Each day in November, I’m revisiting a song from the 90’s — a decade that was a sorta coming of age for me. In that span, I experienced high school, college and my time as a young single guy in New York City. It was a decade of ups and downs, and the music never stopped playing during that span. It was always there with me. #30DaysOf90sSongs
Shoegaze is a genre that literally took me decades to appreciate. I’ve always loved its atmospheric predecessors, like the Cocteau Twins, The Cure and Siouxsie & the Banshees. But once bands like My Bloody Valentine and Lush started blending various sounds to a nearly indecipherable blur, I was ready to peace out. I loved hearing the distinct instrumental contributions of every band member. As I’ve gotten older, that mindset has changed. When Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner interviewed Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli, the actor stated that he loved Shoegaze because it creates a world for the listener to get lost in. This is exactly what I like about it now — particularly with Slowdive’s “40 Days”.
Like on many Slowdive tracks, the vocals, guitars, bass, drums and keyboards are blended into a euphoric smoothie. You can’t tell one instrument from the other. The band members are one, creating a beautiful, sonic daydream. But what makes “40 Days” a little different from the majority of the Slowdive catalog is the prominence of its infectious melody. For once, it seemed like the sounds were all riding the blissful wave of the melody, instead of the other way around.
“It's the summer I'm thinking of. 40 days and I'm blown away.”