Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Two for Tuesday - Creation Pt 2




End of the day (night) but still going to try and get my 2-4-T up before it’s Wednesday. Again, another band from the Creation Records roster, and definitely my favorite of the label and the entire shoegaze genre.

Of course I’m talking about Slowdive. And you all knew this because they were fronted by Neil Halstead, aka “The Greatest Songwriter of Our Generation.”

Slowdive was nearly nothing like his more recent (and by “recent” I mean since 1996) work with Mojave 3 and as a solo artist (though there are some similarities here and there on all sides). Heck, even Slowdive’s last album (the sometimes perplexing, the sometimes brilliant, the ultimately rewarding Pygmalion) wasn’t anything like Slowdive, but that’s neither here nor there. Actually, DG, you would probably love that album. 

Rumor has it that folks used to cry at their shows. I have no idea if that's true, but it likely would have been if I'd seen them (and I'm no less of a man for admitting that). I've only met one person who ever did see them and he seemed grateful. 

Anyway, their first two albums (along with some scattered singles and EPs surrounding them) were the stuff of legends. Just imagine a big blanket of fuzzy sound washing all over you and some wispy, angelic voices lulling you to sleep (not in a boring way), and you’ve got the start of an idea. But despite their mellow approach, there was some intensity brooding beneath the surface, and though Halstead’s lyrics were hard to decipher – and cryptic when you could – he still painted with the broad, warm brush strokes he does these days (you just know what he’s talking about now).

It’s hard to pick just one from each album, but this is “Two for Tuesday,” and who am I to break the rules? So, without further ado, I give you Waves (from Just for a Day) and As the Sun Hits (from Soulvaki).

And also Blue Skied n Clear from Pygmalion, because I do whatever I want.

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