The top 10 Shoegaze albums of 2024

Shoe-gaze continues its come back though as a genre it branches out into dream pop and post-rock so both of those are included in this list, it just makes for an easier title rather than the Top 10, Shoe gaze, dream pop, drugged-out indie rock, and hipster post-rock albums of 2024, which is a lot. These are not the coolest, but the best, fuck what other blogs say, After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2024 The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Shoe Gaze albums of 2024

10-Midas Fall-"Cold Waves Divide Us" 

Elizabeth Heaton's vocals are powerfully emotive. The Scottish band falls somewhere between post-rock and progressive rock. Unlike what most commonly gets depicted as a progressive rock there is not an abundance of odd time signatures or guitar solos.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/midas-fall-cold-waves-divide-us.html

                 

9-Pallbearer- "Mind Burns Alive" 

 The fifth album by a band who was once one of my favorite doom bands. Each album has been a gradual progression away from doom into what has culminated into the opening track of their new album. Campbell is using a great deal of restraint and taking a more vulnerable approach to his singing.This puts metal behind them, and while I would normally be more resistant to this kind of change it is hard to argue against something this effective

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/pallbearer-mind-burns-alive.html

 

8-Alcest -"Les Chants de l'Aurore"  

 This French does not need an introduction here as given their blending of black metal and shoe-gaze we have covered every album no matter where they were in their musical journey. Some have felt more inspired than others. There always seems to be a balance they need to keep in order not to drift too far in becoming the Yes of Black Metal. They have come to an effective balance of rock drive and fairy wonderment.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/alcest-les-chants-de-laurore.html

 

7-Blushing - "Sugarcoat" 

 The band's sound lives up to the album's title by draping sugary sweet pop over the shoegazing ambiance. Dream pop is the first handy label to throw on this Texas-based band,  but they do seem more serious about rocking out than most dream pop bands. They at times remind me of a shoegazing version of Veruca Salt, with how the vocals harmonize and entwined. Things swirl around you so it can be hard to tell who is doing what.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/blushing-sugarcoat.html

 

6-LEAVS -"Natura Universal" 

This dream poppy-shoegazing band from Spain, gets the classic sound right, without just being a slave to tradition. The woozy guitars are jangling, and the swathes of sonic melodies being squeezed from delay pedals are in place, along with androgynous airy vocals. They are not out to make an accessible record and that is fine, the mood is dense and I like it. The emotions feel honest to me and that goes a long way. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/leavs-natura-universal.html

5- trauma ray -"Chameleon" 

This Texas band has a 90's grunged out clanging to their guitar sound. The vocals float in the background with an androgynous croon, as the drummer stomps into their kick drum with the needed angst. They care about songwriting as dynamics work with the atmosphere, and while they certainly have this sound dialed in to capture the mood of the era, they still have something to say.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/trauma-ray-chameleon.html

4-Ride - "Interplay" 

I really liked "Weather Diaries" the first album of their comeback. This album is both more surreal and more optimistic. I am sure with the last album I mentioned these guys occupying a similar sonic zip code as Stone Roses. Though it sounds like they are smoking more pot than Stone Roses on this album as it carries an alluring swirl. It is wonderfully mixed, though I am giving it the initial listen very loudly through a pair of headphones which is the recommended manner in which this album is best ingested. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/ride-interplay.html

3-Softcult-"Heaven"

This is the kind of dream pop you might expect, with well-layered vocals. This band cares about songs more than just conjuring up these surreal sounds. There is almost a 90s alt-rock sound. The guitars ring out into the lonely sunsets of Canadian winters. , the grunge spirit of things is this album's strength and cements its unique place in the genre. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/softcult-heaven.html

2-Bleakheart - "Silver Pulse" 

This band wanders off into a melancholic brand of dreamy shoe-gaze that moves at the speed of doom. At times taking on a heavier throb before wandering off into something more dreampop. It is a pretty sweet blend of sonic intensity and atmosphere. The vocals draw you in and earn repeat listens.If you are looking for some dark atmospheric dom-gaze or wish the Cocteau Twins did less acid and were more into metal then this is the album for you. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/bleakheart-silver-pulse.html

 

1-Iress -" Sleep Now, In Reverse" 

Taking the top spot is this beautiful wave of gloomy gazing from this  Los Angeles-based band.  It was a tough call between this album and Bleakheart, with the vocals of Michelle Malley being the tiebreaker as she delivers an emotionally stunning performance that creates a wonderful contrast to the storm clouds the band summons beneath her sublime melodies. The drumming gives this album a great deal of focused intention which in turn creates songwriting magic as they grow as songwriters. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/iress-sleep-now-in-reverse.html

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September's Top 10 Albums

It's time for September's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights might help casual readers see what they missed and check these artists out. I am not writing little blurbs on them and just linking the reviews. I am using this to organize my lists for the end of the year, by listing the genre of music the album falls under. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most, I have albums in my in-box that are not coming out til  November so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month there is a wide variety from Pop to Black Metal so you may find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums for  September of 2024.

10-Ellende - "Todbringerin" 

Black Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/ellende-todbringerin.html

9-FANGE- "Perdition"

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/fange-perdition.html

8-Mamaleek - "Vida Blue"

Prog- Fusion

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/mamaleek-vida-blue.html

7- Crippled Black Phoenix - " 'The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature"

Prog Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/crippled-black-phoenix-wolf-changes-its.html

6-Brume - "Marten" 

Post Rock 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/brume-marten.html

5-trauma ray- "Chameleon" 

Shoe-gaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/trauma-ray-chameleon.html

4-Mothica- "Kissing Death"

Alt Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/mothica-kissing-death.html

3- DEADFORM -"Entrenched in Hell' 

Crust

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/deadform-entrenched-in-hell.html

2-Maul -" In The Jaws Of Bereavement"

Death Metal 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/maul-in-jaws-of-bereavement.html

1-Nails - "Every Bridge Burning"

Hardcore

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/nails-every-bridge-burning.html

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trauma ray : "Chameleon"

 This Texas band has a 90's grunged out clanging to their guitar sound. The vocals float in the background with an androgynous croon, as the drummer stomps into their kick drum with the needed angst. They care about songwriting as dynamics work with the atmosphere, and while they certainly have this sound dialed in to capture the mood of the era, they still have something to say. Nothing is the closest shoe-gaze revival band that they share sonic space with. There is more energy and less depression here. The drummer at least listens to more punk than shoe-gaze. 

The vocals have more purpose on the title track, as his voice reaches up into a higher register. The overall attack has more balls to it, though not metal. They capture a noisy ambiance as they bang their instruments about, though careful not to damage their effects pedals, Feed back squeals without being abrasive. They do flirt with an almost Deftones-like heaviness going into "Bardo", there are hooky little guitar accents to help them out.  They are also skilled at balancing out when to rock out vs when to sit back in the ambiance. This also rivals early Smashing Pumpkins, as it's heavy but not metal. 

"Elegy" is a shoe-gaze ballad focusing on drifting in the drone. There are soft to louder shimmering dynamics, so it's not dialed in. "Drift" is more spaced out.  The first minute of the song lives up to the title. It sounds more like a riff they thought was a cool idea and never fleshed it out into an actual song. "Breath' finds the drums crashing back in to support the haze of guitar they are hiding the vocals within. The harder guitar kicking the chorus home wins me over. This song's dynamic range plays to the band's strengths. 

They merge from the more opaque murk for " Spectre" where the vocals haunt the shoegazing wall of guitar they are trying to hypnotize you with. But it's not a scary haunting more of a nostalgic one. The producer learner from the 90s also adds some modern tricks to how the vocals fit in the mix. "ISO" brings down a weightier grunge stomp. The hushed vocals add a brighter air to the atmosphere.  They sweep you away with the sound but remember they are writing a song. Breaking down into minimalist chord structures before building back up into the crash of distortion.  There is a similar sonic theme to the last song that feels like a continuation of the theme established in the previous song. The vocals are more fragile in the manner they ease in. I will give this album a 9.5, it excels at dynamics and gives Shoe Gaze the balls it deserves. Out on Dias Records. 

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