Arguably the most criminally under-recognized band of their era, the British duo A.R. Kane anticipated virtually all of the key musical breakthroughs of the 1990s a decade before the fact, with the roots of everything from shoegazing to trip-hop to ambient dub -- even those of post-rock -- lying in their dreamy, oceanic sound. Formed in London... [+] Read More

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Singers/guitarists Richard Millang and Ray Lake, bassist Chris Preston and drummer David Mac Wha formed the ambient pop outfit Bethany Curve in Santa Cruz, CA in May 1994; adopting the motto "Atmosphere, Arrangement, Sound, Layering and Noise," the group issued their debut cassette Mee-eaux in 1995, signing to Unit Circle the following year for... [+] Read More

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Nebraska's lone entry into the dream pop world, For Against initially consisted of bassist and vocalist Jeffrey Runnings, guitarist Harry Dingman, and drummer Greg Hill. Dingman and Hill left after 1988's December to form the Millions, and they were replaced permanently by Steven "Mave" Hinrichs and Paul Engelhard after a replacement lineup... [+] Read More

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Named after history class notes on Abraham Lincoln, the Livonia, MI-based sonic manipulators His Name Is Alive formed when multi-instrumentalist/producer Warren Defever (also of shockabilly group Elvis Hitler) was still in high school. Defever, former schoolmate Karin Oliver (vocals), and drummer Damian Lang released self-produced cassettes of... [+] Read More

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Meshing dreamy, feedback-drenched guitars with airy, catchy melodies, Lush were one of the most prominent shoegazing bands of the early '90s. Led by guitarists Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, the British band earned a cult following within the British and American undergrounds with its first EPs, yet the group never quite attained the critical... [+] Read More

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If psychedelic music had a voice in '90s post-punk, Mazzy Star may have been its strongest reincarnation. That doesn't necessarily mean that fans of the Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead will find the band to their liking, however. Mazzy Star much prefered the dark side of psychedelia, as exemplified by the most distended tracks of the... [+] Read More

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Like the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, and the Jesus & Mary Chain before them, My Bloody Valentine redefined what noise meant within the context of pop songwriting. Led by guitarist Kevin Shields, the group released several EPs in the mid-'80s before recording the era-defining Isn't Anything in 1988, a record that merged lilting, ethereal... [+] Read More

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Named after a word in one of Nick Chaplin's dreams -- not from a Siouxsie and the Banshees single -- Slowdive formed in Reading, England, in late 1989. The group orginally consisted of Neil Halstead (guitar/vocals), Rachel Goswell (guitar/vocals), Christian Savill (guitar), Adrian Sell (drums), and Chaplin (bass). Formed when they were mostly in... [+] Read More

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Spirea X was a short-lived dream pop/noise pop act on the 4AD label, spearheaded by ex-Primal Scream member Jim Beattie. The other members of the group were Judith Boyle and Andrew Kerr. In 1991, the group released the Chlorine Dream and Speed Reaction singles, along with the full-length Fireblade Skies. Combining sweet vocal melodies with... [+] Read More

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