Cocteau Twins - Treasure (1984)

It really doesn't get any prettier than this one- vocals from the one and only Liz Fraser (if you aren't familiar with her yet try out Massive Attack's Mezzanine, an album she sang on a number of songs- most notably the excellent Teardrop), with guitars/production from Robin Guthrie and bass by Simon Raymonde; the Cocteau Twins' brand of ethereal dream pop is replete with lilting beauty and lush melodies, plain and simple.

This might be the best example of "bad" mid-80's production values; cheesy-sounding Casio drums with washed out synths over delayed guitars and layered vocals- I realize that description makes this record sound awful but in fact it's ridiculously beautiful. A confluence of pop, ambient textures and sort of a proto-shoegazer thing going on here, it's an absolute "must listen".

Grab it now...

Cocteau Twins - Treasure (1984; 4AD Records)

Paavoharju - Yhä Hämärää (2005)

Take two brothers (Lauri & Olli Ainala); insert them into a born-again Christian commune in the Finnish town of Savonlinna with a bunch of instruments and recording equipment, add generous portions of lo-fi ambient psych-folk and dream pop and that's basically Paavoharju in the most reductive of ways. They're so much more than all of that, they defy any genre pigeonholing by employing an extensive use of electronics (to add a perfect balance between acoustic guitars and ethereal-sounding vocals) it's much easier to just call it "experimental".

Yhä Hämärää loosely translated means "still murky"; as all the song titles revolve around a similar theme (or a poem of sorts): "forever to the world / light oozing through everything / moon consoles concern / depth / gust / air flows / morning sun feels / pure white / I traveled far / it is still murky / black street..."

Yes, I ran all the song titles through Google Translate.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite releases of the last ten years; a real hidden gem full of murky, dense, layered atmospheric folktronica jams from the land of reindeer and cheesy symphonic death metal. Enjoy!

Paavoharju - Yhä Hämärää (2005; Fonal Records)

Galaxie 500 - On Fire (1989)

I don't know if Galaxie 500 can be credited with starting the slowcore movement, but they did more for its early development than anyone else. I think it was their intention to be an eighties version of The Velvet Underground; at least in the Velvet's quieter moments (think their 1969 self-titled album, the one with Pale Blue Eyes and I'm Set Free). Hey, if you're gonna copy someone, copy the best, right?

Shimmering and wave-like guitars set over slinky and growling bass lines locked into a steady drum beat; that's the Galaxie 500 sound that everyone after tried to copy as well; some got it right (Low, et al) and some didn't. But the fact remains that Galaxie was an awesome band, never trying to confuse the listener with tempo changes and stops and starts; just pop music slowed down enough to be covered in a sweet molasses glaze.

This is the 1997 Rykodisc re-issued remaster with three bonus tracks...

Galaxie 500 - On Fire (1989; Rough Trade Records)

Slowdive - Souvlaki (1993)

Slowdive so badly wanted Brian Eno to produce this record, but after speaking with him he told them it would be better if he was a collaborator instead. He wound up playing keys on a track and co-writing another. It's too bad this came out the exact time Suede and the Britpop movement began because this record totally got lost under that massive cloud.

This is what I think of when someone mentions the word "album", as in; the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. This isn't a record with a single on it, it has to be played end-to-end. That being said, this is a re-issue with three bonus tracks at the end of the record.

So, in short: dreamy downtempo rock music that plays best during a snowstorm.

Slowdive - Souvlaki (1993; Creation Records)

Ride - Nowhere (1990)

I like Ride's Nowhere a lot more than I like My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. There, I said it, and it felt good to get that off my chest. To my ears, it's just a more enjoyable, more tuneful record. That's it. We can argue about it, but I'm pretty sure neither of us are gonna budge. Cool?

Anyway; you can call it shoegaze, you can call it psychedelic revival, dream pop, '90s alt-rock, you can call it whatever you want. I call it all those, but mostly I call it one of the best records of that decade. It's also hopelessly British, and that's why I love this sort of stuff from the Old Country.

So listen to it. Then get back to me so we can talk about it...

Ride - Nowhere (1990; Sire Records)