Day 19: Dream Pop

The House of Love
The House of Love (Creation, 1988)

Shoegaze. Noise pop. Dream pop. To the novice, these labels may function as interchangeable tags. Even knowledgeable critics may use them this way, if only for variety's sake. If one wants to be truly precise, however--and it should be clear by now that this writer does--it's worth noting subtle distinctions. Admittedly, some groups don't fit neatly into these categories, and the distinctions can seem tenuous, but, as I hope to show, a careful analysis justifies itself.

The ethereal soundscapes of guitarist Kevin Shields and his legendary group My Bloody Valentine epitomize shoegaze, the early 90s genre named for its artists' motionless, eyes-to-the-ground performances. The primary focus in shoegaze is creating lush textures; the craft is in melding drones, distortion, and feedback with melodic guitar lines to create something beautiful. Even the most straightforward pop in the idiom--Ride's "Twisterella," for example--is memorable more for guitar timbres than melodies.

In contrast, noise pop, which was pioneered by the Jesus and Mary Chain half a decade prior to shoegaze, owes a much greater debt to traditional pop songcraft. This is not to say that noise pop is more accessible than shoegaze. A cursory listen to the Jesus and Mary Chain's groundbreaking debut Psychocandy will quickly dispel such thoughts. In fact, noise pop in the purest sense is defined by enough layers of piercing white noise to send moms and dads searching for earplugs. However, beneath the noisy facade are blissful pop songs in mode of A.M. radio and early Beach Boys. "Just Like Honey," perhaps the most famous noise pop song of all, could have been crafted in the Brill Building. Instead of draping the tune in a Spectoresque arrangement, however, the brothers Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain created their own "wall of sound"--a more literal take on the phrase--which would prove equally influential.

Connoting a sound more accessible than either noise pop or shoegaze, dream pop fuses the traditional pop songcraft of the former with the shimmering guitar lines of the latter. Dream pop is seldom as aggressive as noise pop, but the line between the two may nevertheless be hard to find, particularly because the Jesus and Mary Chain straddled it over the course of their great run. While Psychocandy is indisputably noise pop, the group's softer-around-the-edges follow-up, Darklands, could go either way.

One of the finest dream pop acts was the House of Love, a band whose first two albums were every bit the equal of Darklands, but closer to straight-ahead college rock. With more active rhythms, and even bits of jagged, jangly guitar, the House of Love established a sound that was somewhere between the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Smiths. "Christine," the lead track on the House of Love's debut, is the closest the group got to the Jesus and Mary Chain sound and it's also when of finest moments on the album. As a heavily distorted and reverbed guitar line hovers about nearly motionless, the bassline creates melodic interest, preparing the listener for the build up to the epic refrain, wherein "Christine" is repeated many times. At the song's climax, we're even treated to "ba-da-ba-da-ba" harmonies.

"Christine" transitions into "Hope" which is melodic jangle pop at its best. Other standouts include "Salome," on which guitarist Terry Bickers does his best Johnny Marr impersonation, and "Love in a Car" which is a great example of dramatic buildup in pop music. The soft, otherworldly rhythm guitar that begins the track is eventually joined by sprinkles of lead guitar like twinkling stars in a night sky. About two minutes in, Pete Evans briefly pounds the drums for an emotional climax then exits, only to start up again softly and get louder and louder until the music--and all the rock-crit jargon it inspires--eventually fades into oblivion.

To hear "Christine" in its entirety, click here.