Slowdive- Souvlaki: 9.4/10

   

  Slowdive is one of the most prominent shoegaze/dream-pop artists of the late 80s and early 90s, along with Whirr, My Bloody Valentine, and Galaxie 500.  Perhaps the most prominent, but that's besides the point.  They have a short, yet solid, discog, but many people consider Souvlaki to be their magnum opus.  Souvlaki consists of ethereal drones and perfectly juxtaposed vocals of the two lead singers, and never fails to maintain its consistent and dreamy melodies.
    
     It starts off with the soothing song Alison, which can get monotonous at times, but gradually pulls you in to the opaque world that the album weaves.Its chorus is the epitome of disconnected relaxation, and the drones slowly increasing in magnitude really drag you in to a powerful climax and then transition to the next song, Machine Gun. This was a single off  of the album, so there's not much to say except that it's accessible and catchy, which I guess had to implement itself somewhere on the album, so I can't complain.
     Truthfully, the album goes on in this style until the song Dagger, which is a repetitive and haunting downtempo song that holds great power in its lyrics, which is surprising given its softness. The album fades out over the last few songs, like a dying flame winking out. I've listened to it several times, and I still can't recall all of its details. The album just puts you in a purgatorial state where nothing you feel is malaise, it takes you a few steps back from reality so you can drop all of you burdens and predispositions.
     Truly beautiful, powerful, haunting, and definitely deserving of its magnum opus title. 9.4/10 is my rating, it's a great album, but lacks subtlety, diversity, and experimentation. Can be monotonous at times, but repetition can add power to the music and ingrain it in your memory for years to come.

Tracklist:

1. "Alison" – 3:52
2. "Machine Gun" – 4:28
3. "40 Days" – 3:15
4. "Sing" (Brian Eno, Slowdive) – 4:49
5. "Here She Comes" – 2:21
6. "Souvlaki Space Station" – 5:59
7. "When the Sun Hits" – 4:47
8. "Altogether" – 3:42
9. "Melon Yellow" – 3:53
10. "Dagger" – 3:34

Sample Track- Dagger: