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- [00:00]
Alan Cross
Hey, it's Alan and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing history of new music. Early and ad free on Amazon Music included with Prime.
- [00:10]
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- [00:32]
Alan Cross
Music is always just downstream of what's happening in popular culture. Let me show you what I mean. The early 80s were a volatile time for politics, and society was shifting too. The Cold War was dangerously close to turning hot, with relations between the US and the USSR in a particularly bad spot. There was also an awful recession with interest rates pushing past 20%. With all this going on, the early 80s were an interesting time for music. The CD was introduced, elevating the quality of recorded audio and encouraging people to up their technical game on a bunch of different levels. Also, MTV went on the air, so music videos were a new thing. Even though the original punk rock era had burned itself out, it left behind a spirit of adventure. The post punk era was filled with experimentation that resulted in all sorts of new sounds. A lot of these new sounds were facilitated by new technology, especially in the realm of electronics. Not only were synthesizers getting more powerful and cheaper, but there were also drum machines and samplers, more sophisticated multi track recorders, and new outboard effects that could be employed in both the studio and on stage. So in some respects music got more complicated simply because it could. We are always going to have artists that will push the envelope in some fashion. This is where we encounter a post punk genre called Dream Pop, a thing unto itself. But it's also related to other genres where atmosphere, sonic textures, and in some cases sheer volume reign supreme. And from its origins in the early 80s, dream pop has had a profound effect on music that is felt even today. And it all comes from a time when things were terribly tense. Here, let me show you. This is the ongoing history of new Music podcast with Alan Cross. Hello again, I'm Alan Cross and we're about to get all dreamy and floaty and all blissed out by taking a look at another specific genre. Dreampop is an interesting case in that it touches on and overlaps with other alt rock subgenres, including shoegaze and anything resembling modern psychedelic material. It has a volume continuum that ranges from barely their softness to somewhere beyond a jet engine. At the same time, though, it never ever loses touch with melody. So complicated stuff. And I haven't even mentioned vocal styles, guitar effects, production methods and all the other goodness that goes into making something dreamy or in extreme cases, nightmarish. Dream pop's history starts, believe it or not, in the 1960s. We can go back as far as the Velvet Underground's first album, which was released in March of 1967. The band's John Cale had a knack for creating repetitive droney passages that had an almost hypnotic effect at a low volume. A song like Venus and Furs, for example, creates an atmosphere that could lull you to sleep. Not exactly a lullaby, but the drone, something that would later show up in shoegaze and Psych as well as Dreampop. The drone had that effect, but played at extreme volume, the drone could also completely alter your mental and physical state.
- [04:00]
The Velvet Underground
Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather Whiplash Girl child in the dark Comes in better.
- [04:16]
Alan Cross
You see what I mean? The Velvet Underground was one of the first rock bands to, whether on purpose or not, to create an immersive effect with their music. It was best consumed in the dark, when you could just let yourself be carried away. This is not the first time that we'll use the word immersive either. What I mean by that is music that envelops you in sound and texture and noise, sometimes in a mesmerizing, narcotic, trance inducing and soothing sort of way. Some of the Velvet's music definitely fell into that category and so did a few of George Harrison's solo tracks. In November 1970, he released his All Things Must Pass album, which was co produced by Phil Spector. Now Phil knew something about immersive production through his wall of sound methods in the early 1960s, but his songs were upbeat, high energy and danceable. But with George Harrison, Phil Spector brought things down at least a little bit. This is called appropriately Let It Down. Okay, that's, that's nice. But it would be more than a decade before what could be considered proper dream pop started coming together. And before it could be born. We need goth now. Goth started to appear 1978, 1979, and much of this music had an ethereal and spooky feel. It was dark and minor key, sometimes overwrought with romantic notions and supernatural trappings. Otherworldly is a word that we can use. And much of this music came from the uk. Probably the best example is this single which was released on January 1, 1979. It's the debut single from Bauhaus. Note the use of guitars and drums, laden with echo and reverb and other effects.
- [06:25]
The Velvet Underground
Bella Lucos is dead. The bats have left the bell tower the victims have been bled when belly bed.
- [06:39]
Alan Cross
Now this goes on for nine and a half minutes. A debut single. Nine and a half minutes. Very dark, very atmospheric. And you hear those words again. Immersive, ethereal and dreamy. Okay, nightmarish, but that's in the same ballpark. This style of goth had its own name too. It was called Ethereal Wave and Ethereal Goth for reasons that are sonically obvious. And over the next few years it would morph into something separate from goth while still remaining related. The next step was the establishment of a couple of record labels that tended to specialize in this emerging style. The most important of these labels was England's 4 AD, home to not only eventually Bauhaus, but a long list of goth and goth adjacent bands. 4 AD, which by the way is an abbreviation of the word forward, was founded in 1980. Not only did the label sign Axe with a certain sound, but the label also had a powerful visual identity with its logo and its album artwork. 4 AD became one of those rare labels where fans would buy records from unknown bands just based on the label's reputation. You kinda knew what you were gonna get within certain parameters if you bought any 4 ad release. One particular early 4 ad signing set the stage for everything that was to come. The Cocteau Twins were from central Scotland and came together in 1979. They took bits from Bauhaus and Susie and the Banshees and Joy Division and added their own spin. After a bit of a rocky start, the group settled as a duo, vocalist Elizabeth Fraser and multi instrumentalist Robin Guthrie. She sang in some made up tongue in a style that was almost operatic, or in the words of some listeners and fans, angelic. Robin was more concerned about getting the right guitar tones and sounds than he was about playing the correct notes, which is not a slam against him. Guthrie admitted to not being that good technically, but he really wanted to get that feel and that sound and that texture. Layering songs with guitar track after guitar track and adding reverb and echo was designed to cover up his technical limitations as a musician and that approach worked beautifully. Let's try something. This is from a 1984 three track EP entitled the Spangle Maker. The song was a top 30 mainstream hit on the singles charts and a number one indie hit. It's called Pearly Dew Drops Drops. The Cocteau Twins and Pearly Dewdrops drops from 1984. If you can't make out the lyrics, that's not your fault. Again, Elizabeth Fraser sings in her own made up language, it's all about atmospherics and sonic textures. What she's singing is essentially irrelevant. The Cocteau's best years were from 1984 through to about 1994. The most successful album was Heaven or Las Vegas, which was released in early 1990. Unfortunately, Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie's romantic relationship collapsed and things weren't the same from then on, even through a few more albums. The group ended for good in 1997, but there was almost a Coachella reunion in 2005. But the relationship pain was just too much for the two of them and it never happened. There was supposed to be a 55 day world tour after Coachella, but obviously that never happened either. Another important band of the era was this mortal coil, another 4 AD act. The band featured Ivo Watts Russell, the founder of 4 AD, the Cocteau Twins, and another 4 AD band called Dead Can Dance. Call it a dream pop supergroup if you want. In 1984 they released an album entitled It'll End In Tears. One of the tracks is a cover of the Tim Buckley song Song to the Siren. It was so popular that it stayed on the UK indie charts for two years.
- [10:56]
M A R R S
Were you here when I was Falsehood now my foolish boat is leaning Broken Love long.
- [11:17]
Alan Cross
It took a while for this emerging genre to have its own name. Up until the middle 80s it was stuck with ethereal pop, which you have to admit, while evocative, doesn't really roll off the tongue. So a new designation was needed. This is where we meet Alex Ayulli of a group called AR Kane. He was one half of a duo with another guy named Ruby Tambala. These two block artists were deep into this approach to music. And while you may have never heard of AR Kane before, let me tell you that they were tremendously influential when it came to dream pop, trip hop, shoegaze and more. In the beginning, AR Kane was rather noisy. More than one writer referred to them as the Black Jesus and Mary chain. But in 1987 they signed to 4ad and had an EP produced by Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins. That was followed by a 1988 album entitled 69 another episode and a record entitled I. It was around this time that Alex started referring to what the band did as dream pop as a way of pushing back on journalists, giving them labels that they didn't like. And when you hear this, you'll understand immediately. This is a 1986 single called when youn're Sad, when you're Sad from AR Kane. The band's Alex Oyuli is the person who came up with the descriptor Dream Pop. Now, before we leave AR Kane, here's something else that you should know. It's a bit of a detour, but I think it's part of our story. In 1988, they teamed up with another band called Colorbox and Russell Smith, an associate of AR Kane. The result was a one hit wonder, number one smash and went a very long way when it came to mashing up hip hop and dance music and this new art form called sampling. The group's name was made up of the members initials, Martin Young from colorbox, Alex and Rudy from AR Kane, Russell Smith and Steven Young of colorbox. So that's M A R R S Mars. And their hit was Pump up the volume.
- [13:38]
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- [13:53]
Alan Cross
Like I said, a bit of a detour. But it's all part of the Dream Pop story, a story that will continue right after this.
- [14:01]
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- [14:33]
Anthony Delaney
After Dark Myths, Misdeeds and the Paranormal is a podcast that delves into the dark side of history.
- [14:41]
Maddie Pelling
Expect murder and conspiracy, ghosts and witches.
- [14:45]
Anthony Delaney
I'm Anthony Delaney.
- [14:47]
Maddie Pelling
And I'm Maddie Pelling. We're historians and the hosts of After Dark From History Hit where every Monday and Thursday we enter the shadows of.
- [14:56]
Anthony Delaney
The past, discover the secrets of the darker side of history on After Dark From History Hit wherever you get your podcasts.
- [15:06]
Alan Cross
At first, Dream Pop was largely confined to the uk. But there were others in other countries who wanted to explore this territory. When David lynch was preparing the TV series Twin Peaks, he had a very specific, dreamy, spooky atmosphere in mind for the show and this of course, extended to the soundtrack. He'd already become a fan of British Dream Pop by the time his movie Blue Velvet was released in 1986, he tried to license the song Song to the Siren by this mortal coil from 4 AD, but they refused. So he contacted a composer named Angelo Badalamente, and he had an American singer named Julie Cruz in mind. So they collaborated on some very dreamy songs for Blue Velvet. Lynch kept the two around for Twin Peaks. Badalamente and Cruz also appeared on an album together in 1989 entitled Floating into the Night. It featured the Twin Peaks theme called Falling, and it was very dreamy.
- [16:14]
M A R R S
Your face.
- [16:23]
Alan Cross
That song is emblematic of some of the characteristics that dream pop embraced in the late 1980s. Female vocalists dominated, although dudes did have their chances too. Vocals were breathy, quiet, the mood was hazy, blurry. It was great for relaxing and letting your mind go blank. And it sounded extra atmospheric if the right recreational chemicals were involved. I want to bring your attention to another American act that did plenty for the dream pop cause. Galaxy 500 was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the core were three Harvard students. They favored simple instrumentation and vulnerable lyrics, along with a style of recording and production that was very atmospheric. There were several records that, okay, didn't sell very well, but a few who bought them cite Galaxy500 as being very important to their own music. And that would include members of Sonic Youth and Liz Phair. Here's what Galaxy 500 was all about. This is from a 1990 record and it's called the Fourth of July, but.
- [17:36]
The Velvet Underground
I feel alright when you smile.
- [17:43]
Alan Cross
Galaxy 500 lasted for three albums before they broke up, with singer Dean Wareham, continuing in a group called Luna. They were also an important part of American dream pop, as well as an emerging genre dubbed slowcore. Speaking of related emerging genres, by 1990, the concept of dream pop was well established. But then things started to get blurry thanks to the rise of another genre called shoegaze. Shoegaze also began as a British thing. It's essentially dream pop, but with the guitars turned up very, very loud. It was floaty, atmospheric, loaded with texture, but not necessarily the most relaxing music. But thanks to the volume at which it was played, it was extremely immersive. In fact, you really didn't have much of a choice when it came to being immersed at a shoegaze gig. You were literally drowned in sound. Layers of guitars and effects and keyboards. The rhythms pounded you and the bass got right into your chest cavity. The most important of all the shoegaze bands from the 80s and 90s was Ireland's My Bloody Valentine. In 1988, they released a debut album that set the foundations For Shoegaze, which again is really just the extreme end of dream pop. This is called Feed me with your Kiss intense stuff and very hard on the ears and body when experienced live. But if you could surrender yourself to the sonic assault, it was pretty cool. Over the next few years, My Bloody Valentine would establish themselves as ultra influential in both the Shoegaze and Dreampop arenas. The early 90s were very good to both Dreampop and shoegaze, even if the lines between the two were extremely vague. In some quarters in North America, the two terms were often interchangeable, which made things a little confusing. But then dreampop began to be overshadowed by other 90s music. Manchester, Britpop, grunge and the punk rock revival among them. But it never really went away, it just receded to the margins. But there were a ton of dream pop and dream pop adjacent bands during that decade. We had Lush Curve, the Ocean Blue, Pale Saints, the Catherine Wheel, Chapter House, the Sundays, Slow Dive, Belly, Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies, the Cranes, Spiritualized and dozens of others. Many of them had alt rock radio hits during that time. And you can even shoehorn in the Cranberries and Morrissey, Kate Bush and Torrey Amos into those scenes. If it was dreamy, atmospheric and immersive, well, then it was fair game to call it dream pop. And the genre's heyday extended from the late 80s through to the mid-1990s. If you ask me, the last great dream pop record of the 90s came from Iceland's Sigurus. They were a lot like the Cocteau Twins in that they sang in a made up language. In their case, they called it Hopelandic. It was, well, sort of like Icelandic, but any similarities were only vaguely phonetic. The band encouraged people to listen carefully and write down what they thought they heard in a booklet. Siguros had a very big international breakthrough in 1999 with a record called Aegis Berjun. I think that's how you pronounce. Even got them featured in the New York Times Magazine and it was sure pretty. This song is called Sven G. Englar, which I think has something to do with a pun involving sleepwalkers and Ang. Lovely stuff. Cigaros has been making music like that since 1997. But then dreampop went to the sidelines and stayed there for much of the mid to late 90s. It would take a new generation of dreamy artists to bring the sound back to everybody's attention in the 21st century. And that's where we'll go next. Anyone who follows the cycle of rock and pop knows that rock went into a decline in the middle 90s as part of its normal battle with pop. It took until the early 2000s for it to regain dominance with the public. Three things started happening around 2000 and 2001. First of all, some big bands roared back to life. U2, Green Day, Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails among them. Second, they were joined by soon to be big bands. Blink 182, Gorillaz, Coldplay, the Killers, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse and Linkin Park. And third, we had the indie rock revival. All these fresh sounding bands started to appear. The White Stripes, the Strokes, the Yaya's, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, the Hives, Metric. That indie revival breathed new life into other genres. People were once again hooked on looking for something new, different, exciting and unknown. Shoegaze, which never really went away, was always lurking, waiting for a big deal revival and its cousin Dreampop was right there with it and actually maybe a little ahead. The advantage Dreampop had was a technological one, and that technology was the laptop. With each passing year, it became easier and easier to create densely textured music in your bedroom. Pick up a decent synth, interface it with your laptop software, and it was possible to turn out studio quality stuff without the hassle of a big time recording studio. The longer the decade went on, the more powerful the hardware and software became. By the time streaming really started to kick in, which would be when Spotify went online in 2008, there was plenty of this material just waiting to be heard. Millennials proved to be a very good source of dream pop fans, or as some started calling it, chill wave. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Beach House is a trio that was formed in Baltimore in 2004. A self titled album was recorded in two days in the basement of guitarist Alex Scally, using a simple four track machine. You might recognize this song if you know anything about the Weeknd. He sampled part of it for his song the Party and the after party. It's called Master of None.
- [24:22]
M A R R S
I want your picture but not your words, you know.
- [24:38]
Alan Cross
There were more bands like Beach House 2M83, the French electronic outfit. They started getting widespread attention. The Chromatics, a dream pop synth pop group from Portland, Oregon, washed out the project of Ernest Green Jr. Who turned to music when he couldn't find a job as a librarian. Panda Bear, a member of Baltimore's animal collective. The xx, the British duo with a super minimalist electronic sound. When there's more, Norway's Aurora, Sweden's Leaky Lee, the Joy Formidable out of Wales, Canada's Grimes and Basement Revolver. We can also include Lana Del Rey. Her femme fatale image can be pretty dreamy, even though it lacks all the layers of guitars and synths. Some of Lorde's music fits our description, but I think the most successful of the Dream pop bedroom pop artists at this point in the century has to be Billie Eilish what do you want from me?
- [25:31]
M A R R S
Why don't you run for me? What are you wondering? Why do you know? Why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me? When we all fall asleep where do we go?
- [25:45]
Alan Cross
If you're looking to explore dream pop further, there is no shortage of playlists available on any of the streaming platforms. They include the classics from the Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star, along with newer acts like Cigarettes After Sex, Dive Churches, Japanese Breakfast and Still Corners. Why did Dreampop make such inroads in the 2000s? I have a theory that it has something to do with COVID First, many artists were in lockdown with nothing to do but make music in their bedrooms, resulting in a rising supply of this music. And second, we definitely needed something to help us chill out. It was a stressful time for everyone and many of us spent a lot of time at home alone. Dreampop was just the prescription One more thing before I go if you're looking for something even more low key and chill than Dreampop, there's ambient pop, which is even more downtempo. In fact, some of it is completely unstructured with tone, mood and atmosphere ruling over everything. If you want to try that, I'd also recommend starting with Music for Airports, a wonderful instrumental album by Brian Eno that was released in 1978. It's almost background music, but not quite. Not only is it relaxing, but but it might help with concentration and focus when you're trying to work. Try it the next time you're having trouble at your desk. There are so many ongoing history podcasts available that I've lost count. There are hundreds of them. They're all available on all the podcast platforms and they're all free. Grab as many as you want. I also have another podcast called Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry. It looks at the intersection of music and true crime. And believe me, if you're looking for some dark stories, this is the place if you want to meet up. I'm on most of the social media platforms. I have my website ajournalofmusicalthings.com, which is updated every single day with music news and information. You should also have the free daily newsletter by now if you don't sign up that way you'll never miss anything that's happening in music when it comes to news and analysis. And by all means, send me an email. I read and answer them all. Use AlanLancross CA Technical Productions by Rob Johnston Talk to you next time. I'm Alan Cross. Like so worried about my sister.
- [27:59]
M A R R S
We're engaged. You cannot marry Amarillo.
- [28:02]
Alan Cross
I was sick, but I am healing.
- [28:04]
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Returning to W Network and Stack tv.
- [28:06]
Alan Cross
The west side Ripper is back. If you're not killing these people, then who is? That's what I want to know.
- [28:11]
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Starring Kaylee Cuoco and Chris Messina.
- [28:14]
Alan Cross
The only investigating I'm doing these days is who? Their pants killer Messaged you yesterday. This is so dangerous.
- [28:19]
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I got to get out of this.
- [28:21]
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Based on a true story. New season Mondays at 9, Eastern and Pacific only on W stream on Stack TV.