Review: First released in 1992, Slowdive's 'Blue Day' compiles the best of the band's earliest outings in the shoegaze genre, bottling them under a singly brittle, blue banner. Just seven tracks adorn its two sides, with the notable self-titled track 'Slowdive' signalling some hint of the band's origins (its wayward drumming getting at an especially happy naivete). Later moments on the record, such as 'Morningrise', are comparatively icier verging on frostbitten, with an overdriven crunch clipping off the most amped edges of the transient hits, suggesting an imperfect medium. On the B, the best of the lot is the slow colic of 'Losing Today', a song palpably packed with a sense of loss, most notably achieved via its soaring, cuspate guitar ogees, albeit ones which just about peek their heads above the shrednoise.
Review: Slowdive's 1991 debut Just For A Day, out again via Music On Vinyl. Less famous than their name-making lucky strike Souvlaki, Just For A Day is still a nonetheless sublime full-length shoegaze record. Nine sabresque songs opine the nostalgic feeling of a short-lived tryst, beginning with a recollection of the 'Spanish Air' and ending on a deeper musing on the 'Primal'. A must-have for any completist hooverhead, Slowdive's debut surely set the tone for a career that was yet to burgeon (and continues to flourish) and yet still retains a purity that no other record in their discography shares.
Review: Slowdive's Pygmalion stands as a profound yet overlooked gem in the band's discography. Released amidst the Britpop and grunge dominance of 1995, it was unfairly dismissed, leading to the band's quiet dissolution. However, if you revisit Pygmalion, it reveals a hauntingly beautiful departure from their earlier shoegaze roots. Now, pressed on vinyl, you can enjoy all the ways this release has stood against time and trends. The album is a minimalist masterpiece, stripping away their trademark wall of noise to reveal ethereal, ambient landscapes. Tracks like the opening epic 'Rutti' set the tone with its subdued guitar work and Neil Halstead's introspective vocals, evoking a sense of contemplative solitude. Throughout the album, space is pivotal - an expansive, cathedral-like atmosphere crafted through restrained instrumentation and atmospheric production. While critics of its time failed to appreciate its subtleties, Pygmalion now stands as a visionary work ahead of its time. Its influence can be heard in subsequent bands like Mogwai and Low, who embraced its meditative qualities and minimalist approach. In today's context, the album's tranquil melodies offer a refuge, resonating with listeners seeking solace amidst chaos. Slowdive's Pygmalion remains a shinning example to their artistic integrity and the enduring power of quiet introspection in music.
Review: Shoegazers delight as Slowdive finally return with their first new album in six years. As you would expect, the band took their time working towards the perfect end result after lead singer and guitarist Neil Halstead laid down preliminary demos back in 2020. Obvious global crises impeded the progress until the band were able to reconvene and embark on two years worth of recording from those foundations until they reached the album we're presented with today (with a little help from Shawn Everett on mixing duties). As lead single 'kisses' intimates, the band's treasured dream-pop qualities remain intact while hinting at a more subtle, introverted sound than was heard on their standout self-titled album in 2017.
Review: Since 2017's exceptional self-titled return to form, which marked the first new material in over two decades from Reading shoegaze pioneers Slowdive, fans have been anticipating a continuation of the group's welcome resurgence, as it was first revealed in 2020 that work on yet another full-length was well under way. Everything Is Alive promises a more minimal electronic based backdrop, seemingly at odds with the mercurial dream-pop of its predecessor, while being directly influenced by the passing of both vocalist/guitarist Rachel Goswell's mother and drummer Simon Scott's father. Where six years is often perceived as a lengthy gap between releases, for the inimitable Slowdive, it's a very promising turnaround, indicating the rejuvenated passion, poise and purpose the members feel when in collaboration and craft.
Review: Having just performed their first ever Glastonbury set this summer, Reading shoegaze pioneers Slowdive are set to unveil their much anticipated fifth full-length Everything Is Alive. Following on from 2017's exceptional self-titled return to form, marking their first new material in over two decades, fans have been eagerly awaiting a continuation of the group's second wind since revealing in 2020 that work was under way for yet another full-length. Promising more minimal electronic based soundscapes as opposed to the ethereal dream-pop of its predecessor, as well being directly influenced and reflective of the passing of both vocalist/guitarist Rachel Goswell's mother and drummer Simon Scott's father, prepare for yet another reshaping of melancholic grandeur in the atypical incomparable Slowdive fashion.
Review: It makes perfect sense that Slowdive waited until album number four to punt for self-titled. They're a complex band with a deeply textured and immersive sound, at once dream pop and shoegaze while being entirely their own at the same time. Slowdive represents the culmination of efforts to get to that place. A record that defines their tone as much as elevates it to the next level.
Back in 2017 - when the world felt so much different to the one we live in today - critics certainly agreed. Many viewed this outing as their finest to date, packing vast, open atmospherics in spades, presenting a vision as far-reaching as it is wrapped up in itself. At once looking back and summarising everything that had gone before it, and then promising a future brightly lit with new ideas, it's the epitome of what progressive rock should mean in the literal sense.
Review: The return of Slowdive has been one of the minor miracles of the 21st century thus far - having originally split up in a mist of disinterest and press opprobrium in the Britpop-damaged mid-'90s, the band have watched their profile and reputation slowly rise to the extent of them now being regarded as scene pioneers and innovators. True to its eponymous name, this album is the sound of these Thames Valley charmers re-asserting everything that made them magical in the first place a full quarter century on, not to mention a dizzying collision of ethereal harmonies, heavenly guitar cascades and opiated dreamstates possessed of a timeless allure.
Review: The return of Slowdive has been one of the minor miracles of the 21st century thus far - having originally split up in a mist of disinterest and press opprobrium in the Britpop-damaged mid-'90s, the band have watched their profile and reputation slowly rise to the extent of them now being regarded as scene pioneers and innovators. True to its eponymous name, this album is the sound of these Thames Valley charmers re-asserting everything that made them magical in the first place a full quarter century on, not to mention a dizzying collision of ethereal harmonies, heavenly guitar cascades and opiated dreamstates possessed of a timeless allure.
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