Doin The Whirl(wind)

There are times when you are listening to Loveless and you think that shoegaze never got any better; that the genre should have stopped right there; that every band that even implements a fragment of the genre are jerks and should give up on life right this minute. Then there are other times when you listen to Loveless and think that there must be bands out there that can emulate the greatness that My Bloody Valentine and their ilk brings forth.

I still believe that Air Formation are a great advocate of shoegaze and that it is more than relevant now, and will continue to evoke excitement and literal shoegazing for nigh on eternity. California's Whirl could just be another one of those bands.

They have just released Distressor, which you can get on their Bandcamp page for as little as USD$0.10! - and it has the soaring vocals and swirling sonics one expects of MBV acolytes (the two tracks below perfectly showcase this), whilst later into the album they show what shoegaze could have been if Kevin Shields adhered to a little more speed with his effects-laden soundscapes (and at times just a hint of Silversun Pickups - but in a good way). Distressor is a great little album - not only a throwback to days gone by, but a timely reminder that when done right, no genre can be painted into a corner. Even if originality is gone, it is the energy, creativity and direction that continually fuels the flames.

My mate Andy feels that Air Formation write the songs that My Bloody Valentine failed to. So since we're in big call territory, Whirl write the songs that My Bloody Valentine's children were destined to.

Whirl - Leave
Whirl - Blue