Dream pop

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Dream pop
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins1980s, United Kingdom
Derivative forms
Fusion genres
Other topics

Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop)

reverb, echo, tremolo, and chorus. It often overlaps with the related genre of shoegaze
, and the two genre terms have at times been used interchangeably.

The genre came into prominence in the 1980s through the work of groups such as

Beach House
.

Characteristics

Chorus and echo effects, as heard on electric guitar.
A demonstration of sound effects used in dream pop.
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The term dream pop is thought to relate to the "immersion" in the music experienced by the listener.

reverb and echo are ubiquitous, with tremolo and chorus also heard on recordings.[3]

Lyrics are often introspective or existential in nature,[13] but may be difficult to hear or incomprehensible in the mix.[12] In the view of critic Simon Reynolds, dream pop "celebrates rapturous and transcendent experiences, often using druggy and mystical imagery".[9] In 1991, he suggested this escapist tendency might be a response to the cultural landscape of the UK during the 1980s: "After 12 years of Conservative government in Britain, any idealism or constructive political involvement seems futile to these alienated middle-class dropouts."[9] Similarly, according to Rachel Felder, dream pop artists often resist representations of social reality in favour of ambiguous or hallucinogenic experiences.[14]

History

1960s–1970s: Origins

Author Nathan Wiseman-Trowse writes that the "approach to the sheer physicality of sound" integral to dream pop was "arguably pioneered in popular music by figures such as

Beach Boys founder] Brian Wilson."[14] The music of the Velvet Underground in the 1960s and 1970s, which experimented with repetition, tone and texture over conventional song structure, was also an important touchstone in the genre's development.[14] Their 1967 debut The Velvet Underground & Nico incorporated what music critic Marc Beamount terms "psychedelic dream pop" in addition to a variety of other styles.[15] 1960s band the Byrds would influence the "swoony harmonies" of later British dream pop groups.[9]

The Beach Boys recorded an early dream pop song, "All I Wanna Do", for their 1970 album Sunflower.[16][17][18] Critic Jim Allen, who cites the Beach Boys as the "godfathers" of dream pop on 2021, says that the song's unprecedented "cinematic dream sequence" production style marks the point "where the dream pop family tree starts to come into focus."[16] However, the Beach Boys' impact on the genre was not widely acknowledged until after the 2000s.[16]

Music journalist John Bergstrom recognises George Harrison's 1970 track "Let It Down" as a progenitor of the genre, while stating that its Spector-produced parent album All Things Must Pass influenced "many guitar-driven, echo-drenched bands have come around since, mixing powerful rave-ups with moody, reflective down-tempo numbers and a spiritual bent.[19]

Early–mid 1980s: Development

A.J. Ramirez of

4AD and Projekt Records.[20] Rolling Stone describes "modern dream pop" as originating with the early 1980s work of Cocteau Twins and their contemporaries.[21] AllMusic's Jason Ankeny credits the Cocteau Twins' "distinctly ethereal" sound and singer Elizabeth Fraser's operatic, indecipherable vocals with defining their label, the UK-based 4AD.[22] According to Pitchfork, Vini Reilly of the Durutti Column "embodied the cliché of the suicidal dream-pop guitarist in the mid-1980s" with his "narcotic performances" presaging later acts such as My Bloody Valentine and Galaxie 500.[23]

The 1984 album

UK Indie Chart, remaining there consistently for two years.[24] Film director David Lynch, unable to obtain the rights to This Mortal Coil's version of "Song to the Siren" for his 1986 film Blue Velvet, enlisted composer Angelo Badalamenti and singer Julee Cruise to record a replacement track. The result was "Mysteries of Love", described by Rolling Stone as a significant development of the dream pop sound which "gave the genre its synthy sheen".[21] The trio of Cruise, Lynch and Badalamenti later recorded the 1989 album Floating into the Night, which further elaborated on the style and featured the Twin Peaks theme and UK top 10 single "Falling".[21]

Late 1980s–1990s: Shoegaze scene

Main article: Shoegaze

The term "dreampop" was coined in the late 1980s by Alex Ayuli of

neo-psychedelic groups" characterised by a "blurry, blissful sound", and credits the influence of the "ethereal soundscapes" of Cocteau Twins as well as more distorted styles of American alternative rock.[9]

In the 1990s, "dream pop" and "shoegazing" were interchangeable and regionally dependent terms, with "dream pop" being the name by which "shoegazing" was typically known in America.

reverb-laden sound becoming influential.[12] UK bands acts as A.R. Kane, My Bloody Valentine and Ride played an influential role in the development of the movement.[31] Other prominent acts to emerge from the movement include Slowdive and Chapterhouse.[9]

The 1990 Cocteau Twins album

sampling.[6]

2000s: Contemporary developments

The 2007 album

sampledelic techniques, winning acclaim and exerting a wide influence.[35]
Much of the music associated with the 2009-coined term "
millennial listeners.[3]

List of artists

Main article: List of dream pop artists

See also

References

  1. ISBN 2-357-794151

    "L'ethereal wave s'est développée à partir du gothic rock ... Cela est rendu par des effets d'écho, de reverb et de delay très imposants sur les guitares... On relève une prédominance d'un chant féminin haut perché ou très ample et de voix masculines soufflées, douces at contemplatives. Les paroles sont parfois difficilement compréhensibles... L'ethereal wave (et notamment les Cocteau Twins) a grandement influencé le shoegaze et la dream pop. Les labels principaux promouvant le genre sont 4AD et Projekt Records."
  2. ^ a b Ramirez, A.J. (31 October 2009). "'Bela Lugosi's Dead': 30 Years of Goth, Gloom, and Post-Post-Punk". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Fumo, Dante (16 October 2018). "How to Record Dream Pop in Your Home Studio". Reverb. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  4. ISBN 0-0627-3383-4
  5. ^ Weiss, Dan (6 July 2012). "Slutwave, Tumblr Rap, Rape Gaze: Obscure Musical Genres Explained". LA Weekly.
  6. ^ a b "Ambient Pop". AllMusic.
  7. ^ a b Abebe, Nitsuh (22 July 2011). "Chillin' in Plain Sight". Pitchfork.
  8. ^ Anon (n.d.). "Dream Pop". AllMusic.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Reynolds, Simon (1 December 1991), "Pop View; 'Dream-Pop' Bands Define the Times in Britain", The New York Times, retrieved 7 March 2010
  10. ISBN 978-1-4411-5937-3
  11. ^
    ISBN 978-0-87930-628-1
    , p. ix.
  12. ^ a b c Staff (21 August 2020). "The 25 Best Dream Pop Albums of All Time". Paste. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  13. ^
    ISBN 978-0-87930-628-1
    .
  14. ^
    ISBN 9780230594975
    .
  15. ^ Beaumont, Marc (13 November 2020). "The Velvet Underground's Loaded at 50". The Independent. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  16. ^ a b c Allen, Jim (13 December 2021). "How The Beach Boys Became The Godfathers Of Dream Pop". UDiscover Music. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  17. Ultimate Classic Rock
    .
  18. ^ "Violet's 'tracks to listen to on tour' playlist, feat. Spinn, Kylie, Swim Deep and more". Dork. 16 May 2019.
  19. ^ Bergstrom, John (14 January 2011). "George Harrison: All Things Must Pass". PopMatters. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  20. ^ "L'ethereal wave s'est développée à partir du gothic rock ... Cela est rendu par des effets d'écho, de reverb et de delay très imposants sur les guitares ... On relève une prédominance d'un chant féminin haut perché ou très ample et de voix masculines soufflées, douces at contemplatives. Les paroles sont parfois difficilement compréhensibles ... L'ethereal wave (et notamment les Cocteau Twins) a grandement influencé le shoegaze et la dream pop. Les labels principaux promouvant le genre sont 4AD et Projekt Records."
  21. ^ a b c d Grow, Kory (25 July 2014). "Dream Team: The Semi-Mysterious Story Behind the Music of 'Twin Peaks'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  22. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Cocteau Twins' Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  23. ^ Unknown. "The Durutti Column: Keep Breathing Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d Berman, Judy. "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  25. ISBN 978-0-571-27832-9
    .
  26. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "A.R. Kane Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  27. ^ Moreland, Quinn (14 February 2021). "A.R. Kane: 69 Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  28. ^ Reynolds, Simon. "A.R. Kane features 1987-2012". ReynoldsRetro. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  29. ^ Tyler, Kieron (17 January 2016). "Reissue CDs Weekly: Still in a Dream - A Story of Shoegaze". The Arts Desk.
  30. ^ "Dream Pop Genre Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  31. ^ a b OUMANO, ELENA (May 1992). "Dream Pop Landscape Is Very Lush". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  32. ^ Moreland, Quinn (14 June 2020). "Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See". Pitchfork.
  33. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2011). Bring the Noise: 20 Years Writing About Hip Rock and Hip Hop. Soft Skull. p. 190.
  34. Spin
  35. ^ Oinonen, Janne. "Tomboy - Panda Bear". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  36. ^ Schilling, Dave (8 April 2015). "That Was a Thing: The Brief History of the Totally Made-Up Chillwave Music Genre". Grantland.com.
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