Shoegaze done right
Arilitt | bensalem, pa USA | 10/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Sleepover Disaster- Hover
1. Friend 9/10
2. Code Breaker 9/10
3. Funnel Cloud 8.5/10
4. Dark Star 8.5/10
5. Tremble 7/10
6. On a Sunday 7/10
7. Make You Sing 7/10
8. Edward Said 9/10
9. Songwriting for Dummies 10/10
The Sleepover Disaster are a throwback. They play old school Shoegaze mixed with 80s indie rock, and Brit Pop. The Shoegaze style hits you over the head. You can easily hear elements of Slowdive, Ride, and Chapterhouse. But at times you can hear the experimentalism of My Bloody Valentine and the more rock oriented Swervedrive. The 80s Indie Rock/Brit Pop influence is a little harder to hear. What I hear is reminiscent of The Wedding Present, The Cure, Jesus and the Mary Chain, Radiohead, and Adorable. Hover has that swirling guitar sound that is reminiscent of Shoegaze and 80s indie rock/pop.
If nothing else Hover is consistent all the way through. It starts out with two great songs in Friend and Code Breaker. They set the tone and leave no doubts that The Sleepover Disaster are a Shoegaze band. Funnel Cloud adds a little 80s indie rock to their sound and elements of Swervedriver, Adorable, and The Wedding Present come out. Dark Star settles back into the Shoegaze sound with some Cure Undertones, both pre-pop and pop era. During the Chorus you can hear the swirling guitar sound that made My Bloody Valentine Legends. Tremble, On a Sunday, and Make You Sing are not lolls in the album. They just can't live up to the songwriting level of the first four tracks. Edward Said makes great use of guitar effects, revisiting My Bloody Valentine Territory. The Final Track, Songwriting for Dummies, is an 80s indie rock/ Brit pop oriented song that calls to mind The Bends era Radiohead. With about 3 minutes left in the song the distortion and guitar effects kick in, the drums start to really go, and the song takes off. It becomes perfection.
Hover is a great mood album. Have a few drinks, mellow out, lay back and relax. You are going to get your moneys worth. I would highly recommend this album for fans of the genre, anyone who enjoys ambient music, or is willing to take a on something a little different. The song by Song Review is 83%, but with all the intangibles, especially the flow of the album I would rate Hover at 87%
Similar Artists/Influences: Slowdive, Ride, Chapterhouse, Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and the Mary Chain, All Natural Lemon and Lime Flavoring, Silversun Pickups, Daydream Nation, Adorable, The Wedding Present, The Cure
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A STONE COLD SHOEGAZE CLASSIC!A+,10 STARS!!!!!
My Stars* | gadsden,alabama | 10/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is as good as any 1st generation shoegaze.This is the zenith of nu-gaze.no-gaze whatever you want to call it.This album is FANTASTIC!!!!!!Every song is great.There is not any filler on this at all.Remember what it was like to get a classic album like Swervedriver's "Raise" or Catherine Wheel's "Ferment"?It is the same feeling with "Hover"!!Had this been released in 91 or 92 it would have been considered a stone cold classic!You know what,it is a stone cold classic.It will be put next to Slowdive,Swervedriver,Catherine Wheel,Pale Saints and My Bloody Valentine.Thank God for bands like The Sleepover Disaster.They keep the flame alive and have restored my faith in music.Do your self a BIG favour and buy this.You will not be sorry."