Shoegaze

Shoegaze is a genre of rock that evolved out of the dream pop movement of the '80s.

A number of unique features give shoegaze its distinctive sound within the world of alt-rock:

• A general feeling of slowness, even when tempos are fast; chords remain static or change slowly, and melodies typically avoid large leaps, extremes of range, or other unsubtle tendencies
• A loud, densely-layered guitar soundscape contrasted against a very mellow, subtle vocal style
• Washed-outness, and a general sense of distance, as if the band were farther away from the listener than usual (both physically and metaphorically)

Shoegaze, when understood as a direct response to the overly showy displays of 1980s rock music, is a music of unshowiness, almost of anti-performance. Most shoegaze artists perform nearly motionlessly, and the name of the genre derives from the tendency of its guitarists to stare down at their effects pedals while performing.

Artists

• Helens
• Bug Seance

Releases

• Flora (Helens)
• Pollen (Helens)
• Somewhere in Nowhere (Helens)
• Teeth (Helens)

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