Music Banter - View Single Post - 50 Indie/Alternative Albums You Should Listen To

Zer0 · 10-13-2011, 02:31 PM

Cranes - Loved (1994)

Cranes were one of the many bands in the early 90s that were inspired by the music of the Cocteau Twins. But as well as that they also had strong gothic rock and shoegaze influences running through their captivating dream pop sound. The first thing that usually strikes you when you first listen to Cranes is vocalist Alison Shaw’s distinct and unusual high-pitched, child-like vocals. I do admit that the first time I listened to Cranes they did put me off somewhat but eventually I grew to love her vocals and of course the band’s wonderful music. But Cranes are more than just Cocteau Twins on helium, Alison’s vocals seem to add a feeling of innocence that contrasts with the sometimes gothic sound that the band create. There is a very ethereal feel to this album and a feeling of detachment created by the band’s colourful and psychedelic sound and of course Alison’s distinct airy vocals. The mood shifts somewhat through the course of the album, from the gothic darkness of ‘Lilies’ and ‘Come This Far’, to the sad and introspective ‘Are You Gone?’ and ‘In The Night’ to the more melancholic and epic sounding ‘Paris and Rome’. But all throughout the album the band maintain the same highly creative artistic vision and pull off a very consistent and thoroughly enjoyable album, full of many twists and turns and some very interesting musical textures.

Loved is less gothic sounding than its 1993 predecessor Forever, which is an album I also highly recommend, and has a slightly more distinct and focused sound with a wider variety of instrumentation and rhythms. Both albums are essential listening if you are looking the explore the wonderful world of 90’s dream pop.

Recommended Songs: ‘Shining Road’, ‘Lilies’, ‘Paris and Rome’

The Daysleepers - The Soft Attack (2006)

Well ok it’s not actually a full-length album but an E.P., but at thirty-three minutes and forty-nine seconds and with seven tracks it could very well be an album. Never-the-less it’s an E.P. well worth investigating from one of the best shoegaze bands of the 00’s. Something about The Daysleepers and this E.P. in particular reminds me of snow and cold, dark evenings. Probably because when I first started listening to this just before last Christmas we were up to our knees in snow and freezing our asses off and the music here kind of reminds me of that time, also add to the fact that the band seem to like posing for promo pictures in snow. The band aren’t exactly that original and seem to draw some heavy influences from The Cure and Slowdive in particular, but forget about that, the band do what they do so very well and create some really beautiful and epic music in the process. The guitars are shimmering and delay-heavy and the vocals feature tons of reverb and both of these combine to create a huge swirling, dreamy sound. But the band certainly don’t just rely on a dense and beautiful wall of sound, they also place a big emphasis on songwriting and allowing the vocal melodies to shine through and grab your attention, which makes them stand out from their peers. They do this brilliantly on the unforgettable ‘Cloudless’, ‘Stereo Honey’ and of course the beautiful and sweeping ‘Mother Ocean’. The band can also keep things heavy and atmospheric such as on ‘Moonfrost’ and the epic ‘Lightforms’, which builds and build over the course of its six and a half minutes into a dramatic conclusion.

The Soft Attack further built on the promise shown by their debut E.P. Hide Your Eyes and is perhaps that little bit more enjoyable and more focused than their rather good 2008 debut full-length album Drowning In a Sea Of Sound. The band however have been quiet for three years now and no new music seems to be on the horizon. But this E.P., along with Hide Your Eyes and Drowning In a Sea Of Sound will keep your ears pleasured in the meantime.

Recommended Songs: ‘Cloudless’, ‘Stereo Honey’, ‘Lightforms’

EDIT: YAY!
http://thedaysleepers.blogspot.com/

10-13-2011, 02:31 PM	#34 (permalink)
Zer0 ∞ Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 3,792	Cranes - Loved (1994) Cranes were one of the many bands in the early 90s that were inspired by the music of the Cocteau Twins. But as well as that they also had strong gothic rock and shoegaze influences running through their captivating dream pop sound. The first thing that usually strikes you when you first listen to Cranes is vocalist Alison Shaw’s distinct and unusual high-pitched, child-like vocals. I do admit that the first time I listened to Cranes they did put me off somewhat but eventually I grew to love her vocals and of course the band’s wonderful music. But Cranes are more than just Cocteau Twins on helium, Alison’s vocals seem to add a feeling of innocence that contrasts with the sometimes gothic sound that the band create. There is a very ethereal feel to this album and a feeling of detachment created by the band’s colourful and psychedelic sound and of course Alison’s distinct airy vocals. The mood shifts somewhat through the course of the album, from the gothic darkness of ‘Lilies’ and ‘Come This Far’, to the sad and introspective ‘Are You Gone?’ and ‘In The Night’ to the more melancholic and epic sounding ‘Paris and Rome’. But all throughout the album the band maintain the same highly creative artistic vision and pull off a very consistent and thoroughly enjoyable album, full of many twists and turns and some very interesting musical textures. Loved is less gothic sounding than its 1993 predecessor Forever, which is an album I also highly recommend, and has a slightly more distinct and focused sound with a wider variety of instrumentation and rhythms. Both albums are essential listening if you are looking the explore the wonderful world of 90’s dream pop. Recommended Songs: ‘Shining Road’, ‘Lilies’, ‘Paris and Rome’ The Daysleepers - The Soft Attack (2006) Well ok it’s not actually a full-length album but an E.P., but at thirty-three minutes and forty-nine seconds and with seven tracks it could very well be an album. Never-the-less it’s an E.P. well worth investigating from one of the best shoegaze bands of the 00’s. Something about The Daysleepers and this E.P. in particular reminds me of snow and cold, dark evenings. Probably because when I first started listening to this just before last Christmas we were up to our knees in snow and freezing our asses off and the music here kind of reminds me of that time, also add to the fact that the band seem to like posing for promo pictures in snow. The band aren’t exactly that original and seem to draw some heavy influences from The Cure and Slowdive in particular, but forget about that, the band do what they do so very well and create some really beautiful and epic music in the process. The guitars are shimmering and delay-heavy and the vocals feature tons of reverb and both of these combine to create a huge swirling, dreamy sound. But the band certainly don’t just rely on a dense and beautiful wall of sound, they also place a big emphasis on songwriting and allowing the vocal melodies to shine through and grab your attention, which makes them stand out from their peers. They do this brilliantly on the unforgettable ‘Cloudless’, ‘Stereo Honey’ and of course the beautiful and sweeping ‘Mother Ocean’. The band can also keep things heavy and atmospheric such as on ‘Moonfrost’ and the epic ‘Lightforms’, which builds and build over the course of its six and a half minutes into a dramatic conclusion. The Soft Attack further built on the promise shown by their debut E.P. Hide Your Eyes and is perhaps that little bit more enjoyable and more focused than their rather good 2008 debut full-length album Drowning In a Sea Of Sound. The band however have been quiet for three years now and no new music seems to be on the horizon. But this E.P., along with Hide Your Eyes and Drowning In a Sea Of Sound will keep your ears pleasured in the meantime. Recommended Songs: ‘Cloudless’, ‘Stereo Honey’, ‘Lightforms’ EDIT: YAY! http://thedaysleepers.blogspot.com/ __________________ Last FM \| RYM \| The Final Sound Last edited by Zer0; 11-21-2011 at 05:23 PM.