Review: In its time, which spans 16 years from the mid-1980s to the turn of the Millennium, Creation Records was incapable of misfiring. From Boo Radleys and Guided By Voices, The Jesus & Mary Chain to Bob Mould, Ride, Kevin Rowland, Teenage Fanclub and Super Furry Animals. Let alone Primal Scream. Renowned for a multitude of genres, but particularly shoegaze, suffice to say Slowdive, England's dream pop doyens, delivered some of the label's most seminal work. Souvlaki is a prime example. Although it narrowly missed a spot in the UK's Top 50 Albums Chart, peaking at 51 in 1993, retrospective attention has heralded this not just as a shoegaze classic, but also a true landmark of late-20th Century British music. "Quiet, moving, and aggressive simultaneously, mixing trance-like beauty with the deepest delayed guitar sounds around," Pitchfork once said. Now, if you've more to add, speak up.
Review: Sony Records has decided to reissue a slew of early albums from British shoegaze and dream pop sorts Slowdive, a band that has enjoyed a successful comeback since reforming late last decade. Here they take us back to the formative years of the Reading-born band and 1991 full-length debut Just For a Day. Recorded in leafy Oxfordshire (Abington specifically), the set is as lush, densely layered, effects-laden and gently psychedelic as you'd expect from a set that's (rightly) still regarded as one of the strongest shoegaze albums of all time. For proof, check the hypnotic, slow-motion pulse of opener 'Spanish Air', the low slung bass and hallucinatory textures of 'Catch The Breeze', the near-ambient immersion of 'Erik's Song', and the jangly sparkle of 'Brightness'.
Review: While now - rightly - hailed as one of the greatest shoegaze albums of all time, Slowdive's sophomore full-length Souvlaki was initially panned by critics - a fate that also befell the Reading combo's debut Just For a Day. Now remastered and reissued on CD for the first time in years, the 1993 set remains a pleasingly saucer-eyed, heavily layered and decidedly dreamy affair. Musically, it's generally brighter and more jangling than its predecessor, leaning more heavily into the dream-pop end of their sound whilst still retaining the reverb-heavy, suitably psychedelic guitar textures of shoegaze. Highlights include the funky, late 60s nostalgia of '40 Days', the dubby and spaced-out headiness of 'Sing' and the stretched-out heaviness of 'Souvlaki Space Station'.
Review: It's hard to believe The Strokes' debut album is 20 years old in 2023. Of course, it sounds very much like the band did at that time, with reviews upon release even celebrating the fact that they'd opted not to mess about with a musical formula that won legions of fans on their debut, Is This It. High speed, turbulent, angsty rock 'n' roll music that isn't just youthful, it's completely disinterested in growing up. Of course, this might be taken to mean a lack of new ideas, but that's precisely where the genius really shines through. Room On Fire is less a band regurgitating and getting 'found out', and more proof of a singular vision of what a guitar band should actually sound like. Really very loud, not at all comprising, and while comparable to many, entirely The Strokes.
Review: We all know that The Strokes' initial three album run of Is This Is It, Room On Fire and First Impressions Of Earth is the high watermark for their entire back catalogue. But that isn't to detract from their more latter day output, with 2011's Angles amassing a sincere cult following in the years since. Boasting one of their biggest singles to date, 'Under Cover Of Darkness', while showcasing the member's desire to begin toying with the sonic expectations from a band so tightly bound to their garage rock revival roots; deep cuts such as the watery synth-laden opener 'Machu Picchu', would take full advantage of their foray into MIDI electronics, subtly revitalising their formula in a manner many have only just begun to learn to appreciate in earnest.
Review: The Strokes's Comedown Machine is often said by fans to be one of the most consistent albums of the much loved band's career. It showed off once again their immaculate knack for irresistible hooks and catchy grooves, all of which had been present over four previous albums but perfected on another level here. Alongside the group's signature sounds are thought-provoking, strange and sexy themes. It wasn't promoted hard but the album still hit the Top 10 of the UK charts and the same over in the US. This limited edition reissue arrives on a lovely limited yellow and red marbled slab of wax.
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