"ALISON" SLOWDIVE (1993)

For the month of November, I’ll be selecting songs in conjunction with the music Twitter challenge: #WelcomeToTheOccupation.

I was a latecomer to the genius of Slowdive. It wasn’t until the pandemic that their music suddenly resonated with me. Like life at the time – with everyone in my family Zooming in our apartment – the music of Slowdive often feels like layers on top of each other, co-mingling and melding. The music suddenly made sense to me. I understand now why people often say Slowdive songs feel like an escape. I get that same reaction every time I hear their music, including “Alison” off the band’s second album, Souvlaki.

The soaring, swirling feedback-fueled guitar parts are what draws me in. But it’s Halstead’s lyrics that keep me there in that space of utter detachment from the rest of the world. The feeling mirrors Halstead’s own escape to Wales following his breakup with Goswell. Which reminds me of a quality I’ve long admired in music – where the songwriter’s emotions become our own. It’s what makes “Alison” autobiographical in its own unconventional way.

“And the sailors, they strike poses. TV covered walls, and so slowly With your talking and your pills, Your messed up life still thrills me.”

"FALLING ASHES" SLOWDIVE (2017)

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 2017

The eponymously-titled album was the band’s first studio output in over 20 years. It’s highly unusual for a band to come back to record like that after such a lengthy hiatus. It’s even more unusual for a band to arrive in such spectactular form as Slowdive did in 2017, like not a single day passed since 1995’s Pygmalion. Their most recent studio album not only held up, it became my favorite Slowdive record. A big part of that is due to the strength of the final track, “Falling Ashes”.

What’s great about “Falling Ashes” is that it doesn’t depend on distortion and pedal effects to create the atmosphere. There’s an overwhelming expansiveness to the whole album where Slowdive uses some of their tried-and-true techniques, but “Falling Ashes” shows us a maturation to the band yet this is still undeniably Slowdive in every way. Impossibly beautiful. Unflinchingly contemplative. Utterly immersive.

“Love of my life, GRACE of my night.”

"FALLING ASHES" SLOWDIVE (2017)

I started Mental Jukebox nearly three years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. During this time, I’ve discovered new music, rediscovered old favorites and I’ve met passionate music fans around the world. And when things opened up, I kept on blogging. This month, the jukebox goes deeper. The term “deep cut” has multiple meanings. It can refer to lesser known album tracks from well-known artists. It can also refer to tracks from lesser known artists. This month, I’ll be featuring both types. #DeepCutsFeb

The eponymously-titled album was the band’s first studio output in over 20 years. It’s highly unusual for a band to come back to record like that after such a lengthy hiatus. It’s even more unusual for a band to arrive in such spectactular form as Slowdive did in 2017, like not a single day passed since 1995’s Pygmalion. Their most recent studio album not only held up, it became my favorite Slowdive record. A big part of that is due to the strength of the final track, “Falling Ashes”.

What’s great about “Falling Ashes” is that it doesn’t depend on distortion and pedal effects to create the atmosphere. There’s an overwhelming expansiveness to the whole album where Slowdive uses some of their tried-and-true techniques, but “Falling Ashes” shows us a maturation to the band yet this is still undeniably Slowdive in every way. Impossibly beautiful. Unflinchingly contemplative. Utterly immersive.

“Love of my life, GRACE of my night.”

"40 DAYS" SLOWDIVE (1993)

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.”