For a brief two or three years, there was a huge wave of shoegaze bands coming out of the UK. In a general sense, the shoegaze genre fused the swirling, chaotic, wall-of-sound guitar distortion of Sonic Youth with the ethereal vocal style of Cocteau Twins. The guitarists would apparently spend the bulk of their live performances concentrated on their effects pedals, barely even acknowledging the audience. Hence, the derogatory moniker, given by the snarky British press.
These bands seem typically egalitarian, with most of the significant shoegaze acts featuring a female lead singer or co-lead singer, and sometimes women playing guitar and bass, too. And that was a good thing, not just for equal rights, but for the music’s sound, as well. To my ears, male shoegaze voices tend to sound disinterested and bored within the mix—but the higher-pitched female voices contrast nicely with the guitar fuzz, creating a unique sort of aural beauty.
And Lush—with lead singer Miki Berenyi accompanied on vocals and guitar by Emma Anderson—in many ways epitomized that dynamic of harshness and light. The raging, wall of guitar noise that opens “Leaves Me Cold,” for example, hits you like a ton of bricks; then the sweet vocals come in, an odd juxtaposition, a study in contrasts. By the time the melodic refrain comes in, you’re hooked.
At their peak, Lush delivered pure shoegaze bliss. Here’s a sampling.
Cover Art:
- Gala compilation and Split (inner sleeve): Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
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