Album: Eyedazzler 1992-1996
Year: Released in 1997
Genre: Shoegaze, Dream Pop
Country: U.S. (Arizona)
No one can deny that early 90s Shoegaze was a British thing. Sure the U.S. had bands that were of the specific style, such as Drop Nineteens or Lilys, but the main movement was centered in England, particularly in the River Thames area. The U.S. was still dominated by Grunge during the early to mid 1990s, and Shoegaze was not something that was commonly talked about between music listening teens and young adults. The U.S. counterparts of Shoegaze were typically college students with an extreme fascination in English Alternative music, and they typically came to be in large, Northern cities.Cities such as New York, Boston, and Chicago were where these few bands seemed to conglomerate, and develop a small but loyal fanbase of those who wish they were in Oxford to see Lush play with Ride.
Alison's Halo, on the other hand, were from Tempe Arizona, a place definitely not known for a music scene, or a very English influenced culture. However there is little question what kind of music they played, this is pure Shoegaze at its finest. They are still, I believe, the only Early 90s American Shoegaze outfit to feature female vocals, a theme not exactly prominent with American Alternative in the 1990s. Female vocals in English Shoegaze, however, are arguably just as prevalent as male vocals. Now, knowing whether this band is actually playing tribute to the English scene, or are developing their own fusion of Space Rock and Punk, is unknown.
This release, much like Gala by Lush, is a collection of songs from their previous EPs, due to these EPs not having a very significant amount of copies. Even though Gala was 7 years senior to Eyedazzler, their similarities are remarkable. They are both very female orientated groups focusing on Pop ideals, just as much as the musicianship and sound of the noisy instruments around them. In total, with the creativity, both records sound absolutely beautiful.
It is unknown if the tracks are in any sort of chronological order, or rearranged for this release, but the order seems to flow well enough. The songs on the album vary from abrasive and noisy to gentle and dreamy. This creates an unpredictable album flow that works well with the songs. Some songs seem to branch out more, such as 'Always April' which reminds me a lot of 'Zombie' by The Cranberries for some reason. The songs vary in length as well. Some are quite short, and some run for 7 or 8 minutes.
This album is a great example of American Shoegaze, and sounds a lot different than that of the New York and other big city Shoegaze counterparts. Well worth an intent listen.
Rating: A-
1. Raindrop
2 .Wishes
3. Melt
4. Chime
5. Always April
6. Snowbleed
7. Torn
8. Leech
9. Sunshy
10. Chalkboard James
11. Untitled [Live from 1995]
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?yzyztnzyier
May or may not work, let me know if it has troubles. I know at least one mediafire link has corrupted files.
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