754. Giant Steps

Giant Steps
The Boo Radleys
1993

Tracks
1. I Hang Suspended
2. Upon 9th And Fairchild
3. Wish I Was Skinny
4. Leaves And Sand
5. Butterfly McQueen
6. Rodney King (Song for Lenny Bruce)
7. Thinking Of Ways
8. Barney (...And Me)
9. Spun Around
10. If You Want It, Take It
11. Best Lose The Fear
12. Take The Time Around
13. Lazarus
14. One Is For
15. Run My Way Runway
16. I've Lost The Reason
17. The White Noise Revisited

If a band uses a literary character as their name, they have already scored big points with me. Then again, I never loved To Kill a Mockingbird. I think it's strange they use that novel in American high schools ostensibly to discuss racism in America. Why not cover a novel from the point of view of a black person? Why does it always have to be from the perspective of a white person? We should give that slot to Toni Morrison or Maya Angelou.  

Ahem, but we were discussing the band. Right. This was an impressive mix of genres, with elements of shoegazing, britpop, psychedelia, and rock. The result was outstanding and they didn't sound as dated as some of the other early 90s bands here.

I won't be able to complain about To Kill a Mockingbird for about three hundred more books on my other blog, so I had to get my kicks here. Still a good album though.

RATING: 4/5

736. Siamese Dream

Siamese Dream
Smashing Pumpkins
1993

Tracks
1. Cherub Rock
2. Quiet
3. Today
4. Hummer
5. Rocket
6. Disarm
7. Soma
8. Geek U.S.A.
9. Mayonaise
10. Spaceboy
11. Silverfuck
12. Sweet Sweet
13. Luna

I feel like people either love or hate the Smashing Pumpkins, so of course I have to be contrarian and say "they're okay, I guess." 

Which is to say I understand why the lead vocalist would irritate some listeners with his whininess. On the other hand, we haven't had a shoegazing album in awhile and I enjoyed the fresh take on the genre. I felt like they pulled in a lot of different influences here, from Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin.

So a pretty good album coming from a band I'm still not sure I like. 

RATING: 3/5

685. Loveless

Loveless
My Bloody Valentine
1990

Tracks
1. Only Shallow
2. Loomer
3. Touched
4. To Here Knows When
5. When You Sleep
6. I Only Said
7. Come In Alone
8. Sometimes
9. Blown A Wish
10. What You Want
11. Soon

Back to back shoegazing albums, and this is clearly the superior of the two. Or, at the very least, is the more memorable entry. Their sound was very distinct; it was like the offspring of the Cocteau Twins and Brian Eno.

It was strange, it was almost as if this album was being played underwater. At times, it felt more like a soundscape than music, but I still enjoyed the experience. Tomorrow, we achieve Nirvana.

RATING: 4/5

684. Nowhere

Nowhere
Ride
1990

Tracks
1. Seagull
2. Kaleidoscope
3. In a Different Place
4. Polar Bear
5. Dreams Burn Down
6. Decay
7. Paralysed
8. Vapour Trail

I am pleased there are more shoegazing albums on the List. It doesn't seem to be a genre that stuck around very long and I assumed our shoegazing days were already behind us. Fortunately, we appear to have a couple more entries before this genre morphs into something completely different.

This was a pretty mellow album and the perfect thing to listening while reading on a Saturday morning. Maybe not as good as My Bloody Valentine, but still a solid entry on the List.

RATING: 4/5

623. Isn't Anything

Isn't Anything
My Bloody Valentine
1988

Tracks
1. Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)
2. Lose My Breath
3. Cupid Come
4. When You Wake You're Still In A Dream
5. No More Sorry
6. All I Need
7. Feed Me With Your Kiss
8. Sueisfine
9. Several Girls Galore
10. You Never Should
11. Nothing Much To Lose
12. I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)

I had never heard of the shoegazing genre before, and after I looked it up I performed my traditional album blog eye roll. Apparently, the term was coined by the British press to describe the stage presence of the artists in these groups. I guess they would perform in a detached way and stare at their shoes the whole time. This really gets creepier the more I think about it, but I do watch more than my share of horror movies.

Anyway, I was prepared to not like this but strangely enough, I was kind of into it. It felt youthful in a charming way, and there was enough variety between the tracks to keep it from getting stale. 

Not my favorite by any means, but not as bad as I was expecting. The key to this List is low expectations!

RATING: 3/5