Yep, it's nearing the end of the year and everyone's doing their top
stories of the year. I have so many favorites that I'm splitting them
by categories. This is the Shoegazing/Dreampop Top 7 for 2007.
To my ear and understanding, Dream Pop and Shoegazing/Shoegaze are essentially the same, deriving from
from the 80s 4AD sound (the most famous being The Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance). The term 'shoegazing' was coined by Melody Maker
in the early 90s because the musicians in these groups does nothing but
stand and stare at the floor.
This quote from wikipedia made me laugh at the generalization of the look and sound of Dream Pop:
The essence of the music is a focus on ethereal textures
and moods, rather than on propulsive rock riffs. Breathy, high-register
female vocals (and androgynous male vocals) are the preferred means of
lyrical delivery; lyrics are generally introspective and existential in
nature. Cover art tends to consist of blurry pastel imagery and/or
stark minimalist designs.
You may noticed that bands such as Lush
aren't listed here, that's because the songs represented here aren't
Shoegazing, but more rock (Lush's sound changed shortly after Split was released). Maybe in 2008, I will have to write about the pre-Split Lush. Also, will someone do coverage on My Bloody Valentine already?
Special thanks to Gus, Cristina, and Michael for submitting some of these articles:
12/22/2007 13:13:44
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Comments
I think they either have a new record out, or they have one coming out soon.
Promises to be awesome.