August 31st, 2010 | by Kelly Scott | published in ambient, dreamwave/chillwave, shoegaze | 2 comments
O + S do a commendable job at creating encompassing sonic landscapes and amplified atmospheric texture. Generous, digestible, and best served with a stagnant and reflective afternoon, the self-titled O+S delivers.
School of Seven Bells – Disconnect From Desire
August 25th, 2010 | by Holly Wang | published in electronic, shoegaze | 3 comments
School of Seven Bells’s second album has definitely shown growth as the band has taken their shoegaze, dream-pop music and fused it with a more polished pop sound without losing the fuzzy distorted noise splashed between the vocals.
August 25th, 2010 | by Caden Moore | published in dreamwave/chillwave, electronic, shoegaze | no comments
These days it seems like anyone with a Macbook and GarageBand can sample an 80s song, add reverb, post it to their tumblr and call it chillwave. One of these acts is Vancouver, Canada’s Teen Daze, a fairly new contender who seems to be offering more than other chillwave artists.
August 17th, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in experimental, shoegaze | no comments
Autolux have not released an album since 2004 (save for a quick single in 2008, “Audience No. 2″). That’s not to say that I’ve been waiting six years for this — the band was only brought to my attention in late 2007. Rather, I’ve been waiting three long, arduous years for this album to drop, and I can’t help but to admit that I am thoroughly impressed.
August 16th, 2010 | by Kathlee Cleveland | published in experimental, folk and acoustic, shoegaze | 1 comment
I love this song. It kind of reminds me of early Grizzly Bear with low-self esteem. I mean that in a good way. Like the guy who’s really cute but doesn’t know he’s cute?
The Hundred In The Hands – This Desert
July 17th, 2010 | by Taylor Fife | published in disco, shoegaze | 2 comments
The EP is fun and catchy, with bumping four-on-the-floor beats, but not the sort that absolutely necessitate dancing. The music is equally appropriate for strutting your stuff on the dance floor or quietly staring at your feet with drink in hand.
Preview: The Depreciation Guild – Spirit Youth
April 5th, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in dreamwave/chillwave, shoegaze | 3 comments
What makes this different to anything else that’s been put out in the past? Well, it’s the clash of classic shoegaze and modern synth-laden, drum-machine dreamwave. Sure, they’re using real drums, but let’s be honest: half of what’s on this recording has been tweaked to living hell. It’s modern electronic production meets the old-school shoegaze we know and love. I guess that makes it simple then, doesn’t it?
March 3rd, 2010 | by Jess Alatorre | published in female vocalists, shoegaze | 2 comments
Today’s indie rock scene doesn’t always have enough female fronted bands that get me addicted. But, with bands like Land of Talk, Rainer Maria and now East Hundred, I say “Hand those chicks a mic, and let their vocals spill out emotion!” East Hundred’s story isn’t all that unpredictable: boys grow up together, boys make music, one asks girlfriend to add vocal track, girl and boy break-up, band survives and grows from it musically (The break-up lyrics really shine through on “Pony”).
The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme
February 24th, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in indie pop, shoegaze | 7 comments
What makes this slightly different, though, is that unlike most of today’s pop-loving indie rockers, The Radio Dept. goes as far back as 1995, when Swedish classmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson began playing music together. Since then, players have come and gone, with the most-recent lineup adding Martin Larsson, Lisa Carlberg and Per Blomgren. Which leads me to a confession: I wasn’t being completely straightforward earlier. These guys aren’t pure indie pop; they’re shoegaze, too.
The Besnard Lakes – Are The Roaring Night
February 10th, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in post-rock, shoegaze | 5 comments
The whole album kind of plods along. About my fourth time through “Chicago Train,” it occurred to me that playing the song live probably isn’t any fun: there’s nothing in here to hook an audience. And “Glass Printer” is a shockingly forgettable song. Literally. I’ve listened to the album quite a few times now, and I can’t seem to remember that this one exists. Even “Albatross,” the good first single, loses a little bit of its luster when its couched by glassy-eyed dead-enders.
