Daily Jam - Got My Sunshine

I will always be a sucker for Slowdive, but during their break up years, a few members of the band made mellow indie folk as Mojave 3.  And that stuff was pretty cool too.  So here's a number from the band's third album "Excuses for Travellers."  Listen to "Got My Sunshine" below, our Daily Jam.

Slowdive Remixed by Grouper

Earlier today, Slowdive dropped two remixes of last year's stellar track "Kisses."  Check out the dreamy, ethereal Grouper mix below.

Daily Jam - When the Sun Hits

I was late to the game when it comes to loving on shoegaze band Slowdive. They had been disbanded for about three years by the time I heard them, and their members had already moved on to new things like Mojave 3. I was late, but I remember distinctly the first time I heard their music courtesy of an old friend while on a road trip to Houston, Texas to see Radiohead and Spiritualized my freshman year of college. “When the Sun Hits” proved to be a beautiful soundtrack for driving through the woods, as I had my friend repeat it a few times over. In a word, I was mesmerized. It felt kind of like My Bloody Valentine, only more melancholy, almost aching or yearning for something unattainable. Better late than never I guess.

I also distinctly remember listening to 1993’s Souvlaki for the first time, the album from which “When the Sun Hits” appears, borrowed from the same friend. I laid on my bed at my parents house during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, probably drunk or stoned or buzzing, and I listened to the album straight through. And then I listened to the whole thing again. And it felt like all those layers of guitar effects and reverby, cooing vocals were washing over me. It felt like the ethereal atmosphere from the Brian Eno aided tracks was dissolving my walls, making my room disappear, and sending my corporeal form elsewhere. It was beautiful. It was soothing. It was transcendent.

Relistening to the album again later and with a clearer head, the result proved to be the same.

Over the last several years, I have bounced around from track to track on Souvlaki, a new favorite taking over for awhile, but ultimately, I always come back to “When the Sun Hits.” And keeping with my Slowdive tardiness, I finally got to catch the band live in 2016 here in Austin, tickets scored for a last second Levitation makeup show (RIP Levitation 2016). It was fantastic to see the kind of following the band has. With the venue at capacity, there were easily hundreds of people milling about on the other side of the gates, just listening, or climbing onto trees and structures to peer over the fence. It was kind of amazing. It turns out this music’s not just for me. But when they began “When the Sun Hits,” and the scenery melted away, it certainly still felt like it.

Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Slowdive

Woke up this morning to the news that Slowdive are back with new music.  Happy day!  The band's new album, "Everything Is Alive," is out in September.  Pre-order it here from Dead Oceans and let's all listen to the dreamy "Kisses" while we wait for the rest of the thing to drop.

Drab Majesty

LA darkwave artist Drab Majesty has a new EP heading our way in August, and comes out swinging with the first single, pairing with Slowdive's Rachel Goswell on backing vocals.  Check out the dour and gloomy "Vanity" below and pre-order the "An Object in Motion" EP here from Dais Records.

Daily Jam - In Love with a View

Into the salt mines i go.  Hopefully i'll emerge sometime Sunday morning.  It's going to be a busy three days.  Here's some Mojave 3 to play me off.  Listen to "In Love with a View" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam (Covers Week) - Golden Hair

Ending this week of cover songs with Slowdive's airy and ethereal version of Syd Barrett's "Golden Hair."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Alison

Here's some classic Slowdive to start our week off to.  Listen to "Alison" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Blue Skied An' Clear

Our freakishly wet and cool July here in Central Texas has met its end, and we're back to 100 degree weather.  Here's some mellow music from Slowdive to try and cool down to.  Listen to "Blue Skied An' Clear" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Love in the Emptiness

Here's a little shoegaze jam from The Charlottes, a short lived project that included Slowdive's Simon Scott among its members.  Listen to "Love in the Emptiness" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Pearl

Calm you nerves today with some soothing and dreamy sounds from Chapterhouse.  That goes for all of you.  Here's the Rachel Goswell assisted "Pearl," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - I Believe

I don't really know much about the indie film "I'm The Elephant, U Are The Mouse."  The Forest Wise directed film seems to be one of those that hit the festival circuit and indie scene and then was never seen or heard from again.  In fact, the only reason i know anything at all about the movie is that they somehow got shoegaze mainstay Slowdive to record the soundtrack.  And a beautiful soundtrack it is.  It's kind of wild that it's never seen a proper release of any kind.  You can find it certainly.  There are plenty of bootlegs out there and it's easy to find on YouTube and such, but i sure wouldn't mind a nice, remastered vinyl edition...boutique soundtrack record labels, i'm looking in your direction.  Anyway, here's the wonderful, dreamy, and dusty "I Believe," our Daily Jam.

Beachy Head

Beachy Head is the new project from Christian Savill of Slowdive and Monster Movie.  Over the last year of COVID, he wrote a bunch of new material that didn't feel like it fit with either group, so he recruited some help from members of bands like The Flaming Lips, Soft Calvary, Dreamend, and his Slowdive bandmate Rachel Goswell to record the new self-titled album.  Check out the dreamy "Destroy Us" below and pre-order the album here from Graveface.

Daily Jam - Mercy

When Slowdive broke up in the early/mid '90s, a few of the members soon resurfaced as Mojave 3, shedding most of the shoegaze aesthetic for something more folk-engaged.  While the project never quite grabbed me the way Slowdive did, they were still great.  Here's their first single, "Mercy," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Sing

It's a grey and rainy morning here in Central Texas, so i thought i would listen to some appropriately vibed music.  Here's the dreamy, kinda eerie "Sing" from Slowdive, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Avalyn I and II

I couldn't decide if i wanted to use Slowdive's "Avalyn I" or "Avalyn II" today, but it appears some genius on YouTube has combined the two into one epic, sprawling piece of layered sound.  And it's the perfect soundtrack for this Monday morning in central Texas, watching the gray clouds role in and waiting for the rain to start.  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Machine Gun

Admittedly, i was a little late to the Slowdive party, the band having parted ways before i even knew who they were, but i fell hard for their sophomore album "Souvlaki" when i was in college, a veritable shoegaze masterpiece.  Check out "Machine Gun" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Winter Is Coming

Slowdive shoot off Monster Movie released their debut, "Last Night Something Happened," way back in 2001, a dreamy collection of shogaze-tinged pop songs.  It's getting the re-issue treatment later this month for Record Store Day's Black Friday event, and it gets my utmost recommendation.  Check out the wonderful album closer "Winter Is Coming" below, our Daily Jam.

HOO

Here's some synth laden shoegaze featuring some assists from current and former Slowdive members from UK band HOO.  "Centipede Wisdom" is out now on Graveface.  Get it here and listen to the wonderfully titled album closer "The End Is So Dark It's Boring" below.

The Soft Cavalry

Slowdive are one of my all time favorite bands, and i'm pretty much going to follow any of the members anytime they venture off to do another project, be they solo albums, other bands like Mojave 3 or Monster Movie, and so on.  Anyway, Rachel Goswell has a new project, the dreamy, shoegazey pop band The Soft Cavalry, and their self-titled debut is coming our way next month on Bella Union.  Watch the video for "Bullet Proof" below and get the record here.