Slowdive – Souvlaki

Though not as big and swirling as Just for a Day, there's more of an attempt to put advanced song structure and melody in place rather than just craft infinitely appealing, occasionally thunderous mood music. Everything is simplified, as if Brian Eno's presence on two songs -- he contributes keyboards and treatments and co-wrote one tune after turning down the band's invitation to produce -- hammered home the better aspects of "ambient" music. This is no Music for Airports though. On the opening "Alison," the largely uplifting "When the Sun Hits," and the darkly blissful "Machine Gun," Slowdive are still capable of mouth-opening, spine-tingling flourishes. They've found a way to be quiet, moving, and aggressive simultaneously, mixing trance-like beauty with the deepest delayed guitar sounds around, a sound at once relaxing, soothing, and exciting, and most of all harshly beautiful. [SBK released Souvlaki in the U.S. a full eight months after its English release on Creation, with three-quarters of the 5 EP tacked on the end, plus one unreleased track, a memorable, spacy run through Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's "Some Velvet Morning."]

Just For A Day (Expanded)

It's 1990. It's been a year since the last Stone Roses album, and it will be 4 more until the next one. Nirvana has yet to hit the mainstream. It's been a year since the last Jesus and Mary Chain or Cure album, and we don't even have U2's “Achtung Baby” yet. So what's to be excited about? Is there any hope for music at this moment? Then you begin to hear of this band called Ride. They have really loud, swirling guitars, and really soft, sleepy vocals. You look around on the charts, and there's nobody like them, except for awe-inspiring My Bloody Valentine, but they've been out of the music scene for two years. This is completely new music. This is the next generation of “shoegazing.” Now it's 1991. Suddenly this unknown band shows up in the charts, from Reading, England, with a few amazing EP's. This band is getting raves upon raves of critical acclaim, and after giving them a listen it's certain – there is absolutely nothing out there like this. You thought Ride was something else, but this, this is something completely different. Completely unique. Nobody has tried this before. This is Slowdive.

As loud as The Jesus and Mary Chain, but less abrasive. As soft as Eno, but with vocals.