Shoegaze (or Shoegazing) is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the late 80s. The genre is characterized by its shimmering vocals, reverberating guitars, and textural distortion utilizing various effect pedals, such as distortion, reverb, and delay. The guitars often reach overwhelming volumes, often drowning out vocals or forcing them to work more as texture. It is often seen as a mix of Dream Pop and Noise Pop with elements of Space Rock Revival, Neo-Psychedelia, and Post-Punk.
History[]
The term "shoegaze" was coined by an NME journalist after attending a concert by the British band Moose.
Throughout the performance, the band's vocalist stood with his head down, looking down at the expansive set of guitar pedals required to make the music. It was as if he were gazing at his own shoes, which is what shoegaze means, "gazing at shoes". The term was fixed because shoegaze band guitarists use bundles of many guitar pedals to create a complex sound. These pedals were typically placed on the floor, so the musicians, like the vocalist of Moose, looked at the floor to know where to step to activate the effects.
The peak point of shoegaze's first wave popularity is an album by My Bloody Valentine, Loveless in 1991 - a typical example of a perfectly knocked-down, overloaded sound and atmospheric melancholy. A remarkable melodic combination came from The Jesus and the Mary Chain in a release of their debut album Psychocandy in 1985, making them one of the earliest shoegazers in the '80s alternative music scene. It was an unusual combination of pop music structures and experimental noise arrangements. Singles released from it, such as Just Like Honey and Never Understand, became hits of the underground, and the album itself, with its sharp, detached, but melodic sound, became iconic.
Around the same time, the dream pop masterminds Cocteau Twins came to their characteristically unearthly, fueled by an absorbing reverberation of sound. The album Treasure truly lived up to its name, becoming a memorable record along with their 1982 debut Garlands, with the song Head over Heels being a gorgeous proto-shoegaze record. Heaven or Las Vegas is their sixth studio album, released on 17 September 1990 and is known as one of the best-ever releases of the label.
In the early 90s, there was another musical giant besides My Bloody Valentine - Slowdive. Just for a Day, their debut studio album, was released on 2 September 1991. Eight years later it was ranked at number 7 on the list of ″The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time″. Their second album Souvlaki was released on 17 May 1993 and was proclaimed as "the definitive shoegaze statement".
At the time, Britpop and Grunge had slowly taken the spotlight and that was the moment when the genre’s downfall began. In the late 90s the attention on shoegaze started fading, and the press interest wasn't as high as it used to be. Alan McGee had dropped Slowdive as their singer and called My Bloody Valentine his “joke band”. Shoegaze bands at the time either chose to disband or to start playing Britpop and Dream Pop, as the majority got overshadowed by bands like Oasis, Blur, and Pulp. That was the “end” of the short-lived shoegaze era.
Notable artists[]
Artists in the genre include, but are not limited to:
Western
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Asian
- Les Rallizes Dénudés (proto-shoegaze)
- Burrrn
- dive (jpn)
- Hartfield
- Lemon's Chair
- Oeil
- PLASTIC GIRL IN CLOSET
- Tokyo Shoegazer
- Winona Dryver
Resources[]
Guides and Lists[]
Songs[]
- My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow
- Slowdive-Alison
- Ride - Dreams Burn Down
- Chapterhouse - Breather
- Lush - De-Luxe
- Swervedriver - Rave Down
- Catherine Wheel - Black Metallic
- Curve - Coast is Clear
- Moose - Suzanne
- Adorable - Sunshine Smile
- Drop Nineteens - Winona
- The Verve - Star Sail