote it and recorded. When I was in high school, I got to see them perform this live, and, 18 years later, my ears are still ringing.

The song kicks off with a barrage of drums. I will never grow tired of this introduction. The drums are absolutely HUGE - the kick pounds, the snare snaps, and the cymbals pierce like sonic bullets. The drums continue throughout the song to get even more awesome, as if that is even possible.

Lying under sky,
She laughs at everything I say,
And pulls me under,
There's no time to resist.
Lying on the floor,
There's no time to resist,
Lying on the floor,
The tears are falling down and more,
Her eyes speak loud,
But actions speak the best.

Both guitar parts are equally awesome. The lead part carries the song's sparse melody, while the rhythm part creates the texture and the noise. The marriage between the piercing lead and swirling wash of noise is Ride's trademark, and here it shines as bright as possible, creating a song dense with texture and nuance, as accidental harmonies form in the delayed reverberations.

Waiting, hoping for a sign,
That what's forbidden can be mine,
I just want what I can't have,
'Til my dreams burn down every time.

She's effortlessly cool,
But circumstances can be cruel,
And sometimes you must accept,
That you can't always get what you want.
We fill up our days and nights,
We fill up our empty little lives,
But we know we are doomed,
The moment we walk out the room

When it is all said and done, Dreams Burn Down is a perfect song. It is moving, sonically dense and interesting, it rocks, and it is masterfully written and played. Song for song, Ride's Nowhere is my favorite shoegazer record, and I think it transcends its genre roots becoming a classic of modern rock, easily standing shoulder to shoulder with U2's Unforgettable Fire, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, and The Stone Roses' self-titled album.

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[dreamdead]

Hmm, now that was pretty incredible of a first listen.

Just ordered the cd. I suspect I'll have some good driving music ahead of me...

[Boner M]

That Ride song is srsly awesome. I'll have to finally acquire Nowhere sometime soon...

[Rowland]

Nowhere is such a brilliant album. I think I'm going to give it a listen now... and maybe Going Blank Again as well, which is really great too.

[D_Davis]

I prefer Smile (singles comp) over Going Blank Again, but GBA does have some great songs.

There is just something about Nowhere - it's one of those albums where everything came together.

[Yum-Yum]

2. Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine (Album - Loveless - 1991)

This song is a monster. It blew me away when I first heard it.

Oh, and nice writeup. I liked the way you described your look of disgust morphing into a more appreciative gaze.

2. I Only Said, My Bloody Valentine (Album - Loveless - 1991)

You're damn right your shrugging friend was wrong, that "noisy, out-of-tune riff" gives me chills every time.

[D_Davis]

Oh, and nice writeup. I liked the way you described your look of disgust morphing into a more appreciative gaze.

Thanks. That first listening of Loveless was one of the most shocking and ear-expanding musical experiences of my life.

[DSNT]

1. Blue Skied An' Clear, Slowdive (Album - Pygmalion - 1995)



You could see hints of where Slowdive was headed with Souvlaki, but nobody could have predicted the ethereal bliss that became known as Pygmalion. It was far more experimental, more ambient, with unusual song structures and studio effects. The album pushed the boundaries so far that it almost cannot be called dream pop, at least compared to the other bands, including Slowdive's earlier stuff, but it is among the "dreamiest" albums you'll find. The experimentalism with sound came to fruition with this song, easily my favorite of the Slowdive canon. It is slow and brooding, but so inviting and immersive at the same time. Neil's voice is soft and pleasant, while Rachel's background vocals feel like they come down from the heavens. Everything moment of the song is absolutely gorgeous in a minimalistic way.

I'm sure you can tell from this list that Slowdive is easily my favorite artist of the genre. Sure, MBV, Ride and a couple others had better individual albums, but neither were as consistent. MBV had their marginal jangle pop beginnings while Ride had their atrocious post-grunge mess. Why did they end it with Pygmalion? I'm sure they realized that there were no further depths they could explore musically, and the only way to continue would be to start anew. They did just that with Mojave 3, which is a pretty good band in their own right that has somehow managed to soldier on amid near obscurity. Unfortunately, even at Mojave's best, they will never be anything like Slowdive again.

I never got to see Slowdive, but have seen Mojave 3 twice. The first time they opened for Lush on the Ladykillers tour. They were the 2nd of 3 bands, but only two were on the bill. I remember them getting booed when they came out just because they weren't Lush, but they won the crowd over pretty quickly.

The last time they played to an empty house in Asheville (and played great, I might add). But because it was so dead, I found none other than Mr. Halstead sitting at the bar having a beer with hardly anyone else around him. I ordered one too and talked with him for a little bit. It was just a 5-minute conversation. He was a real down-to-earth guy, just making a living doing his thing, an average joe in a way. I asked him some about the tour, asked about Rachel (she has been ill with an ear problem and wasn't there), and chit chatted a little bit. I decided against asking him if Slowdive would ever reunite. I know chances are slim, which might be a good thing.

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Check out the video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=geNVYlAVCkw

[Duncan]

A couple of pretty great closing songs there. Congrats on finishing guys.

[Stay Puft]

Rep to both of you. I enjoyed this thread quite a bit. And I'll be burning a couple CDs shortly.

[D_Davis]

Great #1 man - I love that album, so much.

And good write up.

Nowhere, Pygmalion, and Everything's Alright Forever are my most listened to albums of the genre.

[D_Davis]

Thanks for reading every body, it's been fun.

[DSNT]

Yep, thanks for letting us have our soapbox.