Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a style of music that emerged in Great Britain in the late 1980s. The beginning of the genre is said to be Isn't Anything by My Bloody Valentine, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). However, it drew heavily upon synth pop and New Wave artists, as well as electronica, glam rock and other artists like David Bowie, The Jesus & Mary Chain and especially Cocteau Twins and Roxy Music. The name was coined by the New Musical Express, playfully noting the tendency of the bands' guitarists to stare at their feet, seemingly deep in concentration, while playing. Melody Maker preferred the more staid term "The Scene That Celebrates Itself" (referring to the bands' habits of attending each others gigs in Camden), and the music is sometimes now referred to as a category of dream pop (though this term is mainly restricted to the US.)Shoegazing is characterized by the use of distortion and fuzz, droning riffs and a Spectorish wall of sound from the noisy guitars. Vocals were typically subdued in volume and tone. While the genres which influenced shoegazing often used drum machines, shoegazing more often featured live drumming. Shoegazing drummers such as Chris Cooper of Pale Saints and the late Chris Acland of Lush often displayed complex drumming.
See also: List of shoegazing musicians
| Alternative music | Subgenres |
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| Britpop - College rock - Dream pop - Gothic rock - Grunge - Indie rock - Jam band - Madchester - New Wave - Shoegazing - Twee |
| Bands |