The difference, by ear
Dream pop is this with the volume and distortion down - the same reverb and buried voice, without the wall. If it is beautiful and quiet, it is dream pop.
Both are sung cleanly, but shoegaze is a little faster: 100 to 140 bpm against 70 to 110. To hear the difference, play Cocteau Twins next to My Bloody Valentine. Dream pop grew out of shoegaze. United Kingdom appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Dream pop
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Shoegaze › Dream pop
In short
The same reverb haze, but with the melody left on the surface and the tempo slower.
How it sounds
- Long reverb and delay, with guitars treated like synthesizers.
- Slow tempos and a discreet rhythm section, often a drum machine.
- Ethereal vocals, sometimes with no intelligible words at all.
Key acts
- Cocteau Twins
- Mazzy Star
- Beach House
Start here
The pickCocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas. You won't follow the words, and it doesn't matter.
Full page →Shoegaze
Where it sits
Rock › Alternative rock › Shoegaze
In short
Walls of cascading guitar effects with the vocals buried in the mix. Named after the habit of staring at the pedalboard on stage.
How it sounds
- Dozens of stacked guitar tracks through long chains of pedals.
- Kevin Shields' 'glide guitar' - the tremolo arm used continuously, so the tuning never settles.
- Vocals mixed level with the instruments, as another texture.
Key acts
- My Bloody Valentine
- Slowdive
- Ride
- Lush
Start here
The pickMy Bloody Valentine - Loveless. Nobody has yet reproduced the sound exactly.
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