recommend me some lost shoegaze classics

Other than that, go and get Piano Magic's 'Low Birth Weight'.

Medicine!

Maybe not 100% shoegaze, but close enough...
The Cranes
Curve
Bleach
Swirlies

Bleah, feh. Ditto Catherine Wheel. Though Curve had their moments. Cranes were interesting, but not exactly Shoegazer.

Gah, there were a lot of dire Shoegazer bands, weren't there?

Anyone for early Moose or the Telescopes or even the Swirlies?

secret shine, smashing orange, medicine (and later on, alisons halo)

Justin referred to them in his original message (Sonny + Sam)

Me, I can't believe that no-one has mentioned Kitchens of Distinction yet. No, scratch that, actually I can.

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.

Love Smashing Orange! Everybody is pointing out my favorite bands this is great

This feels like something Ned would like?

Anyway, this was circulated for years on blogs but I recently stumbled on this OFFICIAL download complete with the cassette artwork and this was exciting for me.

FREE DOWNLOAD, too!

https://washperth.bandcamp.com/album/wash

Huh, wonder what their deal was.

Obviously I don't have much info, but I heard they once opened for Swervedriver (in Australia where they're from). I do wonder why they didn't happen...

This tape is great though. Glad it exists. More people need to hear it.

Bumping because: see above post

Also I crave engagement (needy as usual) and am currently hopped up on music discoveries

Like this incredible one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjIzmQ1BGYM

This one kind of a Lorelei mixed with early Lilys, early Swirlies & early Polvo sound! Winner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uoCdmGIouw

This band is great too:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&list=OLAK5uy_k4Km8ZWlJyZE9BXcF3bsyG3sZHs6Iwlqk

It's Mean Red Spiders. For some reason that link used the app interface or whatever

Hey, thanks for the heads up on that Wash album!

You’re welcome!

Yeah that's a damn good listen.

Ned - question for you - that band I posted above "Study of the Lifeless". I'm having a heckuva time finding concrete info about their 2nd album "World Revolves Around You". I presume it must have released on CD but the internet weirdly has no evidence of this. Do you know?

https://www.allmusic.com/album/world-revolves-around-you-mw0000986965

(btw someone made wild guesses with those "style" tags... way off)

very weird hearing Filosofem by Burzum for the first time in the mid 90s and hearing the guitars on there. If you didn't hear the harshg vocals I think Shoegaze is very much what you would be thinking.
JUst checking this now and yeah definitely what I'm hearing.

xpost Hm, couldn't tell you. One of those turn-of-the-millennium bands keeping the sound going as they could. Had almost forgotten about them!

Pluramon 2003 & 2007 albums
Luminous orange 1999 ep

Dang I guess I'll need to keep digging

xp

Ultra Cindy!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP-LgxRc_GDxbibbpTVGDJoAvv0fmk-Z7&themeRefresh=1

Another Heaven is great for nugaze

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgv9n8ApQbs

Just noticed that Fleeting Joys are active again
https://fleetingjoys1.bandcamp.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGVZTe5XOAE

It's fairly well known but I don't see it mentioned enough outside Rateyourmusic: The Angel Pool by The Autumns is really gorgeous, can't recommend it highly enough, and the singer is the opposite from 99% of vocalists in the genre.

The Autumns - The Angel Pool
Sianspheric - (first two albums)
Teenage Filmstars - Star

two great bands with mostly same lineup:
Polar - A Future History Of The frigid Polar Night
Polar - Lies Set By The Polar Mob
Con Dolore - This Sad Movie

The third album This Sad Movie is particularly amazing.

Another vote for Alison's Halo - Eyedazzler

Alison's Halo have been working on a kind of wrap EP for, well, years now (not a complaint, I think they're just fitting it among other things, pandemic, etc.). Backed it a while back and seems like it should be coming out this year.

Didn't they have a new name like Locheed? I'm sure there was a new band coming from the duo?

this?

https://www.discogs.com/release/1600577-The-Pastry-Heros-Horn-Rim-Fury-EP

It was in the myspace era and there might have even been sample tracks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMOxlsKu3Ak

A lot of gems on the Eastern European Shoegaze channel, like Bizarre from Estonia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIT-omWhX7Q

This instant-classic from the Netherlands I heard for the first time last week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp20s51w0Cs

^ The Nightblooms - Never Dream At All

Same song, more noise. Take your pick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcpdIFZgAz8

Secret Shine - Toward the Sky:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om-KCC4GRyQ

I love both versions of Never Dream At All, long time fan of the Nightblooms

Maybe more dreamy than shoey, but anilore (Hudson valley/Brooklyn) got back together, reissued their 90s record, and put out 2 new things that keep the original flames alive w much fancier pedal boards

https://anilore.bandcamp.com/album/still-awake

ArchCarrier - I discovered Bizarre's Beautica on a shoegaze forum and I was very fond of it at the time, nice to see it's been reissued but still no CD

Anilore sounds good, new to me

Yes, same here!

On the Secret Shine tip, I've been really loving Dreamscape this week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zNabzf8POw

Truly a very lost classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0cffRUsuxg

I don't think Polar made anything quite as good as Con Dolore's This Sad Movie (I still consider both Polar albums very great) but this is one of my favorite Polar songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEYL28yFgtE

I could swear the singer had another band going after with tracks on Myspace, she was fantastic

The new Pencey Sloe album strikes me as a future lost shoegaze classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLv0P5dKClA

Okay so wayyyyy back on this thread a few of us were talking about Australia's Gaslight Radio, who had shoegaze in their makeup if not totally that. They've recently put up a best of on Spotify and a slightly older one on Bandcamp -- worth checking out:

https://gaslightradio.bandcamp.com/album/best-of-gaslight-radio-1996-2006

https://open.spotify.com/album/13LPSQCsi5BNXoCQhMFASl

Difference Engine quietly released their shelved 1994 album Flex Lavender on streaming services last year, with no accompanying info and no mention of a forthcoming physical release 🤔. it's less Disco Inferno and more Stereolab (at least on the Margie-sung tracks) than Breadmaker) and veers into trip-hop-gaze on the last track. imo the first six tracks + the intro of 'Sky Hutch' would have made for one of the best EPs of the era. it gets a little more pedestrian after that but it's solid enough throughout

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