Something Old, Something New - SWERVEDRIVER - FEEL SO REAL (1991) + THE SKY DROPS - GREEN TO RED (2006/2007)

In 1991 there was nothing happening in the US remotely as cool as SWERVEDRIVER. Nirvana were just in their training shorts, their low-fi debut possesing none of the devastating qualities of Swervedriver's powerful debut RAISE. Nothing else in the US at least came close. Like what did you have? Grunge? Please...

From more recent pastures we have Deleware's THE SKY DROPS. Back when MySpace was at it's peak this duo was making a splash in the cyber waters touring throughout the US. Need your MY BLOODY VALENTINE FIX? Step right up, put on your headphones (optional), turn up the volume, sit back relax and PLAY BLOODY LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Something Old, Something New - DEUX FILLES - "THE LETTER" (1982) + ELECTRIC ASSEMBLY - "CAN CARE BE WRONG" (2006/2007)

Here is an beautiful, haunting, early instrumental example of what can be termed 'dreampop'. Deux Filles were Simon Fisher Turner, former child star/teen idol and future soundtrack composer, and his mate Colin Lloyd Tucker. Turner and Tucker left an early incarnation of The The in 1981 to pursue another musical direction. Turner claims that the idea of Deux Filles came to him in a dream, and he and Tucker strictly maintained the fiction throughout the duo's career. Not only did they pose in drag for the album covers, the duo once even played live without the audience realizing that the tragic French girls on-stage were actually a pair of blokes from south London having a giggle. Deux Filles released two albums through Turner and Tucker's Papier Mache label, 1982's Silence & Wisdom and 1983's Double Happiness. After that, the duo scrapped the Deux Filles concept and released two ambient pop albums as Jeremy's Secret."

...and from just a few years back we have Londoners THE ELECTRIC ASSEMBLY with a lovely shoegaze inflected tune "CAN CARE BE WRONG". These guys were led by my friend David McHugh.

Something Old, Something New - HOUSE OF LOVE - "CHRISTINE" (1988) + JASON TRYP & THE PRYSM LEAVES - "DECEIVE (2011)

HOUSE OF LOVE - "CHRISTINE" from 1988. Formed by Guy Chadwick after having seen and been inspired by the Jesus And Mary Chain and their sound.

JASON TRYP & THE PRYSM LEAVES - "DECEIVE" a new band from Southern California 

(my band actually...check it out:

http://jasontryptheprysmleaves.bandcamp.com/track/deceive

SOMETHING OLD SOMETHING NEW - THE COCTEAU TWINS "Love's Easy Tears" (1986) & SHANA FALANA - "Light The Fire" (2011)

It's 1986, the year of the New York Mets Vs. the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. I was probably listenting to early old school rap, Michael Jackson and perhaps some Beatles at best. Good thing though because my young mind would of been blown by something like this, I wouldn't have been ready for it. Liz Fraser and company had been around for a few years melding atmospheric 'gothic' rock sounds with a dreamy type post-punk/new wave style that would become their signature and hence 'Dreampop' was born!

Flash forward to our year of 2011 A.D. and what do we have but one of Liz Fraser's spiritual descendants chanting out her own modern dreampop mantras for a new generation. Shana Falana, formerly of San Francisco has been out in New York (Brooklyn, now Rosendale) trying to make it happen now for the past few years and without a doubt she has finally attained it. Sonically she and her band has all the tools. This beautiful track, part Benedectine monks, part (yes) Cocteau Twins, can be found on her just released IN THE LIGHT EP. She is out and about playing all over New York, catch her before she is gone! Here are more details on her ReverbNation page: http://www.reverbnation.com/shanafalanaschannel

Tuesday, October 11th 2011 WE HAVE LIFTOFF!!!...

This is a blog that I have begun, dedicated to those sounds that such pioneering bands as the JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, THE COCTEAU TWINS, LOOP, A.R. KANE, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, and the like, had a hand in developing and creating. I am talking about what has come to be termed SHOEGAZE and DREAMPOP and you can also lump in it's descendants, 'NEWGAZE' 'DREAMFOLK' and the like etc., etc.

These sounds first caught my attention around the time I was 15 or 16 and I read about My Bloody Valentine in Rolling Stone Magazine in the early 90's and their group photo fascinated me and shortly after I purchased their monumental and groundbreaking LOVELESS shortly after that and haven't been the same since! Soon to follow were other groups I heard of and got know about such as RIDE, SLOWDIVE, SWERVEDRIVER and other on a similar wavelength.

There is a certain otherworldliness and etherealness (spiritualness?...too much 'ness' going on here!) that can be attached to many sounds of the genre and that you can say is what makes it unique. I will review every week (as many days of that week) sounds of the genre, old and new. Submissions are always accepted and all will be reviewed. So...let the fun begin!