Mixtape #3: Shoegaze/Dream Pop

I love shoegaze. For those unaware, this style was so named for the on-stage posture that its practitioners displayed, seemingly fixated on the pedalboards at their feet. Categorization is typically pretty nebulous, so you might disagree with some of the groups included here. This is by no means an inclusive "best of" of list, but rather a broad overview of shoegaze/dream pop music. Get it Here. Already, right before posting, I realize I forgot one of my favorite bands of the past few years, Deerhunter. Oops. Check them out, too.

Track order:
0:00 - 4:17 "Only Shallow" - My Bloody Valentine
3:50 - 6:43 "Saltwater" - Beach House
6:43 - 13:30 "Silver" - Jesu
13:22 - 18:09 "That Summer at Home..." - The Twilight Sad
17:16 - 21:29 "Machine Gun" - Slowdive
21:17 - 25:51 "Moonchild" - M83
25:30 - 30:46 "Tommy Gun Angel" - Bardo Pond
30:40 - 34:01 "Pulling Our Weight" - The Radio Dept.
33:53 - 38:15 "Half Asleep" - School of Seven Bells
37:36 - 41:20 "Lantern Fish" - Candy Claws
41:17 - End "Thursday" - Asobi Seksu

Only Shallow

All that I know about Nadja is that Aiden Baker, one half of the doom metal/dark ambient/shoegaze duo, collaborated with one of my favorite electronic/drone/ambient producers, Tim Hecker, on last year's great Fantasma Parastasie. To pay homage to their influences, the duo (consisting of Baker and Leah Buckareff) is releasing When I See the Sun Always Shines on TV, a covers record. The two tracks released thus far sound what you'd expect doom/dark ambient versions of popular songs to sound like -- plodding tempi, droning guitars, and vocals with more reverb than Panda Bear, Fleet Foxes, and My Morning Jacket combined.

"Only Shallow", the propulsive opener of My Bloody Valentine's seminal album Loveless, is a fantastic song, despite my typical dislike of Bilinda Butcher's breathy vocals. Though it's not quite as good as the MBV original, Nadja's heavy, slowed down tribute to those shoegaze progenitors is a notable effort, and worth checking out. Compare!

Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine

Nadja's cover