by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Shoegaze was initially a derogatory term, despite its way of describing an area of music where bands tended to look down at their effects pedals during gigs. Now it stands for something far more positive, the celebration of a movement in music now into its fourth decade.

Waves Of Distortion is a compendium of the biggest bands around in shoegaze, but also finds room to celebrate little-known entities, its aim to take the listener down a rabbit hole. It does so across 26 tracks.

What’s the music like?

Rather wonderful. This is an extremely well-chosen sequence of music moving from shoegaze royalty to an examination of more deserving acts. The quality never dips,

The lush textures of Slowdive’s Slomo are first up, celebrating the return of the band in 2017, a key moment in the shoegaze timeline. There is a weightless serenity about their music but also a latent power, beautifully harnessed here.

A strong 1-2-3 is completed by Chapterhouse and Ride, Pearl and Vapour Trail respectively – two tracks from the 1990 origins. Also from that year is Lush’s Sweetness And Light, a beauty enhanced by Miki Berenyi’s angelic tones. How good it is, too, to be reminded of Kitchens Of Distinction, with The 3^rd Time We Opened The Capsule.

The excellent notes from Nathaniel Cramp, who runs the Sonic Cathedral label, put the bands in their appropriate context, and explain the welcome inclusion of a number of international bands. Beach House, in particular, deserve their place with the glittering Lazuli, while Robin Guthrie’s starry-eyed version of Echo Ladies’ Overrated is a treat. More modern inclusions such as The Daysleepers’ richly-voiced Food In Heaven work really well, backed up by Flyying Colours’ Long Holiday, which is both tuneful and loosely funky. bdrmm’s A Reason To Celebrate is a welcome blast of sound, too. Sometimes the music is less song-based and more a description of a weather form, with Air Formation’s Daylight Storms a thrilling case in point.

Does it all work?

It does, ticking all the compilation boxes of summing up the best of shoegaze while giving the listener a jumping off point for a number of new discoveries. Repeat listening only adds to the appeal.

Is it recommended?

Very much so. As a starter kit for the shoegaze movement, Waves Of Distortion is highly recommended – but even for the seasoned listener there is plenty to recommend it. Excellent complementary artwork, too!

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You can explore purchase options at the Piccadilly Records website

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Black Light Smoke is the front under which Chicago-born Jordan Lieb makes his music. Currently resident in New York, Lieb has house and techno heritage on his doorstep – and pours it into his debut album.

The album draws on 30 years’ worth of dance music in a search for the real meaning of house music. As it does so it brings in elements of rave, house and soul – and forming them into a structure with strong parallels to a DJ mix.

In a deeper meaning, Ghosts also stands for facing the shadows of the past in order to be able to move forward.

What’s the music like?

This is a cracking dance music album. Jordan Lieb is a talented producer, but he doesn’t have to try too hard to show it – the craft of making a strong album akin to a DJ set comes to him instinctively.

We have an atmospheric, deep opener as Sprinkles Says casts an evocative nocturnal atmosphere, and then a thoughtful, voice-led track in the shape of 727 Anthem (House Is Black), which sets out the stall for an album that works as well for the head as it does for the dancing feet. This is an old-style house track seen through younger eyes, and it’s a strong combination.

Then comes one of two excellent vocal tracks featuring Léah Lazonick. Hearts Not Broken is slightly eerie, the spoken word vocal in the verse cutting to a distant harmony for the chorus. Later on, Ghosts itself has smoky, wispy outlines.

Elsewhere, Lieb gets down to business. Pleasure Chaser, The Beat Direct and Out From Within are the sort of deep house tracks we might have expected from the likes of Kevin Yost in the late 1990s, though Lieb creates a very different mood in each one. Love Triangle goes deeper and sultry, but Prisoner is peak time house, its piano ringing out above the dancing throng.

Resonate feels like classic, late 1980s techno, with fat synth lines, while In The Valley has mellow, rich chords to lie on. By way of a contrast, Nighttime Honey keeps its rough edges, vinyl crackles and all, looking out on a nocturnal city scape as it seeks company. Finally The Storm fizzes and crackles, one of the faster tracks of the album taking us out on a high.

Does it all work?

It does. Lieb keeps his music interesting throughout, crackling with atmosphere, and very much setting the scene of late night cities. Social elements are subtly explored, too.

Is it recommended?

Wholeheartedly – this is a fine dance music record. When you buy it, though, you can kill two birds with one stone, because Lieb is donating 100% of all his proceeds to Little Bit Foundation, empowering students living in poverty to achieve their academic goals.

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