Slowdive - Souvlaki
Creation Records
June 1st, 1993.
The making of Souvlaki, the second studio album from Shoegaze figureheads Slowdive, was prefaced with a breaking down of band - Neil Halstead's solo writing as opposed to writing as part of a team, a band - undoubtedly tinting things with a more personal twist. The serrated edge that the material radiates, through aesthetics and soundscapes, feels poignant and purposeful; straight from the bleeding heart.
Upon its release, Souvlaki was met with lukewarm reviews from critics. In the years since, Souvlaki has received critical acclaim and adoration from those on its receiving end. The seering soundscapes must have gone over the majorities heads like witnessing a celestial being in the flesh - unfathomable and out of the scope of measurement. They do say that the best things take time; Souvlaki may not prove this point, but it does say something about time and its sometimes necessary way with art - looking back, everything is so clear; looking forward, not so much.
On the more serene side of the shoegaze spectrum, though it shows its teeth from time to time, Souvlaki holds a contrasting, caressing and enchanting spaciousness that's hard to find elsewhere. Washes of ethereal ambiance dance around like spinning pixies. From sunrise, to sunset, to total eclipse, Souvlaki's lullaby-like aesthetic lulls you under like a siren at sea. Sprinkled with sleepy-sunder dust and on the cusp of breaking through both physically and mentally - one foot in reality and the other in dreamland. Bordering on the spiritual, Souvlaki feels like a retreat into the inner worlds of bedtime stories and their counterpart nightmares - the siren pulls you under.
Sunstroke and blistered skin. Chapped lips splitting in the morning sun.
Listen close and don't be stoned.
