Slowdive - s/t (2017): let's rejoice, shall we?

out on 5 May!

https://www.secretlystore.com/resources/product/380/doc132-380.jpg

“It felt like we were in a movie that had a totally implausible ending...”

Slowdive’s second act as a live blockbuster has already been rapturously received around the world. Highlights thus far include a festival-conquering, sea-of-devotees Primavera Sound performance, of which Pitchfork noted: “The beauty of their crystalline sound is almost hard to believe, every note in its perfect place.”

“It was just nice to realise that there was a decent amount of interest in it,” says principal songwriter Neil Halstead. The UK shoegaze pioneers have now channelled such seemingly impossible belief into a fourth studio opus which belies his characteristic modesty. Self-titled with quiet confidence, Slowdive’s stargazing alchemy is set to further entrance the faithful while beguiling a legion of fresh ears.

Deftly swerving what co-vocalist/guitarist Rachel Goswell terms “a trip down memory lane”, these eight new tracks are simultaneously expansive and the sonic pathfinders’ most direct material to date. Birthed at the band’s talismanic Oxfordshire haunt The Courtyard – “It felt like home,” enthuses guitarist Christian Savill – their diamantine melodies were mixed to a suitably hypnotic sheen at Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Sound facility by Chris Coady (perhaps best known for his work with Beach House, one of countless contemporary acts to have followed in Slowdive’s wake).

“It’s poppier than I thought it was going to be,” notes Halstead, who was the primary architect of 1995‘s previous full-length transmission Pygmalion. This time out the group dynamic was all-important. “When you’re in a band and you do three records, there’s a continuous flow and a development. For us, that flow re-started with us playing live again and that has continued into the record.”

Drummer and loop conductor Simon Scott enhanced the likes of ‘Slomo’ and ‘Falling Ashes’ with abstract textures conjured via his laptop’s signal processing software. A fecund period of experimentation with “40-minute iPhone jams” allowed the unit to then amplify the core of their chemistry. “Neil is such a gifted songwriter, so the songs won. He has these sparks of melodies, like ‘Sugar For The Pill’ and ‘Star Roving’, which are really special. But the new record still has a toe in that Pygmalion sound. In the future, things could get very interesting indeed.”

This open-channel approach to creativity is reflected by Slowdive’s impressively wide field of influence, from indie-rock avatars to ambient voyagers – see the tribute album of cover versions released by Berlin electronic label Morr Music. As befits such evocative visionaries, you can also hear Slowdive through the silver screen: New Queer Cinema trailblazer Gregg Araki has featured them on the soundtracks to no less than four of his films.

“When I moved to America in 2008 I was working in an organic grocery store,” recalls Christian. “Kids started coming in and asking if it was true I had played in Slowdive. That’s when I started thinking, ‘OK, this is weird!’”

Neil Halstead: “We were always ambitious. Not in terms of trying to sell records, but in terms of making interesting records. Maybe, if you try and make interesting records, they’re still interesting in a few years time. I don’t know where we’d have gone if we had carried straight on. Now we’ve picked up a different momentum. It’s intriguing to see where it goes next.”

The world has finally caught up with Slowdive. This movie could run and run...

Tracklisting

Slomo
Star Roving
Don’t Know Why
Sugar For The Pill
Everyone Knows
No Longer Making Time
Go Get It
Falling Ashes

love all this pretending mojave 3 didn't exist

haha yeah - wonder how that feels like for Neil and Rachel

Well these first two releases are fabulous. This is most I've enjoyed a shoegaze release since "From What is Said to When it's Read" by Bark Psychosis.

haha yeah - wonder how that feels like for Neil and Rachel

― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Tuesday, 28 March 2017 10:28 (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it ought to feel like something! anyway, spoon & rafter is the best album by either band

I like this more than I expected to - evolves their sound in a way I can respect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxwAPBxc0lU

i like that song a lot. sorta feels like the sound of pygmalion applied to a more traditional song structure (disclosure i've never listened to mojave 3)

Brad omg

Slightly duplicate thread. ;-)

Slowdive's 2017 album

Mojave 3 can be good. Can be.

(disclosure i've never listened to mojave 3)

This won't be a popular opinion but imo the last two albums were their best, one distended space folk and the other weirdly power-poppy?

also "Sugar for the Pill" is beautiful

it's practically Coldplay

mojave 3s best album was excuses for travellers

get to it

Don't mean to offend any Mojave 3 fans but this is the best to come out of their existence imho, vis-a-vis Ulrich Schnauss:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LGfY0YGlkA

will have a listen tonight

the original track is good but not a fan of spoon and rafter

Live gig streaming now on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Slowdive/videos/vb.27491437753/10155203295007754/?type=3&theater

i mean i love that ulrich schnauss version for sure but it's almost literally just reverb added to the original

new stuff sounding good on this stream

yeah new stuff fitting seamlessly with the classics

they gave that new single a little more muscle than the recording kinda

I was there. That was very good.

And now that some new songs have been heard -- I've heard an advance of the album, it's quite good. It's different from the previous three in a distinct way -- many of the songs are quite fast paced. Not *really* fast, but certainly in comparison to the steady swing and flow of the original albums, it's got a particular focus on pace that I think serves the album very well, and helps make this a distinct effort.

I don't think I've ever listened to Pygmalion, to be honest. The last thing by them I can remember getting were the 'In Mind' remixes. Is it worth seeking it out (22 years late)?

Very much so. It's quite remarkable.

I suspect this doesn't match the quality of the live stream: https://youtu.be/TJopgXE-MKU

Is there a thread suggesting key shoegaze albums for late period Boredoms fans to check out

Not yet at least.

maybe this???? https://www.discogs.com/Xinlisupreme-Tomorrow-Never-Comes/master/482671

is there a thread suggesting key sophistopop albums for late period andrew wk fans to check out

'Sugar for the Pill' sounds great. I'm getting quite excited for this now!

Yeah loving that song already and judging from the new material so far there is indeed is slightly muscular edge to their sound that is quite new. Can't wait

Excited for this album. These tracks rule.

Good interview: http://crackmagazine.net/article/music/features/slowdive-teenage-dreams-recovered/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1mT_zipAHY

wow, they sound fantastic... maybe I need to fly up to Chicago for their show.

yeah, I don't really like Sugar Pill all that much. I kinda agree with Pygmalion comparisons but it's also a lot warmer, even poppier which is not a bad thing in itself but overall it sounds really generic, while Pygmalion had some sort of cold vibe which made it really interesting. I wish them all the best, MBV proved that you can come back really strong as a shoegaze band even though this genre is kind of intrinsically nostalgic, that's all fine if they want to evolve their sound, it's just not that great to me.

I don't know if the genre is 'intrinsically nostalgic,' or if it is, you might as well say that about a lot of music in general, whether it's rock or something else. In that there was often a perceived built in sense of retreat/reflection, that's one thing, but when you've got something like three generations of musicians now doing something with the form one way or another, is it nostalgia or extension? (Certainly, as with so much else, a lot of newer stuff simply recreates rather than fuses and inspires in new directions, but again, why hold them to particular account?)

I think I'd be down on a band for skewing towards relatively more generic composition but these new songs are hitting me so directly I can't really step back and nitpick.

I think "Sugar for the Pill" works in spite of its straightforward composition. The chorus has a haunting touch that hooked me on the first listen and keeps me relistening, but

it's practically Coldplay

is otm

that's your fault for listening to Coldplay, isn't it

always with the victim blaming around here

I don't know if the genre is 'intrinsically nostalgic,' or if it is, you might as well say that about a lot of music in general, whether it's rock or something else. In that there was often a perceived built in sense of retreat/reflection, that's one thing, but when you've got something like three generations of musicians now doing something with the form one way or another, is it nostalgia or extension? (Certainly, as with so much else, a lot of newer stuff simply recreates rather than fuses and inspires in new directions, but again, why hold them to particular account?)

I think the first Mojave 3 album is the best one. Very very gentle and the closing track is very Slowdive.

"Sugar For The Pill" sounds like it could have come from the Black Hearted Brother album, which I really liked

'Out of Tune' by Mojave 3 has ended up being one of my most loved albums. 'Excuses For Travellers' is also very good and the others have their moments.

The early Mojave 3 demos, that made up part of the first album were originally sent out under the Slowdive name. I was surprised to read that the first M3 album was released within 10 months of 'Pygmalion', it came together that quickly.

Would love a new Mojave 3 record one day, however I am looking forward to Slowdive too.

xp i agree, it has a very different feel from the others. it's like slowcore. very atmospheric, great lead guitar tones

The early Mojave 3 demos, that made up part of the first album were originally sent out under the Slowdive name. I was surprised to read that the first M3 album was released within 10 months of 'Pygmalion', it came together that quickly.

wow i didn't know this! will definitely have to dig into to m3

Sugar is something very special
And fuck the Coldplay comment because SD are 20 years older than them and experience counts for something

the first four mojave 3 albums are all great, I didn't care for the last one

Yeah while it was a real treat to see them back when (92, 93, 94), they were either openers or in a very tiny venue. Seeing them with a big crowd and that really great light/film setup felt so well deserved. And yes, great show indeed.

agreed, fantastic. that warfield show was only last year btw (with Low opening); low were obv a better opener than cherry glazzer (who I do not like aside from their keyboardist); but this set from slowdive I think was much better than that one, they seem very baked in, much more comfortable being slowdive again.

also the s/t album rules, anyone who derided it above is crazy

Yeah I missed the earlier reunion tour but I wasn't too fussed because I'd already see the band do most of that stuff already -- I wanted to get a sense of where they were at now instead. So the combination of a great new album -- and the generally more uptempo feel of five or six songs they played from it helped leaven the set's generally stately progression -- plus being settled into a 'okay we are back and doing stuff we're now immediately engaged in,' combined with how they played with the arrangements of the classics -- "Crazy For You," "Dagger" and "Golden Hair" were particularly transformed -- paid off.

Arrived right when the opening band was finishing up so sounds like I timed it well.

Muttered this on Facebook as well but:

* a very young crowd! Not entirely but the vast majority of people around me up front clearly were born around when the band was first touring/releasing things.

* Having Eno cuts from Apollo opening and closing the set was a nice touch -- and fully earned given his work with them on Souvlaki

* As soon as "When the Sun Hits" started most of the people around me immediately proceeded to light up/vape. Which even though I've never done either actually did seem like the right move at the time.

(Also, last year? The first reunion tour was 2014, I wasn't living here yet.)

Also: I was amused by the blatant pill/drug animation at one point -- almost seemed more Spiritualized -- due to the markings on the capsule: 'SD 1-989' -- ie, Slowdive 1989, when they formed.

Jealous. Had my tickets but gig coincided with arrival of new baby. Hope I’ll get another chance

i was at the oakland show last night as well! made this 25-year-old's teenage dream come true seeing them! wept all of my tears when they opened the set with "slomo." would've been even more incredible if low were the openers (no shade to cherry glazerr).

Yeah I really appreciated how they started the set with that -- exactly what I would have done, don't bother with an old favorite first. And it was very well done.

Saw them in Israel about 2 months ago and it was one of the best showsi've seen

a very young crowd! Not entirely but the vast majority of people around me up front clearly were born around when the band was first touring/releasing things

I saw them at The Roundhouse (in London) the other week and overheard a couple of people talking - one said he hadn't seen them since 1991 and the other replied that he hadn't even been born then. Also, I don't remember them ever headlining such a big venue first time around, so they've definitely picked up a lot of new fans.

Just bought tix for Chicago - stoked - last time I saw them was Town & Country in London while studying abroad in 1990.

Which gig? I saw them twice at the Town & Country in 1990, both times they were the support group (for Ride and then for the Pale Saints).

With Ride - I literally re-turned in papers from my previous American college semester at my school - Christchurch college in Canterbury - just so I could go to shows and travel!

wow i guess that show was three years ago. it didn't seem that long to me. yikes.

OCT 29, 2017

at Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

intro.) Deep Blue Day (Brian Eno song)
1. Slomo
2. Slowdive
3. Crazy for You
4. Star Roving
5. Souvlaki Space Station
6. Avalyn
7. Catch the Breeze
8. Don't Know Why
9. Blue Skied an' Clear
10. When the Sun Hits
11. Alison
12. Sugar for the Pill
13. Golden Hair (Syd Barrett cover)

Encore:

14. No Longer Making Time
15. Dagger
16. 40 Days

it was such an amazing night, it made my heart burst. was my favorite gig of this year over The Jesus and Mary Chain. they were so much more psychedelic this time around or after twenty something odd years. one thing i will say is that i'm so happy for Slowdive. they have come such a long way. as others have said in this thread, they had a bunch of young kids at the show, meaning they are gaining new fans. well deserved. i can't really explain how incredible this night was, special time to be alive.

one of their highlights:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXD6tMrlXq8

posted the Bay Area one by mistake but you get it.

Thanks for posting that clip from the Oakland show. Golden Hair was so intense and magical.

Yup, quite striking. And looks like they have a standard set list but it's a good one, though with a little variety ("Catch the Breeze" was fourth up here).

It's a shame they don't play Morningrise.

only song I wanted to hear that was missing was machine gun. oh well can't have everything.

i really like this album a lot :)

man that's a great setlist, i would've cried at that show

ok im sold. got tickets for the 12th

have a great time.

Just to continue the theme, they were amazing in Denver on the 1st. I think the crowd trended older here, hard to say, underage balcony was not overflowing. same songs as for everyone else. I'd agree that Golden Hair is a particular highlight, but the new rockin' verson of 'crazy for you' is also pretty exciting maybe it was just the bang surprise that got me. simon scott is amazing and rachel seems a much better singer these days, is it her time in that dreadful rock band of hers that had made the improvement notable?

Her solo stuff?

She sings for a band called minor victories which as a band isn’t really all that interesting to me but she sings well.

Disagree. The Minor Victories album is really great and worth checking out.

I am a big fan of both Twilight Sad and new Slowdive and I thought that Minor Victories album was very predictable and boring

Back on tour in the US in a couple of months and playing SF in late May at the Fillmore. That'll be a great show for sure.

i know, crazy. they're spoiling us!

Quite surprised I couldn't get into this album. I was totally enthralled by "Don't Know Why" but despite enjoying things about them (although I did find some of the riffs a bit plain) the rest of the album just never clicked.

Not getting into the new Slowdive album sounds like a nightmare scenario but I'm dealing with it calmly. I'll give it more spins in a year.

Totally with you on "Don't Know Why" being the obvious standout.

god this album is so good

Not seeing this band when they played the Newport Music Hall in Columbus last year just because it was standing room only was a HUGE mistake.

saw them last month and it was pretty damn good... but word is they'll be doing lots more touring in the near future.

I also saw them last month, and they had lost their guitar pedals in the airport, lol. Slowdive with borrowed guitar pedals they aren't really sure how to use is an intense experience.

Listening to this wonderful album today, wondering if there'll be a follow-up. What've the various members been up to the last couple of years?

Rachel's had a side project release with her partner this year.

...which has never been named on ILM: The Soft Cavalry (Rachel and her husband Steve Clarke) is solid but leaves me wanting more of Rachel's voice.

they've confirmed they're playing new material live this year, hopefully that means we'll start hearing about the new album very soon too.

i've got a ticket to see them with modest mouse & tfs in april, very much looking forward to that

confirmed on instagram that the new album is complete

Awesome. Absolutely loved the 2017 album, so I’m pumped for this.

Fantastic. Hope they will tour as well. The show supporting the 2017 album was brilliant.

For sure. Low opened up here, love an awesome double bill.

listings were accidentally put up early for the new album everything is alive out september 1. eight tracks including "shanty", "prayer remembered", "alife", "andalucia plays" and "kisses". according to the press release they've incorporated more electronics into their sound and john cale is cited as an influence

looking forward to seeing them next month after they cancelled the tour last minute in april