Welcome to February! It’s a good week in Indie Basement with a lot of terrific albums: Cate Le Bon‘s Pompeii, The Jazz Butcher‘s posthumous farewell, A Place to Bury Strangers‘ fierce See Through You, complimentary indiepop records by The Reds, Pinks & Purples and Love, Burns, and the debut album from UK instrumental party band Los Bitchos.

It’s a good week in Notable Releases as well, with Andrew reviewing Animal Collective, Mitski, Rolo Tomassi, Erin Rae, and more. Other Basement-adjacent news from this week: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever announced a new album and tour; Kae Tempest announced a tour; and the Criterion Channel is featuring reggae movies all month (including the great The Harder They Come, Rockers and Babylon).

I’ve also started a monthly Indie Basement Roundup, and you can check out January’s best albums and tracks according to me, here. There’s a January playlist, too, available in Neil Young approved Tidal form.

The Indie Basement section of the BV shop has been stocked with a bunch of new stuff, including classic albums from The Wipers, Pixies, Deerhunter and more, not to mention preorders for anticipated new albums from Wet Leg, our exclusive translucent red vinyl edition of Fontaines DC’s Skinty Fia, Destroyer and more.

Head below for this week’s reviews.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK #1: Cate Le Bon – Pompeii (Mexican Summer)
Made almost entirely on her own, Cate Le Bon’s sixth album is another weird wonder

Nobody sighs like Cate Le Bon. Going back at least to Mug Museum’s “Are You With Me Now?” (but probably further), she has a way with “ahhs” that are beautiful, ethereal, and achingly sad. But it’s a deep, earthy kind of melancholy that feels both ancient and warm, existing before us but traveling through Le Bon to our ears. Like Cate, it seems to emanate from a mysterious, unknowable land: Wales.

Those sighs, which are all over her sixth album, Pompeii, also provide an emotional anchor to Cate’s songs that are often alien and lyrically obtuse, even to the songwriter herself. “Absurdity doesn’t mean that something doesn’t make sense and it doesn’t mean that something doesn’t have emotion,” she told The Guardian‘s Laura Barton. “Absurdity isn’t nonsense to me. Often writing these things, I knew I didn’t fully understand them, but they felt right, and I knew that they were almost like letters to my future self that would become apparent. So I just trusted. You’ve got to trust your gut.”

Having been stuck in Iceland during the initial Covid lockdown of 2020 while working on John Grant’s Boy from Michigan, Cate finally escaped to Cardiff, Wales and was given the keys to the home owned by Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys, where she had stayed 15 years ago while making her debut album. (Gruff was elsewhere at the time.) Her partner, Tim Presley of White Fence, flew out from Joshua Tree (they have a home together there) to meet her, as did her longtime engineer/coproducer, Samur Khouja and the three of them podded together while the world fell apart. In the interview with The Guardian, Cate calls Pompeii “a product of three people losing their minds in a terrace house.”

Despite all this, Pompeii is a decidedly less sad, less lonely record than her last, 2019’s Reward. Songs were written primarily on bass and Cate plays nearly every instrument on the record, apart from drums (Warpaint‘s Stella Mozgawa, recorded remotely) and saxophones (longtime collaborators Euan Hinshelwood and Stephen Black). While Cate and Samur worked on the album, Presley painted in the other room and an abstract portrait he did of her became a sort of muse for the record, with all sounds and ideas bounced off the amber palette of its alien-like figure.

There are more synthesizers here than on any previous Le Bon record, and the guitars, bass, and saxophones are all given a thermoplastic coating that is both transparent but distorting. It’s also both arresting and compelling and yet another entirely unique entry in Le Bon’s discography where no two records sound alike but all are clearly birthed from the same creative spirit. Highlights include the hazy, shoegazy “French Boys,” and the title track which flies in low and at odd angles. Pompeii also includes three wonderful pop songs: “Moderation,” “Harbour” and the skronky “Remembering Me,” all of which highlight Black and Hinshelwood’s terrific saxophones which, at times like whale songs, seem to melt into Cate’s “ahhhs.” The album closes with sad ballad “Wheel,” where Cate offers up a portrait of a romance that was not to be: “I could resign to the opulence of abstract optimistic love / Raise a glass in a season of ash and pour it over me.” She’s not always so abstract.

Get Pompeii on limited edition yellow vinyl in the BV shop.

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK #2: The Jazz Butcher – The Highest in the Land (Tapete)
Finished just before he died in 2021, this first Jazz Butcher album in 10 years is also a lovely farewell

Pat Fish, who recorded as The Jazz Butcher since 1982, died suddenly in October, 2021. Some might say unexpectedly, but he clearly knew the sands in the hourglass were running out. “My hair’s all wrong, my time ain’t long,” he sings on “Time,” a song from an album he had completed not long before he died. “Fishy go to heaven, get along, get along.”

Time, and the lack of it, and mortality is all over The Highest in the Land, the first record from The Jazz Butcher in 10 years. And also the last. For it, he gathered a band of players from throughout the group’s history, including ace sideman and guitarist Max Eider, who played on most of the great early albums like A Scandal in Bohemia, and Weather Prophets drummer Dave Morgan who played on Pat’s Creation Records debut, Fishcotheque. Likewise, Pat’s songs seem to be pulled from the different eras of the group: the early records that were actually quite jazzy, to the jangly indie pop years and the more Velvet Underground influence of the Creation years. Some of the lyrics on the album reference older songs, as well, and it’s like a This Is Your Life clip show of his own design.

Pat clearly had a lot left to say and had been saving up a bunch of fantastic songs. Always vocal in his very liberal politics — the JBC released the scathing “The Jazz Butcher Vs The Prime Minister” at the height of Thatcher’s reign — he found himself still fighting the same enemy 30 years later. The bitter aftertaste of Brexit is as much a presence here as his own mortality. “Pining for some ill-defined imaginary nation, antecedents they would struggle to name,” he sings on “Sebastian’s Medication,” then asking, “How the hell are you supposed to leave a continent?” And on the aforementioned “Time,” he rails against ​​”Forced labour, privatised jails…Tik tok. Never mind. You’re gonna live forever.”

While a scythe may cast a shadow over the proceedings, along with the growing threat of nationalism and the constant presence of capitalism, Pat has not lost his signature sense of humor or ability to craft a witty turn of phrase and The Highest in the Land is a charming record start to finish, shot through with a wistful melancholia that suits it. The jazzier songs, that feature Eider’s fluid playing, fare a little better than the strummier numbers, but there’s nothing I would take away here. It’s a gift to get another Jazz Butcher album after so long, especially after losing him without knowing this was coming. And when he solemnly says “Goodnight” at the end of “Goodnight Sweetheart” it feels all the more a proper, teary, farewell.

If you’re new to The Jazz Butcher, last year’s Dr Cholmondley Presents compilation is a great place to start.

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A Place to Bury Strangers – See Through You (Dedstrange)
Oliver Ackermann reinvents his noise-psych band as a lean, mean and still strange machine on the band’s excellent sixth album

Oliver Ackermann has been making noise with A Place to Bury Strangers for almost two decades (2003 will be their 20th anniversary). While he’s been the only constant member of the group, he fully rebooted the band in the years after Death by Audio — the DIY venue and original HQ of his effects pedal company of the same name — closed in 2014. APTBS’ new trio lineup — Ollie, his old Skywave bandmate, bassist John Fedowitz, and drummer Sandra Fedowitz (both were in Ceremony East Coast) — made their debut with last year’s Hologram EP, a record that had him stripping their sound down as well, while still making a freaky racket.

See Through You takes the sonic directions of Hologram further. There’s more of a minimal wave approach here, with an emphasis on the new rhythm section who are pumping out serious grooves, like on driving opener “Nice Of You To Be There For Me.” The production is more compressed, claustrophobic, boxed in, so when the guitar maelstrom is unleashed, like on “So Low” or “Dragged in a Hole,” it feels all the more visceral and disorienting. And scary: “Anyone But You” sounds like a mass psychosis 50-car pileup on the 405.

See Through You also has some of A Place to Bury Strangers’ poppiest moments ever, and the album finishes with two of them: the anthemic “I Don’t Know How You Do It” and the New Order-y “Love Reaches Out.” Twenty years into the band, Ackermann is still finding new sonic and melodic avenues for A Place to Bury Strangers, and new ways to make their instruments sound totally insane,

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Los Bitchos – Let the Festivities Begin! (City Slang)
London-based band flirt with a variety of instrumental styles on their enjoyable Alex Kapranos-produced debut album

Los Bitchos are a London-based four-piece with members hailing from the UK, Australia, Sweden, and South America, who make danceable, instrumental party music that pulls from all over the musical spectrum. “I wanted to sound like Van Halen and Cocteau Twins – but from Turkey,” says guitarist Serra Petale. “Coming from all these different places, it means we’re not stuck in one genre and we can rip up the rulebook a bit when it comes to our influences.”

Having established themselves first with their exuberant live show, Los Bitchos tapped Franz Ferdinand‘s Alex Kapranos to help them capture that electricity on record. They’ve done a pretty good job of it: Let the Festivities Begin! is a jubilant listen; a party where, style-wise, everyone is invited. You can hear Tuareg guitar styles and Highlife rhythms, cumbia, surf-rock, Greek disco, Spaghetti western scores, and more in these songs. They’re at their best when there’s just a little disco in the mix, like on “Las Panteras,” “Change of Heart,” and “The Link is About to Die,” but the whole record is a blast.

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The Reds, Pinks & Purples – Summer at Land’s End (Slumberland)
Glenn Donaldson’s solo project channels UK indiepop on the RPPs’ best record yet

Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, Art Museums) has been on a real tear recently with his indiepop solo project The Reds, Pinks & Purples, having released four albums and a handful of singles and EPs in under three years. Summer at Lands End is the best yet, the sound of heartbreak via reverb-drenched jangly guitars, vintage drum machines and rueful vocals. Wherever Land’s End is (he is probably not singing about working at the outdoorsy clothing retailer between semesters), it is always raining, or at least overcast and chillier than it should be, which is perfect conditions to think about that relationship that didn’t work out, the one that got away, or other social dilemmas. “Wanted to die but I burned instead” is a typically wonderful, sullen lyric. The RPPs are like a Merge band that never existed in 1994 who are equally influenced by Magnetic Fields and East River Pipe, while also owning a lot of Felt and Field Mice Records. The melodies are great, Donaldson’s voice has just enough fake British melodrama to it, and the album makes great use of melting Ebow’d guitar leads. I don’t know whether this prolific creative output is a result of pandemic lockdown boredom or what, but let’s not question it and hope records like this keep coming.

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Love, Burns – It Should Have Been Tomorrow (Jigsaw / ATHRecords / Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten)
Comet Gain co-founder and Pale Lights leader Phil Sutton makes wonderfully bookish, jangly pop on his solo debut

Phil Sutton‘s indie CV is impressive. He was a founding member of UK cult heroes Comet Gain and, having moved to NYC some time ago, has the most twee day job ever (librarian) while filling his spare time making music with groups like Pale Lights. Love, Burns is his new solo project which, in further twee-ness, is named after a lyric in The Left Banke’s “Pretty Ballerina.” If you’re familiar with Pale Lights (who are still active), Phil doesn’t stray too far from that sound: jangly guitars that aren’t afraid to get a little twangy, vintage organ, bookish lyrics. Phil sounds a little like Lloyd Cole as does this album, by way of Felt’s years on Creation Records when Martin Duffy’s wonderful Hammond and Farfisa were a huge part of their sound. The Martin Duffy of Love, Burns is the multitalented Kyle Forester (Crystal Stilts, Purple Mountains) who not only plays not keyboards but lots of guitar, too. That actually makes him Martin Duffy AND Maurice Deebank at the same time. But I digress. (Confused? Please consult Felt’s Wikipedia entry). I am also a little reductive. There’s a lot of ’60s influence, too: the Byrds and Gene Clark, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, ye-ye, Walker Brothers and more. It Should Have Been Tomorrow is Phil’s best post-Comet Gain record to date, with great songs and the production and arrangements that elevate things further.

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Looking for more? Browse the Indie Basement archives.

And check out what’s new in our shop.

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Top 20 Shoegaze EPs of the Early-’90s

20. Bleach – Snag (1991, Way Cool Records)

Formed by brothers Neil and Nick Singleton, Ipswich, UK's Bleach unfortunately ran out of songwriting steam before they released their first album. (Hey, it happens, just ask Elastica.) The band managed to deliver one terrific EP that showcased their moody style, with guitarist Neil providing the haze and bassist Nick providing the mood. Like a lot of shoegaze groups of this era, singer Salli Carson's ethereal vocals seemed more like an equal element of Bleached's sound, as opposed to a focal point. "Bethesda," with its tom-heavy drumming is especially good, as is "Dipping." Extended listening: the cover art is the most distinctive thing about Bleach's 1992 album Killing Time, but it's the only one of their releases on streaming services.

19. Medicine – 5ive (1993, Creation)

Led by Brad Laner, who spent time in the '80s in L.A. cult post-punk band Savage Republic, Medicine were arguably the U.S.'s best shoegaze band, with a firm grip on melody, noise and dynamics, and they weren't afraid of sampling or dance culture. They also had rare bonafides for an American band; they were signed to Creation in the UK. (Rick Rubin's American Recordings put out their records at home.) The 5ive EP, also known as Come Here to Drink Milk, takes the tremolo-heavy title track (originally on their debut album) and pairs it with the ragged version of "Time Baby" (not the version with Liz Fraser & Robin Guthrie), searing slow jam "Lime 6," and the quasi-industrial "Wrought." Extended listening: The Sounds of Medicine EP has the Cocteau-ized version of "Time Baby" from The Crow soundtrack, plus "stripped and reformed" versions of other songs, but the 1993 sophomore album The Buried Life is Medicine at their best.

18. The Telescopes – Flying (1991, Creation)

Having got their start in the mid-'80s, The Telescopes predate shoegaze but were part of the dark neo-psych scene that included Spacemen 3 and Loop (who they shared a split 7" with in 1988). By their fourth EP for Creation, 1990's Flying, The Telescopes had blasted off most of the white noise in favor of groovy psychedelia that put them somewhere between The Stone Roses and Ride, but frontman Stephen Lawrie was always on his own sonic plane. With layers of 12-string guitars -- acoustic and electric -- Flying's title track is one of their best pop songs, while "High on Fire" heads deep into outer space and "The Sleepwalk" showed they could confidently compete with their Creation labelmates that were getting much more ink in NME. Extended listening: 1990's Celeste EP features an amazing 10-minute version of the title track that's worth the price of admission.

17. Blind Mr. Jones – Eyes Wide (1992, Cherry Red)

Their fondness of flute gave Blind Mr. Jones the reputation of being the shoegaze Jethro Tull, but this band from Marlow, UK were one of the more underrated groups of the era, with a distinctively British sound, a decided goth streak, and consistently memorable, melodic (New Order-esque) bass lines. There are no wind instruments on the Eyes Wide EP but it does feature Slowdive's Neil Halstead who gifts the record with some of his transcendent guitar cloud cover. All four songs are terrific. Is your favorite Ride song "Decay" from Nowhere? You should definitely investigate Blind Mr. Jones further. Extended listening: Compilation Over My Head collects everything Blind Mr. Jones recorded, including the Crazy Jazz EP that featured Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood.

16. Adorable – Sunshine Smile (1992, Creation)

While they owed more to Echo & the Bunnymen or House of Love than My Bloody Valentine or Ride, Adorable were signed to Creation Records, peppered their very catchy songs with guitar noise and got not entirely unfairly lumped in with the shoegaze scene...even if frontman Peter Fijalkowski bristled at the word in interviews. One thing's for sure: "Sunshine Smile" was a hell of an introduction that sounds like its title, a wonderful guitar-drenched pop song with a slinky slowburn intro that gives way to a massive guitar riff chorus. The two b-sides -- melancholy-drenched ballad "A to Fade In" and the Madchester-leaning "Sunburnt" -- are great, too, as is the cover art which uses imagery from The Passion of Joan of Arc. Extended listening: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling EP takes its title track from Adorable's debut album, Against Perfection, and adds three good b-sides, especially "Everything's Fine."

15. Catherine Wheel – 30th Century Man (1992, Fontana)

Released in the last week of 1992, this limited edition EP was a step up, sonically, for Catherine Wheel who had never sounded so confident and powerful, giving fans a taste of what they might get with 1993's Chrome. This is probably a controversial pick, given that three of the four songs here are covers, but Catherine Wheel seriously deliver the goods with these killer takes on Scott Walker's "30th Century Man," Husker Du's "Don't Wanna Know if You Are Lonely" and Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach for My Revolver." Their cover of "30th Century Man" is particularly inspired, while the other two merely rip (while they make them their own). The EP's original, "Free of Mind," is great too. Extended listening: If you just want great Catherine Wheel songs, the Black Metallic EP has four of them, including the title track which was a Modern Rock Radio hit in the U.S.

14. Kitchens of Distinction – Drive That Fast (1990, One Little Indian)

Kitchens of Distinction would probably be classified as dreampop these days; Julian Swales was up there with Robin Guthrie and Neil Halstead for being able to coax out gorgeous waterfalls of sound from his guitar, but bassist/frontman Patrick Fitzgerald was a confident frontman who had a lot to say. (They were probably closer to The Sound or The Chameleons than to Ride or Lush.) Released as a precursor to their second album, Strange Free World, "Drive That Fast" is one of KoD's best-ever singles and the EP's other tracks are all good, with the dark, boozy "These Drinkers" and a piano rendition of single "Elephantine" being standouts. Runner up: The Elephantine EP has the full-on swirling version of the title track, plus three worthy other tracks.

13. Lilys – A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns (1993, spinART)

Kurt Heasley has reinvented Lilys a few times over the last 30 years, but the group began as noisy indie rockers who pulled equally from late-'80s Creation Records and Dinosaur Jr's freak scene. This wonderfully titled EP has some of Lilys' catchiest songs, including "Ginger" (which inexplicably ended up getting used in a 2007 Cadillac commercial), "Any Place I've Lived" and "Jenny, Andrew and Me." It's one of their best releases and, sadly, also one of the rarest...out of print, not on streaming services, and used copies are hard to come by. Extended listening: Lilys' debut single, "February Fourteenth," is a real ripper.

12. Verve – All in the Mind (1992, Hut)

Before they became Britpop stars with “Bittersweet Symphony” and “Sonnet,” The Verve were just Verve (they had to add the "The" after legal threats from Verve Records), a band from Wigan, England who made out-there, super-groovy psych rock. The group pretty much disowned the title track of their debut EP moments after releasing it, but what do they know? “All in the Mind” is a propulsive space-hopper jam that really shows off Nick McCabe’s incendiary fretwork, Simon Jones’ deeply melodic bass, and the indispensable, jazzy style of drummer Peter Salisbury. The other two tracks -- the beautiful “One Way to Go” (featuring a great vocal from Richard Ashcroft) and dreamy “A Man Called Sun” -- are more indicative of where The Verve would go on their debut album, A Storm in Heaven. Extended listening: The Verve E.P. was the band's introduction to the U.S., taking tracks from their first three singles/EPs, including "A Man Called Sun," and edits of their tripped-out A-sides "Gravity Grave" and "She's a Superstar."

11. Swervedriver – Duel (1993, Creation)

Another band who got better when they burned off some of that haze, Swervedriver made a massive leap between their first album, Raise, and their second, Mezcal Head. A big part of that was a new lineup of the band -- which included a much-improved rhythm section of drummer Jez Hindmarsh and bassist Steve George -- that could really rip. But it was also better songs and more muscular production courtesy producer Alan Moulder who was very busy in the early '90s. (He probably worked on half the records in this list.) The soaring, roaring "Duel," arguably the album's finest moment, is backed with two killer B's: the majestic "Planes Over the Skyline," and starry eyed "Year of the Girl," both of which have Jez going full Keith Moon. Extended listening: Standalone single "Never Lose That Feeling," which would be tacked-on the U.S. edition of Mezcal Head, was actually the last record the original lineup of the band made. The EP version melts into the dubby "Never Learn," making for a very worthy 11 minutes.

10. Chapterhouse – Mesmerise (1991, Dedicated)

In the UK, there was a lot of cross-pollination between shoegaze, acid house and the Manchester scene, and few groups pulled all those together as successfully as Chapterhouse. Coming just a few months after releasing their debut album, Whirlpool, the four-song Mesmerise EP -- which is is sometimes listed as a single -- features two great examples of their blissed-out style: the title track, which blasts out thick waves of synthesizers against a piano hook, was as much a Madchester anthem as anything else; while “Precious One” rides a bongo-fueled groove. There’s also the swirling, ambient “Summer Chill” and the windswept guitar haze of “Then We’ll Rise.” Extended listening: 1990’s Freefall EP falls a little more into space rock territory, but “Falling Down” -- which uses The Soul Searchers’ "Ashley’s Roachclip" drum break sample heard in Eric B & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” Milli Vanilli's “Girl You Know it’s True” (and on many, many, many other records) -- pointed to the direction they would soon be heading.

9. Curve – Blindfold (1991, Anxious)

Curve were an interesting group, as both Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia had been around for a while in the industry; Dean was a live member of The Eurythmics in the early-’80s, and they were both in short-lived ‘80s band State of Play, who made one record and then broke up. Dean played on Toni’s 1989 solo album, and then they decided to take another whack at a group, perhaps taking My Bloody Valentine’s “Soon” as an influence, mixing hazy guitars with dance music. With Halliday’s powerful pipes it was an alluring combination. Alan Moulder, who they’d worked with in State of Play and on Halliday’s solo album -- and who was THE shoegaze engineer -- was the de facto third member of the group. Curve released three EPs in 1991, all of which are great but the first, Blindfold, is the best with the seductive single "Ten Little Girls"  featuring something no other record on this list has: rapping. Extended listening: Curve’s second EP, Frozen, is also killer, featuring “Coast is Clear” -- one of their best-ever tracks. All three of their 1991 EPs were collected onto the Public Fruit album.

8. Velocity Girl – Velocity Girl (1993, Slumberland)

While mainly known for its influential punk scene, Washington DC also had a thriving indie rock scene in the late '80s and early-'90s that was heavily influenced by the UK's C-86 scene and labels like Creation, Cherry Red and 4AD. Velocity Girl, in fact, were named for Primal Scream's song on C-86, and played a similar style of very fuzzy janglepop. The group included former Black Tambourine member Archie Moore and, originally, Bridget Cross who, when she left to focus on Unrest, would be replaced by vocalist Sarah Shannon. The band's gift for melody, and love of shambolic, noisy guitars, is evident on this EP that collects songs from three early 7"s. "My Forgotten Favorite," which would turn up a few years later on the Clueless soundtrack, is the obvious standout (and arguably VG's best song), but the other five songs are equally stellar. Extended listening: Velocity Girl were more fond of 7"s than EPs, but their 1993 debut Copacetic (released, like all their albums, on Sub Pop) has held up well, and gotten better with age.

7. Ride – Today Forever (1991, Creation)

Released just a few months after their debut album Nowhere, the Today Forever EP takes Ride out of the hazy murk and into cleaner production without sacrificing their signature swirl. The EP also shows a growing confidence in songwriting and arrangements, like with the powerful, deliberate “Sennen.” Today Forever was never released in the U.S., and is unknown still to a lot of fans, though three of its four tracks found their way onto the American "Vapour Trail" CD maxi-single...but it leaves off one of Ride’s prettiest songs ever, “Today.” Extended listening: Ride’s 1989 debut EP contains classics “Chelsea Girl” and “Drive Blind.”

6. The Boo Radleys – Lazarus (1992, Creation)

Like a number of shoegaze bands, The Boo Radleys spent a couple years hiding their musical skill and good songwriting behind a wall of MBV-inspired noise. This resulted in some great music but when they came out of their shell, they got even better. Released not long after their wilfully dissonant Everything’s Alright Forever LP, the Lazarus EP felt a bit like seeing the band with a new pair of glasses. The signs had been there all along for The Boo Radleys, but all four songs here are a step up in every way. “Lazarus” would show up on 1993’s Giant Steps, but without the long, dubby EP intro that pays off so well when the song roars into focus. It's also amazing they'd delegate songs as good as "Petroleum" and "At the Sound of Speed" to b-side material. Extended listening: 1991’s Every Heaven EP is pretty fantastic with a nice balance of melody and roar, and has one of the Boos’ best-ever songs, “The Finest Kiss.”

5. Slowdive – Holding Our Breath (1991, Creation)

While clearly influenced by the Cocteau Twins' shimmering style, Slowdive didn’t really sound like any other group from the original shoegaze era, with an oceanic guitar swell that remains unique and mysterious. “Catch the Breeze,” which would also show up on their 1991 debut album, Just for a Day, is an all-time classic but the rest of this EP is just as captivating. Rachel Goswell’s ethereal harmonies on “Shine” will never not send shivers down your spine, and their cover of Syd Barrett's "Golden Hair" is rather titanic. Extended listening: Slowdive’s debut EP, Morningrise, nods to the band’s ‘80s goth youth while pointing toward the direction they’d soon head.

4. Moose – Jack (1991, Hut)

If it wasn't for Moose, this list might have to be called something slightly different, as the word "shoegaze" was first used in a Sounds review of one of their early gigs. That is probably enough to warrant an inclusion here, but luckily Moose were a great band who carved out a distinct corner in The Scene That Celebrates Itself. Their first of three 1991 EPs, Jack, was as dissonant as they got, but underneath the bandsaw guitars were melodies rooted in a classic songwriting style that owed as much to Burt Bacharach as the Velvet Underground. That would bubble up to the surface more as the band progressed, but you can hear it on both "Ballad Of Adam & Eve" and "Boy." The EP kicks off with the awesomely drony title track, and wraps with moody ballad "I'll Take Tomorrow." Extended listening: By the release of their third 1991 EP, Reprise, they were already halfway to the breezier style they'd adopt for XYZ and subsequent albums, and it features the gorgeous, country-ish ballad "This River Never Will Run Dry." Songs from Moose's early EPs were cherry-picked for the Sonny and Sam EP, the only record Moose ever got released in America. Criminally underrated, I

3. Pale Saints – Flesh Balloon (1991, 4AD)

In between their first and second albums, Pale Saints added singer-songwriter-guitarist Meriel Barham to their lineup, changing the dynamic of the group for the better. She made her debut on this EP, singing lead on a playful, dreamy cover of Nancy Sinatra's "Kinky Love." The whole EP is fab, though, with the sprawling, dramatic "Hunted" -- which would show up on second album In Ribbons -- and is one of the best examples of the group's unique mix of beauty and noise. There's also a demo of "Hair Shoes," which shows up in full studio version on In Ribbons, but the real standout here is spectacular instrumental "Porpoise." Extended listening: 1990's Half-Life Remembered is pretty great too, especially "Half Life" which toys with Madchester beats. The title track is great.

2. Lush – Mad Love (1990, 4AD)

Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie was behind the boards for this four song 12” that remains the perfect distillation of everything Lush did so well. Quintessential Lush song “De-Luxe” leads the EP that also includes the equally wonderful dreampop track "Thoughtforms" both of which feature Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson's signature guitar and vocal interplay. plus great minor chord slashers “Leaves Me Cold” and “Downer.” Lush made many great records during their brief run, but if you can only have one, make it this. Extended listening: Lush’s debut, the six-song Scar mini-LP is excellent too, if a little rough around the edges. You don’t have to choose, either: Gala compiles Mad Love and Scar, plus a couple other tracks, on one album. It's also hard to argue with picking up Ciao! Best Of Lush which includes their dabblings in Britpop (like the title track which was a duet between Miki and Jarvis Cocker).

1. My Bloody Valentine – Tremolo (1991, Creation)

While My Bloody Valentine’s 1990 Glider EP features their danceable classic “Soon,” the 1991 Tremolo EP has an overall higher hit-count, and sees Kevin Shields and the rest of the band continuing to break new ground. Tremolo features the swirling, transportive “To Here Knows When,” the beautiful “Swallow,” glide guitar ripper “Honey Power” and the churning, Brian Wilson-esque “Moon Song.” Nearly 30 years later, listening to this dazzling EP's four songs will have you wondering "How did they make this?" and "are my stereo speakers functioning properly?" A must-own companion to Loveless. Extended listening: Then again, Glider does have “Soon.” Get them both!