An Autumn for Crippled Children - Everything

2011; 9 tracks

Here is the second full-length by Dutch black metal/shoegaze band An Autumn For Crippled Children. It is ambitious in it's furthering of the "blackgaze" tag - a genre which obviously combines black metal (mostly of the depressive/doomy sort) and shoegaze. I, for one, am very interested in this combination, for both of those styles appeal to me. I like this release very much, especially the last three tracks. 2:12 on "Cold Spring" might be one of my favorite riffs in the entire black metal world.

Download.

Mew - A Triumph For Man (Re-issue, Disc 2)

2006 (recorded in 1996); 9 tracks

This is the second disc of the 2006 re-issue of Danish rock band Mew's first ever release, A Triumph For Man. The original album was recorded and released in 1997, and this second disc, released on the re-issue as bonus material/acoustic/demos, was recorded in 1995-1996 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The reason I am putting up only the second disc of the re-issue (I uploaded the first disc here just in case you'd like to hear it as well) is because I am usually much more fond of demos than finished, polished pieces. I do love the album as it was released, but for some reason these 9 looks into the band's most intimate and vulnerable moments of songwriting and experimenting seem to say so much more to me than the rest do. For one, the songs are all incredibly beautiful. Sometimes Jonas Bjerre's voice is so soft you can barely make out the words, and sometimes you can hear background noise and other things that weren't meant to happen. It's just perfect, to me. This disc does not include demos or other versions of every single song on the original album, which has 14 tracks, but I believe that the loveliest ones are these on the second disc. Dreamy, pretty and addictive.

01 Studio Snippet #1
02 Say You're Sorry (ATFM Session)
03 Beautiful Balloon (Acoustic)
04 Web (Demo)
05 Chinese Gun (Demo)
06 Studio Snippet #2
07 I Should Have Been A Tsin-Tsi (For You) Demo
08 Wheels Over Me (Demo)
09 Superfriends (Demo)

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Furry Things - The Big Saturday Illusion

1995; 11 tracks

This album is bees.

Furry Things was a shoegaze/noise pop founded by Kenneth James Gibson and Cathy Shive in 1992 who released a small number of albums and EPs throughout the 90s on the Trance Syndicate label (yay!).

I actually like what Last.fm has to say:

"Furry Things crafted the feedback-driven trance of The Big Saturday Illusion at the intersection of prog-rock, ambient music and acid jams. Its 'songs' were grotesque deconstructions of rock’n’roll that twitch under clouds of swirling drones."

Download.

True Widow - I.N.O. EP

2011; 5 tracks

I.N.O. is one of the greatest new discoveries for me. It feels like being submerged in an ocean of some thick, heavy, and infinitely sweet substance. It makes me feel at home. "Bathyscaphe" is my new definition of perfection.

INOSYBSFHD

Loop - Fade Out

1989; 8 tracks

Shoegazey, spacey, and sinister, this British noise rock band's second full-length flourishes with fuzzy, repetitive riffs. Enjoy.

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¡Cinco Años! Compilation

1995; 20 tracks

Here is an incredible compilation of various styles of music, from noise rock to grunge to folk. With a pleasing combination of artists (most of which I've never heard) and genres, ¡Cinco Años! allowed me to find out about a ton of AWESOME music!

"One can only assume that this Trance Syndicate compilation was the celebration of five years in the 'music business' for the label, but it was also a benefit for a nonprofit in Austin, Texas. But more importantly, it's a benefit for you, the listener who get a survey of mid-period (no menstruation jokes please) Trance Syndicate in all their glory. From pretty post rock to catchy grunge to shoegazer to devastating noise rock to sun baked Texas oddity. Twas a great label at a great time in music, so this be a grand ole collection of sounds."

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Henry's Dress - Henry's Dress

1995; 8 tracks

"San Francisco’s Henry’s Dress debuted on Slumberland Records with this self-titled, eight-song disc. The songs were recorded at Supersonic Studios in 1993 and 1994. The band’s distortion and heavy use of fuzz pedals are immediately prominent, along with Amy Linton’s relaxed vocals. The haunting and chaotic instrumentation on 'Title Forthcoming' combines with Linton’s distant vocals to create a surreal and dreamy aura."

This is quite the debut. Indulgent yet engaging. Dreamy vocals reminiscent of Lovesliescrushing + pure, noisey fuzziness. "Feathers" is a personal favorite, but Henry's Dress is just a great listen.

Download.

Pale Cocoon - 繭

1984; 12 tracks

The echoes of a dream, lost in a nebulous emptiness deep inside your head. 繭 (Cocoon) was released as a cassete in 1984 by Japanese duo Pale Cocoon, and it is unreal.

This music seems to have spawned from a disconnected TV program from a far away universe, broadcasted over time that is not time to finally echo inside our heads while we dream. I have never experienced an album so illusory, but the sensation is incredible. There is no structure, no direction - just as in a dream... Enigmas raining from the sky in unpredictable patterns. Distant hums of an unimaginable instrument accompany dreamlike and utterly surreal vocals. From time to time the mirrored sounds from a remote childhood make themselves heard (as on "Toy Box") alongside the sheer strangeness of Pale Cocoon, a band as mysterious as their music. Some aspects of this could be called shoegaze, or dreampop, but it is more experimental than anything else, and incapable of fitting into any one genre. I am so glad I got this, though it was purely on a whim. It seems as though whenever I find something completely randomly it always ends up being infinitely more enjoyable than something on one of my many "music to listen to" lists.

a very private sonic universe

Hammock - Raising Your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo

2006; 18 tracks

This is an utterly gorgeous and perfect album. Hammock create beautiful, flowing post-rock ambience. 18 songs and not one moment of filler - not many can pull that off.

Download.

Helium - The Magic City

1997; 14 tracks

"After Helium hit indie paydirt with '95s blustery feedback-drenched The Dirt Of Luck – a sonic corruption bewitched by subversively fragile sentiments, Boston-based Timony resolved her post-teen uncertainties and decided to trade in the droning cacophonies of yesterday for a cosmic experiment.

Brilliantly derived from Baroque, Gaelic folk, and neo-Classical styles, The Magic City takes a surrealistic journey forward (the artful 'Aging Astronauts' and the astral 'Leon's Space Song') and backward (the harpsichord-laden 'Medieval People' and the shadowy 'Ancient Cryme') in time."

Mary Timony (guitar, vocals, keyboards) ((whom I adore)) shares her thoughts on the band's 2nd and last full-length album:

"The sentiments were angrier on The Dirt Of Luck’s songs. They were more aggressive and agitated, but there were some nicer songs on that record. Since the production was lo-fi, they came out sounding more distorted and noise-oriented. I think the themes were more urban and about inner turmoil and gender gaps. Now I feel the themes on the first album were overdone and so 'over' now. There are so many cheesy women musicians around because of the whole Alanis Morissette fake feminism thing. I got tired of it. I had huge writer’s block and couldn’t produce new music for a while. But then I realized the music I like is soothing and has balance. I didn’t want to use my music as just a tool. That’s why The Magic City is quieter and more mellow. I decided I wanted to make music and not deal with the bullshit anymore."

As fantastic as The Dirt of Luck is, The Magic City showcases not as much of a "softer" side to Helium but a more... reflective one. It is amazing to listen to.

Will we go on until the end?
I know it's coming, but I just don't know when.

Elysian Fields - Bleed Your Cedar

1996; 11 tracks

Bleed Your Cedar may be one of the most seductive albums ever... to use a phrase my friend often uses, it is "sexy in my ears" :3

This charm is not only due to the magnificently attractive voice of Jennifer Charles, but the variety of music presented in this, the band's first full-length... It is guaranteed you will love it from the first track alone, "Lady in the Lake," which is a catchy (and infinitely beautiful) shoegaze-y/grunge track. The album winds down a tiny bit later on with jazzier tracks like "Star" and "Parachute," but the electric and romantic pulse of Elysian Fields is thoroughly enjoyable to the end.

i'm on the wrong side of the water

Swirlies - Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music

1998; 16 tracks

What an album... Swirlies is an American indie rock band whose lineup seems to be constantly changing, but founding members Damon Tuntunjian and Andy Bernick are here to create a more experimental/noisy side of their usual more shoegaze sounds. Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music features re-mixes of much of their earlier material by various DJs and other artists along with new material.

They're more traditionally recognised as a shoegaze act, and certainly a volume of their earlier material fits that cast very well, but this album is a peculiar hybrid of disjointed electronics, sound-collage, shoegaze and noise-pop. The other album I've heard, They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons, is a shoegaze gem with My Bloody Valentine-esque riffs and spacy drums. This album here, however, is much more experimental and playful. With electronica, hip-hop, and noise, this music is nothing short of intriguing.

Download.

Cocteau Twins - Tiny Dynamine & Echoes in a Shallow Bay

1985; 4 tracks
Download.



1985; 4 tracks
Download.

These two infinitely lovely EPs were released two weeks apart in the November of 1985. They were recorded for the purpose of testing the capacities of the new studio, but seeing how strong the material was, Cocteau Twins decided to release two short EPs comprised of the material, and later a CD with them all together.

Cocteau Twins, if you have the misfortune of never hearing them before, is a dreampop/shoegaze/post-punk group from Scotland, formed in 1979. Their discography is quite extensive, but all worth giving at least one listen. These two EPs might often be overlooked, but their bold beauty is something not often found in the world of music today.

Bowery Electric - Bowery Electric

1995; 9 tracks

Bowery Electric is the first album by shoegaze/ambient group Bowery Electric. It really might be my new favorite shoegaze album ever, Loveless aside. The spacey feel, the prominent bass, the dreampoppy vocals - it feels like being by the sea at night time. Dark, repetitive, and utterly hypnotic, the tracks can, at times, become indistinguishible from each other. This only intensifies the ambient beauty of Bowery Electric's brand of droned-out shoegaze. I don't really know what else to say... "Another Road" is an amazing track.

awake but numb

The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

2007; 9 tracks

God fucking damn. This album. It is beyond words. The Twilight Sad is a post-rock/indie group from Scotland, and this is their debut album. I've never really heard any Scottish music before, let alone Scottish vocals.. it was a bit of a shock at first, but this music is so saturated with beauty I fell instantly in love. It transcends the tag of 'post-rock.'

Download

Purchase

Fight Bite - Emerald Eyes

2008; 10 tracks

This is Texas-based duo Fight Bite's debut album and it is placidly beautiful. Her voice is dreampoppy and the muffled synth beats create a very peaceful atmosphere... "Emerald Eyes" is fast becoming my favorite song ever :')

Download

Purchase

Helium - The Dirt of Luck

1995; 12 tracks

Dark, melancholy, blistering, bissful, flawless.

You are a beautiful thing

Autumn's Grey Solace - Over the Ocean

2004; 12 tracks

I've really been meaning to put this amazing album up for a long time, but I sort of put it off in search of new music. Now, I'm re-listening to it, and I really must post it. Autumn's Grey Solace is a dream-pop/shoegaze band from the United States. Out of their entire discography, I believe that this album, Over the Ocean, is their greatest, most flawless album. It encompasses pretty much everything I believe a dream-pop album should - the ethereal eloquence of a beautiful female voice, along with the natural elements of the ocean and the soft mandolin in the background.

The most amazing thing about this album, however, is the final track. "Over the Ocean." It is without a doubt one of the most stunning pieces of music I have ever heard in my life - come enjoy it with me pls.

Sinking into my bed,
Hoping to be left behind