Look Back In Anger: I had the pleasure of entering a portal of pure bliss this past Saturday, when I witnessed a performance by the recently reunited Slowdive, in New York City. One of the greatest sources of inspiration musically and creatively as a whole, Slowdive has had a massive impact on my life.
These days the the trappings of the Shoegaze sound are everywhere to be found, inhabiting the most prevalent of Indie Rock, as well as the most obscure. It makes perfect sense that a band like Slowdive would reboot at a time like this, yet its odd to think that a relatively minor musical movemonet, that remained relevant for about 5 years, has had such deep impact on today's sonic stratosphere. There's no point rehashing the in's and out's of the scene that celebrated itself, when its merely a Google search away. It is worth noting that a group like Slowdive could be classified as Shoegaze royalty. They endured virtually zero chart activity in the US through their span of the 90s, and on Saturday night they played a sold-out show to 3000 people.
Tonality-wise there are at least a dozen other modern and past acts who could accurately be compared to Slowdive, but few come close in dealing such devastatingly powerful blows via their song-writing. When the twinkling of the first few chords of Shine finally reaches a crescendo, one can almost feel that sun beating down in a mystical meadow. When the slide of the guitar bends back on itself in The River Man, you can picture the film to which it belongs. The greatness of Slowdive comes not only from their understanding and warping of Pop songs, but from the full spectrum of sensations that are evoked in each of their songs. Here's a demo cut of one of their early recordings of the Silver Screen. The quality here is rough, but song is top notch, touching on their earlier noisier roots:
Showing posts with label 1992. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1992. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2014
Slowdive - Silver Screen
Look Back In Anger: I had the pleasure of entering a portal of pure bliss this past Saturday, when I witnessed a performance by the recently reunited Slowdive, in New York City. One of the greatest sources of inspiration musically and creatively as a whole, Slowdive has had a massive impact on my life.
These days the the trappings of the Shoegaze sound are everywhere to be found, inhabiting the most prevalent of Indie Rock, as well as the most obscure. It makes perfect sense that a band like Slowdive would reboot at a time like this, yet its odd to think that a relatively minor musical movemonet, that remained relevant for about 5 years, has had such deep impact on today's sonic stratosphere. There's no point rehashing the in's and out's of the scene that celebrated itself, when its merely a Google search away. It is worth noting that a group like Slowdive could be classified as Shoegaze royalty. They endured virtually zero chart activity in the US through their span of the 90s, and on Saturday night they played a sold-out show to 3000 people.
Tonality-wise there are at least a dozen other modern and past acts who could accurately be compared to Slowdive, but few come close in dealing such devastatingly powerful blows via their song-writing. When the twinkling of the first few chords of Shine finally reaches a crescendo, one can almost feel that sun beating down in a mystical meadow. When the slide of the guitar bends back on itself in The River Man, you can picture the film to which it belongs. The greatness of Slowdive comes not only from their understanding and warping of Pop songs, but from the full spectrum of sensations that are evoked in each of their songs. Here's a demo cut of one of their early recordings of the Silver Screen. The quality here is rough, but song is top notch, touching on their earlier noisier roots:
Monday, August 11, 2014
Teenage Fanclub - Everything Flows (video)
Look Back In Anger: A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of standing in the shadow of the Intrepid aircraft carrier, at Pier 84 in New York City; to witness a free show put on by Teenage Fanclub. It had been awhile since the boys had played a gig and even longer since I'd listened to one of their records (to be perfectly honest), yet the group rang with a refreshing tone of renewal and relevance. The slacker, monotone drone of the 90s is ever-present in todays Indie music, though few groups are capable of capturing the precision and purist methodology Fanclub used in their construction of pop melodies. Velvet harmonies, and fuzzy guitar hooks won over even Kurt Cobain at one point, though its not simply the scuzz and fuzz that makes this band. It's a warm familiarity infused in nearly all of their albums, (obviously some more than others) that transcends the trappings of their time. Not unlike The Beatles, or Beach Boys, in a certain sense, if you will... And if you're not a fan yet, then I suggest looking up their entire discography. Here's their first ever single, performed live at Reading in 92:
Monday, June 9, 2014
Real McCoy - Another Night (video)
Look Back In Anger: Its Monday here's your blast from the past: (Shoutout to Big A for this recommendation.) Remember Real McCoy? or that Ultimate Dance Party cd from 96?? Well here is one of the top songs of the last century. ur welcome:
Monday, February 24, 2014
Morrissey - We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
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