Five Songs to Get You Primed for Slowdive’s Sep 14 Tango Live Show

Kyle Mullin | Aug 27, 2018 12:15 pm | Add a comment | 2141 reads

It wasn’t so much a gig announcement as a dream come true for Beijing’s slew of shoegaze and post-rock acts. Yes, shoegaze pioneers Slowdive are making their way to Beijing’s Tango livehouse on Sep 14.

Aside from being among the first and most influential exponents of that genre in the early '90s, the English band was also bold enough to risk alienating audiences with their experimental and demanding 1995 LP Pygmalion, which has served as fertile inspiration for many an avant-garde post-rock act in the ensuing years, despite its failure to catch on with more conventional fans. Though they didn’t release a follow up to that polarizing LP until 2017, their eponymous new album marked a triumphant return as critics greeted it with rave reviews, while fans enthusiastically scooped up enough tickets to keep the band steadily on the road for tours that have spanned the globe throughout the next year.

Now, after a brief break from that sold-out, hugely successful circuit, the band is making their way to Beijing for a show that is leaving local fans and musicians who have for years drawn on them for inspiration swooning. To whet your appetite we’ve run down our top five favorite Slowdive tracks below.

Catch the Breeze
As frontman Neil Halstead sings about how he feels like “all the days are gone” on this standout from Just for a Day, Slowdive’s 1991 debut studio album, his voice rings out softly enough to sound distant, as ethereal guitar notes float about and drums pummel like thunder. It’s a gentle yet intricate song that soothes you at first before its subtle textures start to catch your attention. As with many of the other highlights from the band’s catalog, it's a song that rewards with repeated listens.

Alison
“Alison” from Slowdive's 1993 sophomore LP Souvlaki is one of their most popular songs, and it’s not hard to guess why. For starters, there’s Halstead’s singing; smooth, sly, and swaggering as he delivers vivid lyrics about a cigarette that still burns and an old flame who he guesses is “out there somewhere.” But the goosebumps truly come with a wail of high-pitched guitar feedback at the beginning of the chorus, wrenching your heart before the band members converge for one of their trademark soaring atmospheric compositions. All that and more make “Alison” quintessential Slowdive. No wonder Beijing band Out of the Sea’s frontman chose this song title as his English name.

Soulvaki Space Station
This highlight from the band’s sophomore album is penned and sung by guitarist Rachel Goswell, which is especially significant given that she and Halstead had split up ahead of writing the album, changing the group’s once inclusive creative dynamic in favor of the frontman writing more of the band’s songs on his own. This track begins with an assertive staccato guitar riff that instantly sets it apart from the more nebulous, atmospheric playing on many prior fan favorites that lured so many diehards in, but can leave naysayers griping about sameyness. This divergence became an indication of the band's later versatility.

Miranda
Plodding guitar strums and intermittent, hair-raising synth moans give this song a haunting start that is amplified to the nth degree by Goswell’s gentle, soaring, ghostly singing. She wrote the lyrics for this song, and it not only exemplifies the more ambient and experimental bent of the album Pygmalion but also shows the band’s mastery of atmosphere, and their willingness to take fans on a challenging sonic journey that rewards patience.

Sugar for the Pill
Flaring guitar riffs, heartbeat drumming and an earnest vocal turn from Halstead all help not only make this song a standout on the band’s newest eponymous LP, but also helps that release mark a triumphant return for Slowdive after a 22-year hiatus. It’s a melancholy number with an ear-wormy rhythm, the latter serving the former like the sugar and medicine referenced in the title, all serving as proof that the members of Slowdive didn’t lose their gift for enthralling duality during their break.