Attracted to this because of the links with Galaxie 500, Luna and Spacemen 3 (Sonic Boom produces) and I got a complimentary copy through the post last week sometime, causing me to turn on my turntable for only about the second time this year - I'm a fervent anti-purist, snuggle myself up to the degradation of MP3 and CDR, care not for the loss of crackle and sonic depth; mostly lose myself in music whilst walking or cycling and therefore don't pay the attention I used to to packaging and sleeve-notes... a loss I know, but one I'm starting to come to terms with...
God knows what Kek would think!
Both sides of this 7" (despite what I say above, it was lovely to get an actual bona-fide record through the post; altogether magical) softly string together, rise and fall like breath, exhale quietly... there's a slight hint of the first Sonic Boom solo album, which I've always loved, only if anything Cheval Sombre is even more fragile...
...the sound of eyes glazing over, of emotional cataracts forming (I mean this in a good way), of quick glances never returned... there's an acceptance of sadness and melancholy here that is almost joyous...
1) Shoegaze spun from awkward moments (the soft sounds, the creeping self awareness) and slightly shuffling feet (the pitter patter of drums)...
2) Shoegazing as ten yard stare (looking at the girls from across the playground, wondering)
3) Shoegaze is to men of a certain age (my age; men hewn from seeing My Bloody Valentine live, or hearing the mid period singles in Indie Discos, men stepping out of the mosh pit to gaze longingly and motionlessly at Slowdive girls) what prog must be to the older boys - a period of music quickly dominated by mediocrity but which was more or less new and therefore ours. Acid House for going out, shoegaze for staying in, for playing when girls were around; sex music for indie kids (The Cocteau Twins started it; a few opening chords and the clothes would already be falling off their shoulders as they were designed to)
3a) Shoegaze as onamatopeic extended sighs from girls wearing stripey tights and hairbands...
Anything that taps into that collective memory is going to be looked upon nostalgically, mnemonically... it'll twitch memories, busy sinew, flop fringes all over again: I think of Maps and Luminous Orange and any of a million shoegaze revivalists... even if you weren't rapt by it's gently sexed appeal at the time (especially if you weren't, I'd imagine) then later on you will be, will be drawn into the waves, will love the sensory planing of the shoegaze sound even more...
My Bloody Valentine return and the audience is full of memory, will pay out of their ears for the barest scratch and sniff of the old daze....
5 comments:
netlog
turkchat
an amazing sound from the inner soul of beauty
honestly I prefer your previews post, this on is so predictable.
Thanks for the nice blog. It was very useful for me. Keep sharing such ideas in the future as well. This was actually what I was looking for, and I am glad to came here! Thanks for sharing the such information with us.
Post a Comment