My Dream Pop Mix

1. The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
2. The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows
3. The Velvet Underground – Sunday Morning
4. Cocteau Twins – Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops
5. The Jesus and Mary Chain – Just Like Honey
6. The Smiths – That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
7. My Bloody Valentine – To Here Knows When
8. Slowdive – Machine Gun
9. Ride – Kaleidoscope
10. Lush – Kiss Chase
11. Chapterhouse – Breather
12. The Boo Radleys – Barney (…and me)*
13. Spiritualized – Lay Back In The Sun
14. Yo La Tengo – Little Honda
15. The Helio Sequence – Transistor Radio
16. Caribou – Jacknuggeted
17. Sybris – Breathe Like You’re Dancing
18. Serena-Maneesh – Drain Cosmetics
19. Asobi Seksu – Thursday

*song does not appear on actual mix CD due to size constraints

Since I’m running out of seasons to talk about, I’m going to start branching into different kinds of mix CD’s. The first to come of my expansion is the Dream Pop Mix. Dream pop, in my mind, encompasses a few different styles of music. Shoegazing and ambient pop are related styles (I’ll explain more later on). On this mix, I tried to explore the evolution of dream pop. The mix starts at the beginning of modern dreaminess, when “dream pop” didn’t really exist yet.

The elements first appeared in the sixties. The Beach Boys are a primary influence of bands in the dream pop genre. I grew up listening to my dad’s copy of Endless Summer, but I had no idea just how influential the work of Brian Wilson and friends has been until recently. “God Only Knows” is my favorite song by them, and it’s a great example of the joyful patchwork of sound they developed on the Pet Sounds album. The next band is a given when talking about any modern group’s influences. The Beatles played an important role here, especially on their drug-tinged late 60’s work like Revolver and Magical Mystery Tour. The Velvet Underground was a band remembered most for their ability to maintain a certain atmosphere and using it to captivate listeners. Many bands are attracted to this emphasis of ambiance over song structure.

The first emissions of an actual genre of dream pop came in the early 80’s. The Jesus and Mary Chain successfully mined those aforementioned 60’s bands and ultimately influenced many groups to come. Cocteau Twins are considered the perfect example of ambient pop with their airy vocals and silky smooth melodies. The Smiths are one of my favorite bands (I will later add The Queen Is Dead to my list of all time favorite albums), but the song I included here is unique. Johnny Marr’s construction of layer upon layer of magnificent guitars is what will forever stand out about his work with the Smiths.

The peak of dream pop occurred in the late 80’s and early 90’s on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and Slowdive’s Souvlaki. I already wrote a review of Loveless. It’s ridiculous how the name My Bloody Valentine is thrown around in modern music writing. However, that band (and especially that album) have influenced an endless number of bands and remains one of the most painfully underappreciated works of all time. These two groups are considered quintessential shoegazers. Shoegaze, when done well, finds the vocals pushed way back to become gelled with swirling guitar and keyboards to create a pure sonic orgasm. You really have to hear it (or see it below) to believe it.

Ride, Lush, Chapterhouse, the Boo Radleys, and Spiritualized followed, each with their own take on the world of dreamy indie pop. These bands were prominent from the early to mid 1990’s. Yo La Tengo is another band that deserves mention with their 1997 cover of the Beach Boys’ classic “Little Honda.” Yo La Tengo has established themselves as one of indie rock’s most respectable acts over the past 20 years. Their music employs the classic Beach Boys and Velvet Underground influences, but they are an entity that stands alone. I cannot wait to see them on July 30 at the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Now, in the 21^st century, many bands draw inspiration not only from the 60’s groups, but also largely from the shoegazing movement. The Helio Sequence is a pair from Portland, OR, who share drums, guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, and vocals. Their earlier work fits in well here, but their new album has a more direct sound (think Mates of State or Of Montreal). I’ve already talked about Caribou in my Canadian music feature. Caribou’s 2003 album Up In Flames was excellent shoegaze-go-electronic. However, Caribou’s newer work also strays from the formula. Here is the video for "Jacknuggeted" from Up In Flames.

Sybris (who I also reviewed on here not too long ago) is a female-fronted Chicago indie rock band with a flair for My Bloody Valentine and 80’s noise rock like the Pixies. Serena-Maneesh is exploding out of Norway with a seemingly new take on those early 90’s sounds of which I’ve become so fond. Finally, Asobi Seksu is a New York group who sound like a 15 year shoegaze time capsule. Don’t worry though because they throw in some new tricks.

Not all of the groups here were locked into the dream pop genre. Sometimes it just shines through on a single album, or sometimes just a single song. But all of these songs deserved to be included. Hopefully this list has inspired you in some way. Maybe when people start reading this blog (trust me, I do realize that no one currently reads it) they will start listen to some of these obscure bands. Or maybe my idea of perfect music is not the same as someone else’s. I expect the latter. I write all this for my enjoyment anyways. If you’d like to come along for the ride, feel free to accept my open invitation.