recommend me some lost shoegaze classics

That's The Lollies, Kate - don't you remember anything? ;-)

Everyone's mentioned everything I remember from then, and some more, but this thread is most useful for my hopefully forthcoming shoegazeish night in Bethnal Green.

Ooh, what about Dr Phibes & The House Of Wax Equations? I'm sure I liked that album at one point. Anyone gonna burn me a copy of Gala then? Pretty please...

Dammit, you people have already covered things pretty well, what's left! Even Clairecords got a mention!

Though there's actually room to address some stuff that is gaze influenced that doesn't exactly follow the formula. Flowchart's Cumulus Mood Twang is one of the best things to follow in the wake of Loveless that captures, indeed, mood without simply trying to recreate. Meanwhile, the good Spencer Chow and Job de Wit pointed out to me a slew of recent techno efforts from Europe which also reflect that interest -- M83 was enjoyable enough, but I liked the Ulrich Strauss (I think that's his last name?) effort more. Good to see Rob mentioning the Charlottes -- when it comes to earlier bands, Closedown out here in California created a lovely album, Nearfield, that while very gaze/Cure influenced was remixed in studio to try and emphasize a more zoned out New Age approach at the behest of their label, Silent. So while flawed, it's still worth a listen.

Someone else has GOT to remember this.

I can't do links so... http://www.evo.org/html/group/lillies.html

http://www.live365.com/stations/glove7?play

(God, I am pathetic that I remember these sorts of things)

Another great band often overlooked is Half-String from Arizona. They put out several discs on IPR. A Fascination With Heights is the strongest in my book, with "Momentum" being my favorite amongst a strong set of songs.

Boston act the Curtain Society were on Bedazzled, their second disc Life Is Long Still is a bargain bin staple and worth the small change for the opener "Mouthwithout" ... perhaps one of my favorite opening riffs of a shoegaze song ever.

Another not mentioned is Alison's Dress (their comp was on Burnt Toast, "Torn is my fave).

I have a shoegaze CD-R I made for myself, if anyone wants a copy just drop me a note. Contains all the above and Ropers, All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors, An April March, Revolver, Belltower and others mentioned above.

How 'bout the first two Straitjacket Fits records, if we're looking to Flying Nun type stuff? The first one especially is great...

You mean Alison's Halo. Since we're out here, Love Spirals Downwards' second album is a 'gazing classic in my book, it's called Ardor.

The Secret Shine compilation CD should be out soon, you won't go wrong with that.

Sugar Plant's most shoegazing album is probably Trance/Mellow, somewhere close to Slowdive's Souvlaki. Their first two albums are more in the Galaxie 500 vein... After After Hours is classic.

double recommendation for Swervedriver's first album.

I would also put in a small shout for Verve's early singles, Gravity Grave, She's a Superstar and All In the Mind. In fact, the whole of the Storm in Heaven album was the tail end of shoegazing-type music for me, and reminds me what a beautiful band they were before they went shit. Although they weren't really shoegazers per se, it fitted in with what I was listening to at the time.

Two of the bigger local labels were Mind Expansion Records & Burnt Hair Records- some of the local acts included Fuxa, Windy & Carl (who run a nice indie record shop in Dearborn - Stormy Records), Miss Bliss, Tomorrowland (more ambient/idm, but in the same local scene), His Name is Alive, Auburn Lull, & Transient Waves (outta Philly but w/ ties to the Michigan scene).

Other related stuff was coming out around the US as well from the likes of Darla Records & Kranky Records, and groups like Hopewell (members of Mercury Rev), Jessamine, Bowery Electric, etc, etc..

bona-fide classic, absolutely! i never tire of this wonderful record, which recreates dreamlike strolls in rainy cities like few others have done. their later garage-mod output is...interesting, but i never listen to it much. are half-string or curtain society anything like toulouse?

I wouldn't have automatically thought of Levitation as shoegazers either, but someone else did upthread (I wouldn't describe them as also-rans either).

i'd call them "indie-rock" but those more genre-centric may refer to them as "slow-core".

still extant bands out here:
Color Wall, from LA
The Jealous Type, from Ann Arbor, MI
The Flashing Astonishers, from i ferget where

oh yeah, and the Dykehouse album, when it finally comes out.

The comp that comes with the new issue is really really good.

Other Medicine-influenced California-based shoegazers of note: The Lassie Foundation.

Apart from them, burn the rest except MBV obviously.

mention of IPR is OTM - an amazing label. everything i buy on that label is a gem of shoegazing or Factory/4AD influenced wonderment.

One of my all-time favourites.

so good! The (original) LP is typically slept on a bit, it's not as good as those singles but I love it.

Also does anyone have:

Tom Is My Sugar - Tesserae

...digitally? I want to hear it so bad...

revive sounds like the slow Velocity Girl songs. not bad, but... not my thing.

Evan:

https://music.cliggo.com/artist/Tom_Is_My_Sugar/album/5839029-Tesserae

I feel like I’m street-teaming this 30-yr-old record this week (apologies) – but revisiting the Air Miami album via its recent reissue, I was struck by the super-cool, shoegaze-adjacent groove of Definitely Beachy… it sounds even better to me now than it did back in the day!

Thanks Steve!

Though it looks like that website is sourcing youtube videos of which there are only a smattering of songs.

Also I will mention only two of the four Beatrice Blinded songs are slow, but to each their own regardless!

all out of nails at this point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQhi4f7D1fM

Amusement Parks on Fire - Our Goal to Realize

Impatiently curious for the Ned take on Beatrice Blinded.

The only two truly LOST shoegaze classics I can think of at the moment, well of course Evan posted it upthread: Study Of the Lifeless

But the other is a fairly obscure one from Estonia which had quite a scene 18-20 years ago:

The Chance - The Way Your Mind Looks Through
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBIj4OTld0c

Ned, what was the volume level at the alison’s halo show like?

Nicely loud. :-D

ha. seeing them in boston next week. just wondering if it’s a facemelting MBV situation and I need to bring earplugs

always bring earplugs!

problem is I already have hearing aids and earplugs aren’t really possible. fuck it

alison’s halo absolutely slayed. see them if you can

\m/

Yup! They kill it.

bluetile lounge

That's more of a lost slowcore classic

i'm sure you know best

https://hobbledehoyrecords.com/editorial/bluetile-lounge-uncovering-the-quiet-story-of-a-genre-defining-perth-band/

I feel like I’m street-teaming this 30-yr-old record this week (apologies) – but revisiting the Air Miami album via its recent reissue, I was struck by the super-cool, shoegaze-adjacent groove of Definitely Beachy… it sounds even better to me now than it did back in the day!

― siggi’s skyr stan (morrisp), Tuesday, 15 April 2025 02:59 (one month ago)

Whoops, massively overlooked this post. I agree and fully support street-teaming 30 year old indie records

teenbeat forever

And here's a thread contribution btw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS0TIsrIp8U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V54rWNKXdpw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQMxybRIDUM