Welcome to autumn and goodbye to September. It’s my favorite time of year in NYC and there’s a bunch of new albums albums in this first fall 2024 edition of Indie Basement: The Wolfgang Press‘ first album in 29 years; Naima Bock‘s follow-up to my favorite album of 2022; the debut full-length from the very talented Kate Bollinger; a wonderful collection of Broadcast demos; plus Low‘s Alan Sparhawk, Hayden Thorpe (ex Wild Beasts), and Dean Spunt (No Age).

Over in Notable Releases, Andrew and Amanda review the latest from Christian Lee Hutson, Herlot, Merce Lemon and more.

It was a pretty exciting week in general if for nothing else than we got the first new Cure songs in 16 years (it’s good!), and only have to wait a month to hear their much-anticipated new album Songs of a Lost World.

Other Basement-friendly news: Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser will indeed join Massive Attack at their upcoming East Coast shows; Tsunami and Ida will be touring together early next year; and Oasis confirm that their 2025 reunion plans include a few (likely massive) North American shows.

Head below for this week’s reviews and see you in October.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: The Wolfgang Press – A 2nd Shape (Downwards)
These classic-era 4AD vets’ first album in 29 years is a dark, gritty and welcome return

Every band that’s not The Smiths are getting back together but I still didn’t see The Wolfgang Press reunion coming. Maybe my favorite imperial era 4AD band besides Cocteau Twins, The Wolfgang Press were the dark underbelly of the label with a sinewy, dubby brand of post-punk that gave you lots to chew on. They also had a wonderfully dry sense of humor. The band made two absolute classic albums (1988’s Bird Wood Cage and 1991’s Queer), had the best song on iconic 4AD comp Lonely is an Eyesore (“Cut the Tree”), and always seemed to do exactly what they wanted. At least until 1995’s Funky Little Demons, that is, which felt like their US label, Warner Bros, trying to make them more commercial and it just made them bland. The Wolfgang Press fizzled out in the midst of making another record just when the perfect UK scene for them to slide into, trip hop, was on the rise. Truly one of the great missed opportunities.

I digress. The two-thirds of the band who did most of the songwriting, singer Michael Allen and guitarist Andrew Gray, began collaborating again a few years ago but were unsure what to call it. Mark Cox had already left the band before they broke up in 1995, and when they brought in Andrew’s brother, Stephen Gray, to help with the new songs, things organically started sounding like The Wolfgang Press and here we are. A 2nd Shape finds them going back to the start of the band, recording on an ADAT multitrack (digital, but pre-ProTools tech), with most songs featuring only bass, keyboards, primitive drum machines and Allen’s unmistakable baritone that can go from a whisper to a wail. There are no attempts to write anything as immediate as “A Girl Like You” or “The Great Leveller,” but “Sad Surfer,” “This Garden of Eden,” “The Line” and eerie instrumental “The 1st” all have that compelling, low-key menace that is the hallmark of the great TWP records. The album’s centerpiece, though, is “Take it Backwards,” a classic, snarling Wolfgang Press banger that also serves as a statement of intent: “I’m not broke, I’m not a joke, I’m not thinking backwards.” This reunion has no interest in nostalgia.

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Naima Bock – Below a Massive Dark Land (Sub Pop)
The former Goat Girl bassist’s sad, expressive voice is at the center of her wonderful, rewarding second solo album

Naima Bock’s fantastic debut album, Giant Palm, was made after she left London band Goat Girl and nearly left music all together. Her second album was almost like starting all over again, as she broke from Joel Burton who was her chief collaborator and arranger on Giant Palm. “After me and Joel stopped working together it was an impossibility to even fathom doing arrangements myself, but then I started learning violin,” she says. “Playing it isn’t easy but writing melodies on it is. I think I needed it, to be able to feel proud of something. Like, that’s me! That feels good.”

She should be proud of Below a Massive Dark Land, another transfixing record that puts a spotlight on her unique melodic and arrangement skills, as well as her ever-expressive voice. This album has a different feel than Giant Palm (much more indebted to British folk with fewer nods to tropicalia), but there’s no mistaking her vocals which are steeped in deep sadness whether she’s weeping in heartache over delicate acoustic guitar, or backed with soulful horns. When she belts it out, like on the raw breakup song “Lines” where she sings “I still remember the day / When you cast me aside,” it can send shivers down your spine. I’ve been been listening to Below a Massive Dark Land for a few months now and feel like I’m only starting to crack the surface of these songs and into the rich soil of this rewarding, autumnal album.

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Kate Bollinger – Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind (Ghostly International)
Following a long string of singles and EPs, Kate Bollinger finally releases her debut album and it’s a real treat

Kate Bollinger has wisely taken her time getting to her debut album and her patience has paid off. She’s been releasing singles since 2017, toured with Real Estate and Faye Webster, directed videos for Jessica Pratt, and honed her songwriting and arranging skills. That filmmaker side of her art also informs her music. “When I’m recording a song,” she says, “my indication of whether it’s worth pursuing is if I’m seeing a movie in my head to go along with it.” Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind is as vivid as Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a technicolor album that doesn’t sound French, per se, but still has a bit of that feel with its baroque, playful sound, frothy, light melodicism and Bollinger’s breathy vocals. It’s also got a cast of thousands, including including producer Sam Evian and old Virginia friend Matthew E White who co-wrote a few songs on the album. Despite all the collaborators, from the musicians to the designers who helped create the whimsical album sleeve and videos, this is an auteur at work, dazzling whether indulging in rich ’70s rock (“I See It Now,” “Any Day Now”), sunshine pop (“Postcard From a Cloud”), or classic singer-songwriter stylings (“Running”). I can’t wait to see what she does next, and I won’t be disappointed if it’s a movie musical.

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Alan Sparhawk – White Roses, My God (Sub Pop)
Alan Sparhawk’s first album since the death of Low and life partner Mimi Parker is full of 808s and heartbreak

Low were still riding the creative high of 2018’s Double Negative and 2021’s HEY WHAT when they announced that Mimi Parker had been battling cancer, and just a few months later she passed. Her partner in life and music, Alan Sparhawk, kept a low profile after, focusing on his family but he continued to make music. Alan quietly released music via Bandcamp via his DERECHO Rhythm Section project which includes his son Cyrus on bass, and began playing live again with both Cyrus in his band but also daughter Hollis on drums. It was through his son and daughter that his first proper solo album after Mimi’s death was created.

“The kids had the drum machine and a microphone set up in the studio,” Sparhawk wrote when announcing White Roses, My God. “They’d have their friends over sometimes, and they’d record themselves taking turns free-styling. I brought them a synth and a voice pitch affect to have more options to mess with but before long, my curiosity won, and I found myself secretly stabbing around at possibilities with the unfamiliar tools, improvising, turning knobs until something would hit and a song would form. In hindsight, I can see now that it must have been what needed to come out of me, but at the time it felt like chaos and naïveté-even a little desperate. It kept tapping into a part of me that I’ve come to trust, so I kept recording.”

Low’s final two albums pushed their sound to extremes and beyond but White Roses, My God doesn’t feel like a continuation of that, not really. The voice pitch effect, somewhere between a vocoder and extreme autotune, is central to the album. There is very little of Sparhawk’s natural voice here, instead heading into 808s & Heartbreak territory with minimal beats, some synth and mutated vocals. Like almost everything Sparhawk creates, it is beautiful, but also very heavy, as you might expect, with grief at its core. Yet it is cathartic too; “Feel Something,” with it’s myriad lyrical variations of “Can you help/make me feel something here?” takes repetition into transcendence.

If musically this one is not quite your cup of tea, Sparkhawk continues to zag; his next album is apparently already finished and was made with jam band Trampled by Turtles.

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Broadcast – Distant Call: Collected Demos 2000​-​2006 (Warp)
The “final” release from Broadcast features spare, folky demos of songs from their peak era and is released on what would’ve been Trish Keenan’s 56th birthday

Earlier this year, Broadcast released an album of previously unreleased demos (and a few voice memo recordings) of songs that were in play for the band’s fourth studio album before Trish Keenan tragically died on January, 14, 2011. Now, released on what would’ve been Trish’s 56th birthday, Broadcast have given us an album of demos from 2000-2006 of songs that did make it to their albums and EPs. Specifically, all these are just Trish and acoustic guitar, and it’s a bit of a revelation. Broadcast studio recordings are both lush and icy, with meticulously layered production that felt both vintage and futuristic, unstuck in time but living in a magical phantom zone of their own creation. Here songs like “Color Me In” and “Ominous Cloud” become contemporaries to Margo Guryan or Vashti Bunyan, and Haha Sound‘s “O How I Miss You” goes from spooky to heartbreaking. We miss you, Trish.

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INDIE BASEMENT CLASSIC: Broadcast – The Noise Made By People (Warp, 2000)
Broadcast’s debut full-length remains an otherworldly wonder 24 years later

With Broadcast’s final release out now (see directly above), I thought we’d rewind back 24 years to the release of their full-length debut. After a number of EPs and an appearance on the Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery soundtrack, Broadcast released their full length debut, which is still my favorite album of 2000. Utterly bewitching, The Noise Made People still sounds like pop transmitted from another dimension, familiar but alien, warm-hearted but cool to the touch. Every detail is considered, from the eerie synthesizers (part sci-fi, part Italian horror film), to the snap of the snare, the ambient sounds of electricity that hum lowly in most songs (surely David Lynch has heard this band), and the artwork that seems to have been made from old computer punchcards. Trish Keenan’s beguiling, mysterious voice seals the deal on perfect songs like “Echo’s Answer” and “Come on Let’s Go.” A quarter of a century later, with plenty of bands who have since aped this sound, The Noise Made by People is a singular marvel.

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Hayden Thorpe – Ness (Domino)
Former Wild Beasts co-leader’s third album is an ambitious, woodwinds-filled concept work based on Robert Macfarlane’s 2019 book

It’s been eight years since Wild Beasts called it quits and co-leads Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming went their separate ays: Fleming with One True Pairing, and Thorpe under his own name. The band were always pretty arty, but Thorpe has really leaned into it. Ness is his third solo album and is a full-on concept album, based on Robert Macfarlane’s 2019 book of the same name; he and the author collaborated on this record, and the book’s cover artist, Radiohead collaborator Stanley Donwood, did the album art. Via the label:  “Ness is inspired by Suffolk’s Orford Ness, the former Ministry of Defence weapons development site during both World Wars and the Cold War. Acquired by the National Trust in 1993 and left to re-wild, it to this day remains a place of paradox, mystery and constant evolution. Thorpe’s Ness is an ode to Orford Ness, the physical place and the book it inspired.” With woodwinds-forward arrangements, Ness is gorgeously produced, verdant and wistful, and Thorpe’s acrobatic, unique voice is right at home here. Clearly, this is not trying to be a pop album at all, but it may be too esoteric for some, and the concept will be lost on even more. I also must admit that on some of Ness‘ more rock-leaning tracks (“Merman,” “They”) I found myself yearning for the counterbalance of Fleming’s voice. That’s not really a fair criticism, but Wild Beasts were more than the sum of their parts, independent limbs that made magic together. Even on a meticulously constructed work like this, phantoms remain.

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Dean Spunt – Basic Editions (Drag City)
Travel to the further reaches of your psyche on the No Age drummer’s electronic, experimental solo album inspired by a 2000s-era synth

No Age drummer/singer Dean Spunt says what he’s doing on his new solo album is “using sounds, rather than making sounds.” Basic Editions was inspired by his acquisition of an E-mu Mo’Phatt, an early-2000s “urban dance synth” that comes loaded with 64 preset voices ranging from drum kits to synths and more. Dean being Dean, he used it to mostly make some weird music, definitely outside of what the average artist would’ve done with this. Most of the album is on the soundscape side of things, sometimes noisy, sometimes ambient, but then he’ll drop a track like “European Cardboard” or “Fructose” that draw you in and approach cratedigger/beatmaker style. More of that please.

Looking for more? Browse the Indie Basement archives.

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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!