Today, Captured Tracks is making, and slightly tweaking, music history with the launch of their Shoegaze Archives. For those who still have doubts about the resurrection of vinyl, the Shoegaze Archive series will shut them up.
If the words “never before released on vinyl” make your mouth voraciously water, then it is strongly advisable you check out The Shoegaze Archives. The collection encompasses all the indefinable, loud, melancholic, motley recordings of the late ’80s and early ’90s—great music that has been collecting dust in an obsolete vacuum of abandoned CDs.
Many Shoegaze original recordings were denied the pleasure of a stylus’ doting caress—an unfortunate consequence of the renouncement of vinyl in the early ’90s. Captured Tracks, with the support of the original artists, is righting this odious wrong by resuscitating these off-the-shelf recordings through remastered vinyl releases. Each album will be remastered with extensive liner notes and delectable bonus tracks.
First up is the hot wax premier of Should’s classic album A Folding Sieve; its rapturous dream pop sounds homologous with those of My Bloody Valentine. The LP includes complete tracks from the original 1994 release (titled shiFT) and two bonus tracks “Faded” and “Own Two Feet.”
Should – Faded
Also popping its turntable cherry is Deardarkhead’s Oceanside: 1991-1993. The release showcases Deardarkhead’s variant of the genre, offering experimental post-punk guitar sound with a lavish dose of dreampop flavor. The remastered album has also been garnished with previously unreleased tracks. Yum.
Deardarkhead – Just For You
A welcomed addition to the world of music and to any inspiring record collection, Captured Tracks’ Shoegaze Archives is a promising reboot of the genre and of the future of vinyl… And that is exactly why you should keep your eyes peeled for all upcoming releases from this tantalizing series.
