Dream pop
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| Dream pop | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Post-punk, ethereal wave, psychedelic rock, pop, space rock, ambient music |
| Cultural origins | Mid-1980s, United Kingdom |
| Typical instruments | Guitar, bass, drums, vocals, synthesizers |
| Mainstream popularity | Low, with limited success |
| Derivative forms | Shoegazing, ambient pop |
| Other topics | |
| Notable artists | |
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane (to whom the term has been attributed) began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost exclusively used in the United States. An "all-star" dream pop collective named This Mortal Coil were known for covering obscure songs mainly from the 1960s and 1970s.
The essence of the music is a focus on ethereal textures and moods, rather than on propulsive rock riffs. Breathy, high-register female vocals or almost whispered male vocals are usually the means of lyrical delivery; lyrics are generally introspective and existential in nature. Cover art tends to consist of blurry pastel imagery or stark minimalist designs, or a combination of these two styles. Overall, the 4AD record label is the one most associated with dream pop, though others such as Creation, Projekt, Fontana, Bedazzled, Vernon Yard and Slumberland also released significant records in the genre.
History and artists
Early influences on the dream pop genre include "Sunday Morning" by The Velvet Underground, George Harrison's "Let It Down",[1] and "#9 Dream" by John Lennon, which all contained many elements of dream pop such as breathy vocals and atmospheric soundscapes. Other artists that have been identified as influences on the genre include the Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü, Spacemen 3, The Chameleons, The Cure, Bauhaus, Galaxie 500 and Spiritualized.
From the 1980s to early 1990s, bands such as Pale Saints, Spoonfed Hybrid, Spirea X, early-period Seefeel, early-period The Verve, Kitchens of Distinction, The Church, The Sundays, Belly, The Ocean Blue, Bel Canto, Hum, Cranes, Frazier Chorus, Strange Boutique, Curve, The Dream Academy and No-Man were representatives of the genre.
Concurrently, a number of more predominantly guitar-driven dream pop bands emerged in the United States, including Sentinel, Alison's Halo, BOBBY,[2]Low, Mazzy Star, Velour 100, Fine China, Love Spirals Downwards, Tears Run Rings, Porcelain Raft, Ars Poetica, Duster, Warm Ghost,[3]Azure Ray and Frownland. In Europe, some dream pop bands emerged, mixing more folk or electronic components, such as The Legendary Pink Dots and Hooverphonic.
Influence over other styles
Shoegazing
A louder, more aggressive strain of dream pop came to be known as shoegazing; key bands of this style were Lush, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Starflyer 59, Chapterhouse, Catherine Wheel, Ride, Medicine and Levitation. These bands kept the atmospheric qualities of dream pop, but added the intensity of post-punk-influenced bands such as The Chameleons and Sonic Youth. Shoegazing arose out of a love for dream pop's textures and moods, at the same time rejecting its more passive tendencies.[4] Shoegaze was initially concentrated in England in the early 1990s. It is a foregrounding of effects-pedals over melody.[5]
Further development
In the 1990s and early 2000s, bands like Sigur Rós, M83, Mercury Rev, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Dubstar, Laika, Asobi Seksu, Broken Social Scene, Readymade, Bethany Curve, Halou, Windy & Carl, Trespassers William, Southpacific, Amusement Parks on Fire, Mira, Yume Bitsu, Devics, Xinlisupreme, Mew, Air Formation, Psychic Ills, Charlene, Auburn Lull, and (in their more recent years) Blonde Redhead have had the dream pop label attached to them. Groups like these are sometimes (dismissively) called nu-gaze bands. The genre terms "ambient pop" and post-rock have been applied to some of these artists as well.
Dream pop is often credited with providing the creative "anti-rock" catalyst for textural-based musical styles such as trip hop, slowcore, and post-rock.[6]
A resurgence of dream pop in the independent music scene occurred in 2008, with the relatively successful indie acts of Silversun Pickups, Beach House, Au Revoir Simone, Tame Impala, Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Bat for Lashes, The Radio Dept., High Places, Lykke Li, Chairlift, Anomie Belle, Grimes, School of Seven Bells, The xx, Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Marissa Nadler, Holly Miranda, iamamiwhoami, Wild Beasts, and An Horse. Many of these bands were heavily plugged by the Pitchfork Media website.
See also
References
- ^ John Bergstrom, "George Harrison: All Things Must Pass", PopMatters, 14 January 2011, http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/135411-george-harrison-all-things-must-pass/ (retrieved 1 April 2012)
- ^ Anthony Carew (May 23, 2011). "Introducing: Bobby". About.com. http://altmusic.about.com/b/2011/05/23/introducing-bobby.htm. Retrieved 2011-05-24. "Name: Bobby"
- ^ "Warm Ghost -- Uncut Diamond (album) (music review)". ALTsounds. March 21, 2011. http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/127533-warm-ghost-uncut-diamond-album.html. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (1 December 1991), "Pop View; 'Dream-Pop' Bands Define the Times in Britain", The New York Times (The New York Times Company), http://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/pop-view-dream-pop-bands-define-the-times-in-britain.html?pagewanted=1, retrieved 7 March 2010
- ^ "Genre Profile - Shoegaze". About.com Alternative Music. http://altmusic.about.com/od/genres/a/shoegaze.htm//. Retrieved 2012-24-05.
- ^ "Genre Profile - Post-Rock". About.com Alternative Music. http://altmusic.about.com/od/genres/a/post-rock.htm. Retrieved 2012-24-05.
External links
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