Shoegaze is an entrancing and somewhat emotionally stoic genre that seems to be influenced by a combination of the psychadelic and grunge movements. Described as a post-rock genre, this genre has produced bands in the early 1990s such as the British Chapterhouse and the famous My Bloody Valentine (MBV).
The music has a sort of atmospheric vibe, due to the distortion, reverb and effects produced by guitar modification and plenty of effect pedal-use. Actually, the heavy use of the effect pedals are what inspired the name of this underground genre; many of the guitarists would gaze towards their shoes as they constantly were working with the effect pedals.
Shoegaze is recognized by an overwhelming curtain of effect-laden guitar sounds, minimal percussion, and often drawn-out vocals. Fitting adjectives would be “fuzzy”, “cloudy,” or “warped;” I would call it “staring at the ceiling” music, while ironically, the gaze is on the shoes. Fittingly, a later alias of shoegaze is “Dreampop.”
It is argued, and I agree, that shoegazing is less a musical term but rather a philosophical one. The philosophy of the genre prioritizes the feel-good, the vibe. Artists obviously focus on the sound of the music and the atmosphere it creates through the waves that encircle the listener, rather than focusing on the message of the song. For this reason, the culture of this short-lived genre is fascinating.
Through attempted research on a culture of shoegaze outside of the music, I did not find much. Many attest to the fact that shoegazers dressed in “grunge,” and due to the fact that they were submerged underneath the emerging grunge and rock genres, shoegazers did not seem to have a distinctive cultural identity.
However, a nickname to explore is “The Scene that Celebrates Itself.” I decipher this name as a commentary on the politically apathetic goal of the shoegaze “subculture.” During this time, bands such as the Sex Pistols and Nirvana released songs such as “Anarchy in the UK” and “Smells like Teen Spirit,” while underground shoegazers were worried about the feel-good and the degree to which sound can be manipulated.
I learned in my cultural anthropology class that the right-brained, the arts, remain on the outskirts of society and tend to be the rebellious social commentators; while politics, sports and the sciences- the left-brained, build the center. Without one or the other our culture would be flat; the arts both interact with and rebel against the politics that govern us. Without the arts, we would have no voice, and without the core, we would have no structure. My point is, those arts that truly make a commentary and rebel tend to be the most popular.
In conclusion, shoegaze is a unique genre that did not have much of a chance to be recognized. It did not support or rebel, it just was. Celebrating the sound, shoegaze shows us that sometimes, ignorance is bliss, and it’s alright to stare at the ceiling.
Sources: http://pseudonymous.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-Shoegaze
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