Dream-Pop Heaven: Jeff Runnings on For Against’s Landmark ‘Coalesced’ at 20
For Against’s Coalesced is an undeniably mature work, softer and less angular than prior efforts, and a culmination of everything they were aiming to accomplish.
For Against’s Coalesced is an undeniably mature work, softer and less angular than prior efforts, and a culmination of everything they were aiming to accomplish.
Canadian dream popsters Living Hour capture grief with sluggish tempos, minor key chord progressions, and numbing moments of disassociation on Someday Is Today.
Whether Say Sue Me are surf-rock, shoegaze, or dream-pop, none of these categories seem to matter when listening to the delightful The Last Thing Left.
Ferri-Chrome mixes Japanese shoegaze and twee-pop into a focused and eminently listenable homage to 1990s Lush on Dazzling Azure.
Whimsical’s Melt strikes a pleasing balance between droning Slowdive wash and a more kinetic Lush vitality – while also unafraid to slow things down.
Spiritualized harness their power on Everything Was Beautiful. Filling the album to the brim with instruments, they find new space in old sounds.
Andy Bell’s Flicker is the sound of a musician known primarily in shoegaze/Britpop circles who decided to make a singer-songwriter album, and it’s smashing.
Grungy shoegazers Big Vic wade through a fog of guitar noise in search of clarity on their debut album, Girl, Buried.
Deafheaven’s Infinite Granite is a very successful shoegaze-inspired alt-rock record with a great sense of dynamics and some really catchy songs.
New Zealand indie folk artist Reb Fountain concocts a mesmerizing new song with “Lacuna”.
Swedish pop trio ViVii play the dreamiest of dream pop with pristine melodies, gossamer harmonies, and enthralling textures.
On their debut, The Second Body, New Orleans’ Keen Dreams lean into a 1980s aesthetic while still sounding fresh, vibrant, and forward-thinking.