Shoegaze

Characteristics/Symptoms

"Shoegaze" is a term that spurned out of the observation that many performers of this genre would stare at their shoes because they were concentrating on the effects pedals.
Is a subgenre of alternative rock music
It is commonly tagged with dreampop, noise pop, dreamgaze, post-punk, psychedelic rock, wall of sound, ethereal, noise rock and ambient.
Typical instruments: Electric guitar, vocals, bass guitar, drums, synthesizer
UK movement
It dispersed in the mid-1990s and pushed aside due to the American grunge movement and Britpop.
Live performances are detatched, introspective, non-confrontational state
Significant use of guitar effects
Indistinguishable and blurry vocal melodies that blend into the creative noise of the guitars
An emphasis of lyrics is deemed unnecessary because you can't hear them,
Were part of The Scene That Celebrated Itself: "how bands involved, rather than engaging in traditional rivalries, were often seen at each other's gigs, sometimes playing in each other's bands, and drinking together."
Considering a slowly evolving genre
NME magazine were highly complimentary of the sceene
"unity of the bands was probably advantageous to their careers because when one band had a successful record, the other bands could share the publicity. The scene was extremely small and revolved around fewer than 20 individuals."
Distortion, droning rifts and a wall of sound from noisy guitars
Two distorted rhythm guitars are played together to give a unstructured quality to the sound
Although lead guitar riffs were present, they weren't central to the genre.
Melodic vocals are subdued in volume and tone
Lyrics and vocals are not emphasized
Live drumming rather than drum machines is used
Camden was a big scene
The shatteringly loud, droning neo-psychedelia
"And then it just became a generic term for all those bands that had a big, sweeping, effects-laden sound, but all stood resolutely still on stage."
MBV (My Bloody Valentine) are considered the kings and forefronters of the shoegaze genre
"although Kevin Shields stated that the band had never used any chorus, flanger or delay effects pedals"
"The bands became perceived by critics as over-privileged, self-indulgent and middle-class"
A big contrast with those "who formed the foundation of Britpop, such as Pulp,Oasis, Blur and Suede. Britpop also offered intelligible lyrics, often about the trials and tribulations of working-class life;"
"vocals as an instrument" approach of the shoegazers, which often prized the melodic contribution of vocals over their lyrical depth."
"shoegazing bands either split or moved in other directions".
Music is evolutionary but this genre didn;t evolve too much
They toured, supported and help promote each other
Camden and Oxford were shoegazing scenes
Serious facial expressions

Intermixing (making bands mixed shoegaze with only genres:

The Verve--Psychedelic rock

The Raveonettes- Indie rock/Garage rock

Lush--Dream pop and later became a brit pop band

Ride- Alternative rock

Catherine Wheel- Post grunge, metallic rock and alternative rock

Slowdive- Psychedelic rock and Dream pop

Widowspeak-Indie rock, Dream pop

Wiki

Origins: Mid1980s to mid 1990s (UK)

Revival: 2010 to present

Anthems:

1. The Verve- She's A Superstar (mixed with psychedelica)--atmospheric and slow sections where the guitars are noisey and strained but are distant- Richard Ashcroft singing

2. The Raveonettes- Dead Sound (with garage rock)--fuzziness and distorted beginning but the duet and lyrics are more intelliguble--bells-like synthesizer and parts where the vocals are seperate, sometimes the vocals are still unhearable. Repeated light drums. Spirallyspinning distortion at the end. -duo singing

3. Ride-Unfamiliar --light drumming and spiral electric guitar effects--an early shoegazing song--quicker drumming and movement- male singing---- constant shape to it--ends with a noise feedback as they usually do

4. Ride-Cool Your Boots- considered a shoegazing classic and features an excerpt from the film Withnail and I--there's not much crescendo in shoegaze, it starts and ends the same without dramatic shifts. The vocals do seem like they are tired. A few naanananas. The same section can often repeat itself for long periods of time.

5. My Bloody Valentine- Soon-- Starts off with a slight hip hop beat and then drone guittars but the drums and ringing effects of the percussion, "dance orientated beat behind three tracks of Shields glide guitar. The glide guitar is associated with MBV's second album Loveless. "Widely regarded as a landmark work of the shoegazing genre, the record has been cited as an influence on several artists, and by critics as one of the best albums of the 1990s."-7 Minutes, many shoegaze tracks are long

6. My Bloody Valentine- Only Shallow- the unique MBV technique of the glide guitar became noticeable after this song. "The main riff also uses distortion and equalization, sourced from Shields' YamahaSPX 90 processing unit.The riff has been described as "wash of guitar effects and a hard strummed ringing bass line." The distinctiveness of the song is Inventive and accidental: "The song has extensive use of a sampler during the intro and chorus, which according to Shields is mostly feedback: "we learnt from guitar feedback, with lots of distortion, that you can make any instrument, any one that you can imagine".--It has an Americana feel about it.--male vocals

7.Lush- Nothing Natural--female covers and upbeat and I hear The Smith's "How Soon Is Now"- catchy and quite beautiful echoey secondary harmonics and bass guitar is quite unusually infectious for a bass guitar. There's a middle guitar rift which is also unusual for shoegazing

8. Lush- For Love--happy indie pop way of singing and is more detectable in terms of lyrics. The sweet vocals of Emma Anderson. Sweet cheerful and not too loud, it's quite pleasant.

9. Catherine Wheel- Crank-- it has an alternative rock and industrial metal feel to it yet the lyrics and chorus are intelligible. Electronic effects. Standard song structure. Metallic hard work. Grunge feeling. Influenced by Pink Floyd, The House of Love and Talk Talk. They have more of a song orientated style but were categorized as shoegaze. Male singing

10. Astrobrite- Happy Sad --Psychedlic element to their overlapped dual singing. Acoustic guitar can be heard in a rough fast strumming fashion continously with only minor key changes. Sparks and drops of sparks.

11. Astrobite- Radio Friendly --Is anything but that. It is a lot rougher, gritter and drone-like with the vocals overshowed dramatically by the guitars. The vocal remain the distance with what sounds like drum machines. Despite the dramatic nature of the record, the voice remain patient and sweet

12. Slowdive- Spanish Air- extensive use of dominating drum kits. Melodic vocals with a serious and army-building mentality at the depth of it and psychedelic rock. The vocals sound very English in their pronouncation. Dreary. "Experimentation with sounds and cannabis occurred during the process. Halstead drew lyrical inspiration from the abstract nature of the music." "but most of the press generally disliked the album as a backlash against shoegazing began."--2 vocalists in the band Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell---"his backlash worsened when critics reevaluated shoegazing after the release of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless in November 1991."--Slowdive turned into a country/folk style, switching genres like many other bands like The Verve, Catherine Wheel and Ride did.

13. Swervedriver- Rave Down- From Oxford. Their style eventually evolved to include elements of pyschedelica rock, classic pop and indie rock. "metallic guitar riffs and Bonnar's prominent rhythm, which set Swervedriver apart from other acts of Oxford's shoegazing scene." More of an early radio or foo fighters style of song but with effects pedals and eguitar experimental noise that makes it shoegaze and also the distorted feedback fuzzy ending. The lyrics are very intelligble. A catchy hook is also present.

14 Charterhouse- Falling Down- It has a very familar sound in it's drums. The electric guitars are spirally shoegaze and there is more commcerial style of drumming in parts. The key changes and is split by 2 styles. The lyrics are hard to hear which connotate it with shoegaze apart from the word "Charterhouse." Something American a about it but also U2-esque. From Reading. "Chapterhouse took the unusual step of rehearsing and gigging for well over a year before recording even a demotape. Initially lumped in with the British acid rock scene of the time, a mistake hardly rectified by the band's early performances supporting the rather laidback Spacemen 3. Chapterhouse eventually escaped from one genre only to find themselves thrust amongst the infamous shoegazer groups of 1991"

15. Moose- The Whistling Song --Another band who's vocals were more indie pop than shoegaze because they were distinguishable. Used a whistling technique. The drums and guitars and atmsopheric drone which made it shoegaze. As well as segments in the song were the tempo went down which allowed for experimentaion.

16 Pale Saints- You Tear The World Into Two- --male vocals it has a math rock compotiso of stop sttarrt to the instruments, Steady bebat wand guitar solo rifts only sometimes. " set Ian Masters' dreamy, choirboy-like vocals against dark and slightly experimental noise pop.". Vocals very quiet. Finisheds with a isnistent and ambigious propeller sound.

17 Pale Saints- The Way The World Is -- distant fast drumming like in metal music and distance sways of experimental and then it becoems clear and sounds like an acoustic guitar is involved. Then there is a pace about it like there is a proposed crescendo. Math rock and an uncomfortable element to his voice. Hard rock element to the guitars.

18 Autodrone- Of Home --formed in 2002, female vocals : "based on a mutual love of dream pop and early 90’s Brit Rock. Whispering vocals in contrast: "melding the sonic dynamics of noise and pop with throbbing bass lines, jagged, angular synths, searing dark atmospheric guitars and urgently violent banshee vocals". shoegaze reaches US. Leads into the feedback at the end.

19 Widowspeak- Devil Knows --Widowspeak have elements of shoegaze in their music generally because of their guitar effects and pedals and the relaxed nature of the singing. Although it's mixed with dream pop and indie rock. It has a typical shoegaze ending

20 The War on Drugs- Your Love Is Calling My Name- genre-hopping War on Drugs had a shoegaze mood to the rock music behind him. It isa tmopsheric and continously steady with many layers even if his vocals are Oasis-esque Indie rock. It has an electronic atmospheric bliss ending.

21. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- This Love Is F***ing Right- Indie pop mixed with shoegaze. The vocals are very shoegaze for their relaxed distant nature but it's a little being cheerful of a jangle pop nature. New York band formed in 2007.

Shoegaze

Characteristics/Symptoms

"Shoegaze" is a term that spurned out of the observation that many performers of this genre would stare at their shoes because they were concentrating on the effects pedals.

Is a subgenre of alternative rock music

It is commonly tagged with dreampop, noise pop, dreamgaze, post-punk, psychedelic rock, wall of sound, ethereal, noise rock and ambient.

Typical instruments: Electric guitar, vocals, bass guitar, drums, synthesizer

UK movement

It dispersed in the mid-1990s and pushed aside due to the American grunge movement and Britpop.

Live performances are detatched, introspective, non-confrontational state

Significant use of guitar effects

Indistinguishable and blurry vocal melodies that blend into the creative noise of the guitars

An emphasis of lyrics is deemed unnecessary because you can't hear them,

Were part of The Scene That Celebrated Itself: "how bands involved, rather than engaging in traditional rivalries, were often seen at each other's gigs, sometimes playing in each other's bands, and drinking together."

Considering a slowly evolving genre

NME magazine were highly complimentary of the sceene

"unity of the bands was probably advantageous to their careers because when one band had a successful record, the other bands could share the publicity. The scene was extremely small and revolved around fewer than 20 individuals."

Distortion, droning rifts and a wall of sound from noisy guitars

Two distorted rhythm guitars are played together to give a unstructured quality to the sound

Although lead guitar riffs were present, they weren't central to the genre.

Melodic vocals are subdued in volume and tone

Lyrics and vocals are not emphasized

Live drumming rather than drum machines is used

Camden was a big scene

The shatteringly loud, droning neo-psychedelia

"And then it just became a generic term for all those bands that had a big, sweeping, effects-laden sound, but all stood resolutely still on stage."

MBV (My Bloody Valentine) are considered the kings and forefronters of the shoegaze genre

"although Kevin Shields stated that the band had never used any chorus, flanger or delay effects pedals"

"The bands became perceived by critics as over-privileged, self-indulgent and middle-class"

A big contrast with those "who formed the foundation of Britpop, such as Pulp,Oasis, Blur and Suede. Britpop also offered intelligible lyrics, often about the trials and tribulations of working-class life;"

"vocals as an instrument" approach of the shoegazers, which often prized the melodic contribution of vocals over their lyrical depth."

"shoegazing bands either split or moved in other directions".

Music is evolutionary but this genre didn;t evolve too much

They toured, supported and help promote each other

Camden and Oxford were shoegazing scenes

Serious facial expressions

Intermixing (making bands mixed shoegaze with only genres:

The Verve--Psychedelic rock

The Raveonettes- Indie rock/Garage rock

Lush--Dream pop and later became a brit pop band

Ride- Alternative rock

Catherine Wheel- Post grunge, metallic rock and alternative rock

Slowdive- Psychedelic rock and Dream pop

Widowspeak-Indie rock, Dream pop

Wiki

Origins: Mid1980s to mid 1990s (UK)

Revival: 2010 to present

Anthems:

1. The Verve- She's A Superstar (mixed with psychedelica)--atmospheric and slow sections where the guitars are noisey and strained but are distant- Richard Ashcroft singing

3. Ride-Unfamiliar --light drumming and spiral electric guitar effects--an early shoegazing song--quicker drumming and movement- male singing---- constant shape to it--ends with a noise feedback as they usually do

7.Lush- Nothing Natural--female covers and upbeat and I hear The Smith's "How Soon Is Now"- catchy and quite beautiful echoey secondary harmonics and bass guitar is quite unusually infectious for a bass guitar. There's a middle guitar rift which is also unusual for shoegazing

8. Lush- For Love--happy indie pop way of singing and is more detectable in terms of lyrics. The sweet vocals of Emma Anderson. Sweet cheerful and not too loud, it's quite pleasant.

10. Astrobrite- Happy Sad --Psychedlic element to their overlapped dual singing. Acoustic guitar can be heard in a rough fast strumming fashion continously with only minor key changes. Sparks and drops of sparks.

11. Astrobite- Radio Friendly --Is anything but that. It is a lot rougher, gritter and drone-like with the vocals overshowed dramatically by the guitars. The vocal remain the distance with what sounds like drum machines. Despite the dramatic nature of the record, the voice remain patient and sweet

19 Widowspeak- Devil Knows --Widowspeak have elements of shoegaze in their music generally because of their guitar effects and pedals and the relaxed nature of the singing. Although it's mixed with dream pop and indie rock. It has a typical shoegaze ending

20 The War on Drugs- Your Love Is Calling My Name- genre-hopping War on Drugs had a shoegaze mood to the rock music behind him. It isa tmopsheric and continously steady with many layers even if his vocals are Oasis-esque Indie rock. It has an electronic atmospheric bliss ending.

21. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- This Love Is F***ing Right- Indie pop mixed with shoegaze. The vocals are very shoegaze for their relaxed distant nature but it's a little being cheerful of a jangle pop nature. New York band formed in 2007.