History
Shoegaze is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It is characterized by its ethereal and hazy sound, often created by layers of distorted guitar effects and reverb. The name "shoegaze" comes from the performers' tendency to stare at their feet while playing, often due to the use of numerous guitar pedals and effects.
The genre's origins can be traced back to the mid-1980s, when bands such as The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine started incorporating elements of noise and distortion into their music. However, it wasn't until the late 1980s that the term "shoegaze" was coined to describe this style of music.
In 1988, the band Spacemen 3 released their album "The Perfect Prescription," which incorporated elements of psychedelia, noise, and drone into their sound. This album would serve as a major influence on the shoegaze genre. The following year, My Bloody Valentine released their debut album "Isn't Anything," which is widely considered to be one of the seminal shoegaze albums.
The early 1990s saw the rise of several shoegaze bands, including Ride, Lush, Slowdive, and Swervedriver. These bands all shared a similar aesthetic, with heavily distorted guitars and dreamlike vocals. They also shared common influences, such as My Bloody Valentine and the Cocteau Twins.
However, shoegaze's popularity was short-lived, and the genre's decline can be attributed to several factors. The rise of grunge and Britpop in the mid-1990s made shoegaze seem outdated, and many bands began to experiment with new sounds and styles. In addition, the genre's reliance on expensive guitar pedals and effects made it difficult for many bands to perform live.
Despite its decline in popularity, shoegaze remained influential and has continued to inspire new generations of musicians. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, bands such as Sigur Rós, Mogwai, and Explosions in the Sky incorporated shoegaze elements into their music. More recently, artists such as Beach House, DIIV, and Alvvays have embraced the genre's dreamy sound and hazy aesthetic.
Notable artists
My Bloody Valentine: This Irish band is considered to be pioneers of the shoegaze genre with their album "Loveless" which features swirling guitar effects, whispered vocals, and abstract soundscapes. The band continues to inspire other artists to this day.
Slowdive: This English band is known for their ethereal soundscapes, dreamy vocals, and intricate guitar work. They were an influential band during the genre's peak in the early 90s.
Lush: A British band that combined shoegaze and Britpop influences, Lush's sound is characterized by Harriet Wheeler's dreamy vocals and the band's use of layered guitar textures.
Ride: With their album "Nowhere," Ride helped define the sound of shoegaze with their use of heavy reverb, distorted guitars, and swirling melodies.
Cocteau Twins: This Scottish trio combined a unique blend of dream pop, post-punk, and shoegaze with the angelic vocals of Elizabeth Fraser creating an otherworldly sound.
Catherine Wheel: Known for their use of heavy distortion and psychedelic textures, Catherine Wheel's music often contained introspective lyrics and atmospheric soundscapes.
Swervedriver: This English band blended shoegaze with elements of grunge and garage rock, creating a intensely powerful and raw sound.
Pale Saints: With their use of unconventional chord progressions and layers of guitars, this British band's music created a unique sound that combined harmonies with noise.
Curve: This English duo blended elements of shoegaze with industrial music, creating a sound that combined dreamy atmospheres with heavy electronic beats.
Ringo Deathstarr: This Austin-based band updated the shoegaze sound with driving rhythms, fuzzy guitars, and a punk rock attitude. Their music is often described as being both nostalgic and futuristic.
Broader context
Over the years, there have been various books and articles written about the shoegaze genre, exploring its history, defining its sound, and analyzing its impact. Some of the notable quotes about shoegaze and its bands are as follows:
In his book "Rip It Up and Start Again," music journalist Simon Reynolds writes, "Shoegaze was a response to acid house; it was as if that music's primal, communal impulses had triggered a desire to withdraw and recalibrate, to explore inner space rahter than interstellar space."
In the book "Dream Pop: From the 1960s to Today," journalist Alex Ogg says, "Shoegaze's critics sneered the bands were introspective and self-obsessed, but the music's luxuriant soundscapes offered an otherworldly escape route."
In another book, "Your Band Sucks: What I Saw at Indie Rock's Failed Revolution," Jon Fine writes, "Shoegaze was not about individual songs - it was a vibe, a transportive headspace that the songs could help create."
In an article for Rolling Stone, journalist Jason Heller writes, "Shoegaze music is like the weather – it's always there, but it's notoriously difficult to predict when it's going to act up into a full-fledged storm."
In a Pitchfork review of the Slowdive anthology, critic Mark Richardson says, "Shoegaze made a virtue of exploration and experimentation, acceptance of the unexpected, and absorption in the moment."
One of the most influential bands in shoegaze, My Bloody Valentine, has also received much attention and analysis. In his review of the band's 2013 album, "mbv," critic Jim DeRogatis writes, "No band has ever better fused the primal urges of the human heart with the overwhelming sensory grandeur of the universe than My Bloody Valentine."
Another band associated with shoegaze is Ride, and music journalist David Stubbs writes in his book "Future Days: Krautrock and the Birth of a Revolutionary New Music," "Ride's music was imbued with a sense of wonder and optimism and a desire to produce something really beautiful, both sonically and visually."
The social context of shoegaze was marked by the rise of alternative, underground, and DIY music scenes in the UK and US during the 1980s. Alternative rock was a critical reaction to the mainstream and commercialization of pop music. The alternative rock scene was characterized by small clubs, independent record labels, fanzines, and radio stations that supported emerging bands. Shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Lush, and Ride were part of this indie music scene. The sociopolitical climate of the late 1980s, marked by austerity, rising unemployment, and social unrest, also fueled the desire for DIY and independent culture, reflecting a sense of disillusionment with mainstream values.
The cultural context of shoegaze was influenced by various artistic and literary movements such as surrealism, impressionism, and romanticism. Shoegaze aesthetics and soundscape often evoked dreamy, hypnotic, and contemplative moods, and textures. The use of reverb, echo, and other effects also reflected the influence of pioneering experimental musicians such as Brian Eno, The Velvet Underground, and Sonic Youth. Shoegaze also drew from the Northwest US grunge scene, which was characterized by heavy, distorted guitar sounds, but shoegaze bands were more interested in creating textured, multilayered, and atmospheric soundscapes. Some shoegaze bands also shared an interest in science fiction, symbolism, and mysticism, which added to the genre's dreamlike quality.
The technological context of shoegaze was marked by the emergence of digital recording, sampling, and effects processing technologies. The use of digital reverb, delay, and chorus pedals was instrumental in creating the dense and ethereal soundscapes of shoegaze. The development of new pedal effects and guitar pedals also allowed musicians to create unique sounds and textures that were not possible before. The use of multiple guitar tracks, often recorded in a layering process, created a wall of sound that was dense and immersive. The digital revolution that allowed for the creation of more complex and diverse sounds was also mirrored in the popularity of CDs, which offered better sound quality than cassette tapes.
Notable record labels played a significant role in supporting and promoting shoegaze music. Creation Records, in particular, became synonymous with the genre, and signed many of the most influential bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ride. Other labels such as 4AD, Factory Records, and Sub Pop also released music by shoegaze bands, contributing to the genre's popularity. The music press also played a crucial role in promoting shoegaze, with journalists such as Simon Reynolds, Everett True, and Steve Lamacq championing the music and its bands.