The ever-popular "Currently Listening" thread

Originally Posted by Hurls
Been listening as is pretty usual to shoegaze and variants. enjoying relistening to Daysleepers today. Any suggestions? (if using last.fm my user is hurls)

You, sir, are my new best friend. Actually, aren't you on the shoegaze board under the same name?

How deep and how up-to-date are you in the scene that celebrates itself? I'm actually a little behind with finding new stuff--let my subscription to Live365 lapse and the redesign to MySpace made it worthless for "research".

I'd like to get a few recommendazions on "Shoegazing" as well. Seriously.

For a sub-sub-sub-genre where the original wave only lasted for maybe 3 years, there's actually a lot of different sounds that get put under that umbrella, Alrik. To really get you "top notch" recommendations, we'd have to do a little background work. I'm certainly more than willing to preach the gospel if you've got the time and interest.

My personal taste runs to the dreampop side of shoegaze rather than the noisy side, but we can give you a taste of the whole gamut. I'll put up some links for you when I get home and we'll see what works for you.

Originally Posted by dteowner
You, sir, are my new best friend. Actually, aren't you on the shoegaze board under the same name?

How deep and how up-to-date are you in the scene that celebrates itself? I'm actually a little behind with finding new stuff—let my subscription to Live365 lapse and the redesign to MySpace made it worthless for "research".

Yes, same lurker . Stop really watching that board for a variety of reasons. Actually had to move to facebook due to myspace 'redesign'.

I am probably pretty up to date but always interested in new/old suggestions as I will go back an re-listen to see what I missed. Last few months has been a little more 'traditional', always Air Formation, but also Lush, Cocteau Twins, and newer sound such as Malory & Airiel. My tastes range from dreampop end, but with some density, to the recent noisy material from bands like The Bloody Knives & Between The Cities Are Stars.

Originally Posted by dteowner
For a sub-sub-sub-genre where the original wave only lasted for maybe 3 years, there's actually a lot of different sounds that get put under that umbrella, Alrik. To really get you "top notch" recommendations, we'd have to do a little background work. I'm certainly more than willing to preach the gospel if you've got the time and interest.

My personal taste runs to the dreampop side of shoegaze rather than the noisy side, but we can give you a taste of the whole gamut. I'll put up some links for you when I get home and we'll see what works for you.

What music/bands do you like now Alrik? As the dteowner says, the original was short but recently, say last 8 plus years, many bands looking to re-create/create anew the sound with, probably, wider diversity. So recomending is sometimes complex.

Well, I don't really know, because I still don't know too much about it. I sometimes hear it on the radio, but rarely, and I had recently been listening to an album (which name I of course forgot ) which I found very good. Thi took place within a shop, and I have only "mental photography" of the album's cover in my memory. At that point, I had to think of dte.
The cover is like … some sort of red stome, like australian wastes/hills (cliché) …
But I actually don't know whether this fiots into this category of music at all …

Originally Posted by Hurls
Yes, same lurker . Stop really watching that board for a variety of reasons. Actually had to move to facebook due to myspace 'redesign'.

I am probably pretty up to date but always interested in new/old suggestions as I will go back an re-listen to see what I missed. Last few months has been a little more 'traditional', always Air Formation, but also Lush, Cocteau Twins, and newer sound such as Malory & Airiel. My tastes range from dreampop end, but with some density, to the recent noisy material from bands like The Bloody Knives & Between The Cities Are Stars.

Since you mentioned Daysleepers, I'll assume you're familiar with my good friends in Makaras Pen. If not, do so immediately. If you can track down blueScreen out of Toronto (particularly their debut, "In Betweeen Worlds"), give it a shot. Liam Ledgerwood is a kid in Canada putting out great stuff. He isn't confident enough to pursue a release (I think he's good enough to pull it off), but he was kind enough to send me some MP3s back when we were in touch. Unfortunately, my primary connector with him was MySpace, so I've lost track of him recently. Definitely worth a listen if you can find him.

Originally Posted by Hurls
Been listening as is pretty usual to shoegaze and variants. enjoying relistening to Daysleepers today. Any suggestions? (if using last.fm my user is hurls)

Kinda random recommendation, but recently I enjoyed listening to Sugar Plant´s Happy and maybe it´s obscure enough to be something new for you.
Their music is of sunny tranquil dream poppy variant .
Rise
Butterfly
Rainy Day

OK, Alrik, let's start with some basics and see what you think. We'll start with a few of the pillars of the genre.

"Alison" by Slowdive
Washed out vocals, distorted guitars, lots of overlapping textures

"For Love" by Lush
much like Slowdive, but with more pop elements (this tune was a revelation to me when I saw it on MTV's 120 Minutes, and my love of shoegaze was born)

"Iceblink Luck" by Cocteau Twins
Similar formula, but now the vocals are a texture as well

"The Colour Hurts" by Curve
still lots of overlapping textures and distorted guitars, but much more noisy

"Only Shallow" by My Bloody Valentine
Even further into the noisy end of the pool, reportedly best experienced on hallucinogens

And headphones (or an incredible audiophile system).

Never did properly appreciate MBV. "Soon" is great, but that's kinda their pop sellout song. They did a cover of a Wire tune that was wonderful (something about map coordinates), but that's supposedly hard to track down. Other than those, I just don't get too excited. I know…I have much shame.

Did you hear any reviews of their tour a couple years back? 130 decibels and enough ultra-low frequencies to make some folks in the audience puke. Not sure it's my cup of tea, but I can certainly feel the awe.

edit- look what I found: "Map Ref 41N 93W"

Nice. I really liked them back in the day. A recent re-listen left me sort of listless, but it wasn't with headphones.

For me tonight, courtesy of the mention from Hurls:
(and tremendously surprised this track was available)
"Dany" by Malory

@Thrasher- I think my problem with them is that I just don't like to be challenged by my music. That doesn't mean the music has to be simple or forgettable, but I definitely prefer stuff that goes down smooth. MBV is many things, but "goes down smooth" ain't one of them.

edit again!
OMFG!!! Incredibly rare and incredibly wonderful tune from an incredible group has somehow gotten put up on YouTube when I wasn't looking. Ladies and Gents, wait for a good rainstorm outside, turn off all the lights, close your eyes, and just absolutely soar.
"Hurricanes" by Siddal

Originally Posted by dteowner
OK, Alrik, let's start with some basics and see what you think. We'll start with a few of the pillars of the genre.

"Alison" by Slowdive
Washed out vocals, distorted guitars, lots of overlapping textures

"For Love" by Lush
much like Slowdive, but with more pop elements (this tune was a relevation to me when I saw it on MTV's 120 Minutes, and my love of shoegaze was born)

"Iceblink Luck" by Cocteau Twins
Similar formula, but now the vocals are a texture as well

"The Colour Hurts" by Curve
still lots of overlapping textures and distorted guitars, but much more noisy

"Only Shallow" by My Bloody Valentine
Even further into the noisy end of the pool, reportedly best experienced on hallucinogens

Wow! Alrik, you are very lucky! What a great place to be suggested to start. I first heard Lush in a clothes shop in Height Ashbury in SF in early 1994 (project over in the US) and was just blown away. Scoured the 2nd hand CD shops in the college areas of Boston to find back catalog. (Similar stories for many of the others.)

Originally Posted by dteowner

<snip>

"Iceblink Luck" by Cocteau Twins
Similar formula, but now the vocals are a texture as well

Bows in admiration! I wish I had said that - so accurate. Late discovery for me, about 5 years ago on friends recomendation. Loved Curve from day 1, MBV more recently.

Hmm, who else? Haven't searched for links but some of the middle period us bands like Sway I would also suggest as you move chronologically forward.

Originally Posted by dteowner
For me tonight, courtesy of the mention from Hurls:
(and tremendously surprised this track was available)
"Dany" by Malory

@Thrasher- I think my problem with them is that I just don't like to be challenged by my music. That doesn't mean the music has to be simple or forgettable, but I definitely prefer stuff that goes down smooth. MBV is many things, but "goes down smooth" ain't one of them.

edit again!
OMFG!!! Incredibly rare and incredibly wonderful tune from an incredible group has somehow gotten put up on YouTube when I wasn't looking. Ladies and Gents, wait for a good rainstorm outside, turn off all the lights, close your eyes, and just absolutely soar.
"Hurricanes" by Siddal

Respect! Great post!

For me I don't mind some challenge hence Bloody Knives and Hatifnats (polish 'gaze) but also love smooth. Hence the heavy air formation rotation.

Air Formation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cluWL5K2IHM

(Re posting links, not sure on guidlines -advice?)

Originally Posted by dteowner

<snip>
edit again!
OMFG!!! Incredibly rare and incredibly wonderful tune from an incredible group has somehow gotten put up on YouTube when I wasn't looking. Ladies and Gents, wait for a good rainstorm outside, turn off all the lights, close your eyes, and just absolutely soar.
"Hurricanes" by Siddal

I am truly ignorant and had never heard these people. (Rushes off to remedy deficit.)

Originally Posted by Hurls
Air Formation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cluWL5K2IHM

(Re posting links, not sure on guidlines -advice?)

Not much of a policy on links. Things should be labelled NSFW if necessary and we generally avoid links to filesharing sites if possible. Beyond that, it's pretty much up to you.

Hmm, I don't get why you'd think MBV is challenging. It may be subtle, and require high volumes or good headphones to appreciate, but it's not complicated/cerebral.

The problem I have with most of the genre nowadays is that the music isn't complex enough or is too monotonous. At the time of genre's inception I appreciated the innovation more than anything else, something that seems to be lacking in today's artists.