Blonde Redhead - 23 / A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Scribble Mural Comic Journal

After living the longest revival ever (the 1980's comeback), pop music continues its natural evolution and finally turns its head into...the 1990's. We've already had the new-rave movement (with bands like Hadouken!, the disappointing Shitdisco and, most of all, the excellent Klaxons, who wisely enough have already jumped off this bandwagon for higher levels) and now, for y'all, here's shoegazing again. Consisting of very self-absorbed and dreamy sounds (hence the name), and usually ethereal female voices and layers of distorted guitars, its main ambassadors were bands like My Bloody Valentine, who are strongly influencing a new-wave of quite interesting projects, each one with a different approach. Hell, we've already had a techno/trance-y take into shoegazing with wonderful results (The Field with From Here We Go Sublime), so I'd say we're off to something promising (tip: write down this name - Maps ...you've been warned...).
In the meantime, here are two north-american projects worth listenning to:
Blonde Redhead approach shoegazing with the word "melody" in their minds. That is to say, their song-writing skills are what take them apart from regular bands, with some gorgeous results that wonderfully serve vocalist Kazu Machino's voice. Upon innumerous layers of guitars, synthesizers, percussion and vocal tracks, we have ridiculously beautiful songs and charming choruses (and for some reason, I got reminded of Charlotte Gainsbourg and 5:55), putting what should be a normal atmospheric rock project into an unique place of its own. (7/10) Myspace page
A Sunny Day In Glasgow are different, building their strenghts from a limitless sense of risk and experimentation, head to head with a feeling of distance that is present from start to end. Atmospheric samples, layers upon layers of noise and reverb, techno elements and surreal details are heard in an album that, more than songs, uses lots of cut + paste to build concepts. It may sound too confusing and unfocused at first, but after a few listens, all this chaos does start to make some very luminous sense. (8/10) Myspace page