Shoegaze often feels like a distinctly ’90s genre, with many albums even sounding dated. But there are still those that have stood the test of time.
Shoegaze, dream pop, and lo-fi have become easily accessible genres for budding musicians to get into, as they can usually be made with a laptop and some software. Because of this ease of use, the modern age of music seems flooded with bedroom pop. But these three albums still sound as relevant today as they did in the ’90s.
‘Beat’ by Bowery Electric
Shoegaze group Bowery Electric released their second album, Beat, in November 1996. According to Lawrence Chandler, they learned the ins and outs of sampling for this album, which allowed for more experimentation.
“We [could] sample ourselves, manipulate sounds, create our own beats, and basically work with fewer restrictions,” Chandler said in 1997. The quality of experimentation and sound manipulation makes Beat a shoegaze album that holds up, especially in the modern era, where it seems like everyone is making shoegaze in their bedroom.
‘Split’ by Lush
Lush released Split in June 1994, and lyrically, it deals with some dark subject matter. But the way it toes the line between shoegaze and Britpop elements helps this album stand the test of time. It also prevented it from getting lost among the noise of dream pop albums being released at that time.
While dream pop has also grown as an accessible genre in recent years, Split is just off-beat enough to remain relevant years later. Some critics at the time felt it was too heavy-handed. But the fact that it’s still being discussed retrospectively makes it clear that Split has lasting power.
‘Whirlpool’ by Chapterhouse
English shoegaze band Chapterhouse released Whirlpool in April 1991, and it was well received at the time. Since then, it’s made a lasting impression within shoegaze as a genre and with longtime fans.
When the album was reissued on CD in 2006, the audio quality left much to be desired, with several tracks using lossy master MP3s. For many fans, this was disappointing. But there were still some who felt it added texture and atmosphere to this shoegaze classic. Whether lo-fi quality or not, Whirlpool still holds up decades later.
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