Waves Of Distortion - The Best Of Shoegaze 1990-2022 [Transparent Red Vinyl 2 LP]

Two-Piers, the label that brought you Pop Psychédélique (The Best of French Psychedelic Pop 1964-2019), Garage Psychédélique (The Best of Garage Psych and Pzyk Rock 1965-2019) and Music for the Stars (Celestial Music 1960-1979) bring you Waves of Distortion (The Best of Shoegaze 1990-2022), a magical journey through the history of the shoegaze scene from its inception to the current exponents on the scene championing the sound. A perfect introduction to all that is glorious and great about shoegaze, and if it takes the listener down a rabbit warren to discover more, then job well done!

Waves of Distortion brings in some of the OG (original 'gazer) classics - Ride's peerless "Vapour Trail," Lush's "Sweetness and Light" from 1990 and Chapterhouse's "Pearl" from 1991. They are all incredible and timeless tunes. Then there are some others that were never really a part of that other great music press construct, The Scene That Celebrates Itself, in the case of The Telescopes and their fantastic 1991 single "Flying," and Spirea X's "Chlorine Dream" from the same year - both are indicative of the post-rave psychedelia that colored everything at the time and fit perfectly within the shoegaze scene.

Once we get to 1992, there's a bit of a gap in the chronology, as shoegaze was all too hastily dismissed in the country that birthed it, ignored in favor of grunge and then Britpop, the feedback fading away along with the bands that made it. But something amazing happened. when the s-word was used elsewhere in the world, rather than having negative connotations, it was merely a descriptive term. So, the flame was kept burning in the most unlikely places, waiting for everyone else to catch up once again. It's no surprise, then, that there are bands on this compilation from America (Ringo Deathstarr, Beach House), Australia (Lowtide, Flyying Colours), Sweden (Echo Ladies) and everywhere in between