Drop Nineteens : "Hard Light"

November must have been National Shoe-gaze Month, and I missed the memo since we were covering doom here. This Boston band came about back in 1990 and have read the room enough to know it's time to show the shoe-wave revival how it's done. They lay the atmosphere on perhaps thicker than most while still being able to write poppy songs when called to. "Scapa Flow" was one of the lead singles from this album and finds the male vocals taking the center microphone. The song has a great flow, that allows the modest melodies to work. There are some great guitar tones here that are not afraid to venture out from the color-by-number shoe-gaze box. 

"Gal" finds a moodier shadow falling over the hushed tension of the song. "Tarantula" is more upbeat with becoming too happy. This sense of movement keeps things from dragging and offers a wider sense of dynamics to the album as a whole. 'The Price Was High" feels like a more indie pop version of the Cranes, yet it gets rocked out more in places; Paula's voice has retained its youthful timber. "A Hitch" shows what works best for them, by keeping the song moving as they steer it through the more surreal sounds , rather than being consumed by them. There is a delicate balance to this for when they strip away the more sureal sounds for "Lookout" they could be just another indie rock band. 

"Another One Another" shuffles along with an easygoing mood, as the acid trip unravels around them. This shows the psychedelic DNA of shoegaze. "Police Man Getting Lost" is a quaint dream pop ditty with Paula back on the mic. Her voice should play a larger role in what they do because when both voices a present in the last song it works really well. I will give this album a 9.5, it shows how important they are to this genre, and deserves to be a name more widely mentioned when it comes to shoe-gaze.