Souvlaki

Sounding as if just might be emerging from an eternal realm, a place altogether universal in its breadth, and where time remains forever paused, “SloMo” from Slowdive’s 2017 self-titled release, is a cyclical, mantric, composition that promotes a real sense of timeless, everlasting return, an extension and refinement of everything that worked best on their sophomore outing, “Souvlaki”, released in 1993. “Souvlaki” is a recording that’s exercised an enormous influence over many of the groups identifying as bands operating within the present-day shoegazing scene, one that created shimmering, meditative soundscapes possessed by an almost ethereal beauty, and sense of dreamlike enchantment, and ranks only behind My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” as the genre’s most universally acclaimed recording. Slowdive rubbed shoulders with Ride and My Bloody Valentine, emerging contemporaneously alongside of them, each of them releasing a seminal recording that when considered together are recognized as shoegazing’s definitive releases; “Loveless”, dropped by My Bloody Valentine in late ‘91; “Souvlaki” itself, in early ‘93, and Ride’s “Nowhere”, in the fall of 1990. “Loveless” revolves around the singular, heavily-textured guitar tones chased and captured by Kevin Shields, a sound characterized by a swirling directionality and an enormous dynamic range, more than periodically climbing from a level plateau to sustained explosiveness. “Nowhere” was a baroque masterpiece defined by a subversive approach toward blending pop melodies with the controlled burn of effects pedals being deployed within a zone of precise and tuneful control, landing just a little more on the quiescent side than the aggressive, yet still with a muscular presence, and progress in the most straightforward, conventional direction out of each of these releases. “Souvlaki”, however, merges the characteristic sound of both bands into one of their own, with distinctive wrinkles that loom large even as they appear as small touches, creating songscapes that are lush, saturating, and compelling within a sense of delicate intensity. Typical instrumentation universally associated with conventionally arranged songs that unfold in a linear fashion are present here on “Souvlaki”. ; bass, guitar, drums, and keyboard; yet they’re not emerging either with the massive, miasmic riffs that characterize “Loveless”, or the jangling, slightly cascading, gentle overwash of guitar-driven sound run with judicious restraint through an effects rack and smartly bracketed by a crisply-executed, lockstep percussive groove so emblematic of Ride’s, but a suggestive, textural, gently cocooning mosaic of atmospheric guitar not so much undergirded by actively-engaged, timekeeping percussion as seamlessly integrating with it until it stretches out and blends into a frequently gorgeous, wistful, and diaphanous envelope of sound, languid and shimmering, the balance weighing much more into the quiescent end of the dynamic range as opposed to the aggressive, swelling much more frequently in amplitude rather than magnitude. “Souvlaki Space Station” , “Allison”, “Machine Gun”, "40 Days" “When The Sun Hits”, and ‘Dagger”are the most notable tracks, but the release overall seems to be just a bit more seamless than “Loveless” or “Nowhere”. Severe critical backlash from Britian's trendy, notoriously fickle music press (who'd just "discovered" Britpop) was astounding in its snottily derisive ferocity, and helped work to undermine the success of “Souvlaki” , the band gaining minimal support from its label, and hampering general public awareness in a manner that prevented it from becoming a radio-friendly unit shifter. “Souvlaki”’s reputation was rehabilitated during the following decade, as bands recording as nu-gaze outfits followed its formative blueprint, causing critics to take a long and considered second look at it, retrospectively declaring that it was shoegazing’s lost classic, a re-evaluation that caused it to receive almost universal acclaim, rated just behind “Loveless” in its impact and influence, and led to the band’s reformation during the following decade, their self-titled 2017 release acclaimed as not only a superlative return to form that extended and refined their sound, but a jaw-dropping marvel, acclaimed as an instant classic. I was 21 when My Bloody Valentine released “Isn’t Anything, which served as a primer for the entire shoegazing genre and bought it shortly afterward, and because that genre was the first one to emerge during my adulthood I paid special attention to both the bands that were considered part of that movement, and the releases they dropped. Please believe me when I say that “Souvlaki” deserves all of the attention and acclaim that it’s now deservedly receiving, and to grab a copy for yourself and find out why.

The first time I listened to this album I didn't liked it, but after a year I decided to give it another opportunity and it became my favorite Shoegaze album.

I love everything about this album. Everything, that is, but the name. "Souvlaki" conjures images of restaurants with menus high above the counter and backlit with harsh fluorescent light, where greasy men slave over greasier frying ranges and the food's all served in plastic baskets. It's an earthy name, whereas this is an airy album. There's a collective word for this subgenre of music--shoegazer. Reportedly, the name came about because many of the bands had such little stage presence that they didn't do much beyond playing their instruments and staring at their feet. Like "Souvlaki," that name feels wrong, at least for this listener; this is very atmospheric music, not fast enough to evoke flight, but a perfect soundtrack for lying on your back and staring up at the sky. The instrumentation's ethereal and nebulous--even by shoegazer standards--but there's a charging tension that holds it all together and gives it shape and substance. It's like a sky made more interesting by clouds--or better yet, a sky whose clouds are capable of anything from silence to storms. (People tend to describe shoegazer music as druggy. I think much of it is sleepy--but in a beautiful way, like an afternoon nap outside in the summer.) "Sing" is pleasant and sedate, while "Dagger" evokes that early morning space between sleep and dawn, where the hushed whispers from your lover mingle with the echoes of your dreams. But there are also darker clouds, and the occasional rain squall. "Here She Comes" starts out with a pleasant name and peaceful tone, but the lyrics soon turn the calm interior into an icy lonely landscape. The opener, "Alison," is charging and engaging, and "40 Days" builds like a summer thunderstorm until it brings forth bright beautiful flashes of guitar noise. All in all, this is a damn near perfect album, a wonderful mood piece that sounds great on the first listen and stays with you thereafter. It is beautiful, emotional, inspired--in a word, heavenly.

What can I say about this album? For one; I think it is equal if not better than "Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine. The music is incredibly rich and texturalized. The vocals, like in most Shoegaze, are pushed back and add more to the music, rather than being the in front of it all. The use of reverb and distortion are incredibly emphasized and the volume is pretty loud, almost, but not quite as loud as Dinosaur Jr. nor My Bloody Valentine. The sound of the album is incredibly drenched in pop sensibilities, space/psychedelic rock, and dream pop sounds.The influence of Cocteau Twins, Souxsie and The Banshees, My Bloody Valentine, Pink Floyd, and even The Velvet Underground, are very noticeable and play a large emphasis on the band. Without these influences, the band would not be who they are. The album starts out with the track "Alison", an song that emphasis the poppy, melodic influences the band, and ends with "Dagger", an almost Velvet Underground sounding acoustic track. In my opinion, I believe that the highlight track of the entire album is the sixth track, "Souvlaki Space Station". This song is the epitome of the Slowdive sound for me. Incredibly enticing, very atmospheric and really, really loud, with the vocals being pushed to the background. The song delivers a very, very nostalgic flavor to me and is also very fun to just lay down and listen with headphones on. For me, the album changes between melancholic to triumphant to nostalgic and brooding. Almost in one song to another. This album is a hidden gem of the 90s Alternative scene and one that should not be overlooked. For some, it could be boring and tedious, but for me it is very enticing, relaxing and just straight fun. I recommend this for anyone who is into Shoegaze, Pink Floyd, My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins, or space/Psychedelic rock. Even if you`re not into any of these genres/bands, check this out. Might be worth your time.

Shoegazing has never caught a break and critics of the time turned their noses to a genre that produced some of the most peaceful and dreamy music ever to grace our ears. You don't have to be high to enjoy this dreamy shoegaze in top form as it relaxes your senses and soothes your being. The only album I have found to even possibly challenge the album Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, but it still doesn't beat that album. Most certainly top three material of the shoegaze genre that is a must have for anyone needing to broaden their music collection or collection of this genre. Sad to see this album fly under the radar so bad. 1)Alison-12/10-One of the best songs ever written in music...period. This song has such a nostalgic appeal to it that takes my mind to surreal places. The reverb-washed guitar in the background squealing out those high pitches sends chills down me every time. This song was definitely conceived under drug use, which the band admits proudly and will forever be one of the best stoner songs. 2)Machine Gun-9.5/10 One of my favorite songs on the album, Machine Gun has a very spacey vocal arrangement where they seem almost fragile enough to break. One of those songs that will give you a mental high if you lose yourself in it. 3)40 Days -7.5/10-The weakest song on the album, this song with its strange horn like effect at the beginning is still quite nice but skip-able. 4)Sing-8/10-A nice little upbeat song. Pretty effects, but not memorable. 5)Here She Comes-9/10-Twangy in a reverb way this is like a shoegaze western song come to life. Slowdive really knows what their doing with their instruments. 6) Soulvaki Space Station-9/10-Perfect representation of what you think space music would sound like, followed every now and then by an indistinct female vocal. A very good and accomplished instrumental otherwise. Memorable. 7)When The Sun Hits-10/10-Possibly my second favorite song on the album, this song catches me with its guitar riff that paves the path for Halstead's droning voice that is not showy nor amazing, but perfect for shoegaze as it carries on like a beautiful note being sustained. This song is one that will grow on you. 8)Altogether-8/10-Though skippable, this song is still better than 40 Days and the guitar retains its place on the album. Sort of a filler track. 9)Melon Yellow-9.5/10-Halstead blends the dynamics of vocals perfectly with the guitar which share a similar effect of phasing into volume and giving the song an echoing effect. Definitely an album highlight. 10)Dagger-10/10-A simple song, yet one of the best ballads. Only a guitar and vocals, Dagger pierces you with its hook-ridden vocals and beautiful down-tuned chord progression. A testament to good album closers and simple, yet powerful songs.

This album is just beautiful. There's no way you can listen to it and not feel some kind of immense emotion building inside of you. No matter what emotion, happy, sad, confused, loving, maybe not angry.... But it definitely makes you feel something deep inside, and that's very hard for music to do. Which means all the better if an album can make you feel that way. Souvlaki is just lovely. It's pretty, it's strong, it's captivating. Favorite songs are Alison, 40 Days, Sing, Souvlaki Space Station, When the Sun Hits, Altogether and Melon Yellow. Although, you can't go wrong with the whole album. Let it seep into your brain for a while. Most of these songs took a couple listens for me to really enjoy them. Honestly, I thought it was boring at first... But just sit and listen, it will lure you in and after some time it becomes a part of you. Dense, stunning, sonic, and significant. Whoever out there is interested in even looking at this album, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Not just anyone searches this album, you obviously have some good taste in music to even know about it, so yeah... You'll love it. Just give it some time because as with most great albums, they take a little patience.

Okay, so this is one of my favorite albums of all time and when I finally decided to add it to my vinyl collection I naturally looked to Amazon because not many local places in my area sell records, especially newer presses. This came earlier than estimated, which made me happy. But it was packaged in two layers on each side of cardboard which really made me nervous, i know that's pretty standard for shipping records from the web but it i always like when sellers actually go out of there way to make sure the product doesn't get damaged, and let me tell you, thin ass cardboard isn't enough. I got it out of the cardboard, no noticeable damage to the outside/album art and it's plastic sealing. I slid the record out and it was NOTICEABLY scuffed all over, side A and B. Immediately I had doubts that it was going to play correctly. I put it on my turntable anyways and gave it a go, it's spinning super warped which is very depressing considering that's no good for my turntables arm or needle. Luckily for me I suppose though it's playing perfectly fine. I'm actually listening to it as i type this, I'm just about done with side A and it hasn't skipped or popped and the quality isn't awful. If the other side turns out equally remotely satisfying I probably won't attempt to return it. I'm glad I finally got this and I seriously recommend anyone who sort of wants this album to make the purchase because it's super pleasing to hear it so raw. If you could though, try to get it someone local in your city or something, i just really feel like buying off of amazon or the internet in general for vinyl is just so sketchy. Overall, 4/5.

For anyone wondering yes it comes in a paper not a jewel case