By Jaden Reynolds
Slowdive is one of the faces of the shoegaze in the 90s. The sound of guitars drenched in pedals and heavy effects with moody melodies and soundscapes was iconic during that era. Although My Bloody Valentine if often considered the driving force of that time, I view Slowdive in the same vein.
Their breakout album Souvlaki has not only been a staple life, but an essential part of growing the genre. Tracks like “When the Sun Hits” and “Alison” are shoegaze essentials for anyone who is a fan of the dreamy sound. After disappearing for over twenty years, Slowdive returned with their self-titled record. With a cleaner sound, it seemed that there were leaning more into dreampop rather than their shoegaze roots.
Everything is alive is not different in that aspect, taking the sound of their self-titled and adding synths and more layers than before. It’s this dreamy atmosphere that you get lost in and can’t seem to escape. The sounds on this album captivated me and put me almost in a trance like state. From start to finish, the album has a consistent feel that I think the band absolutely nailed. You can tell all the tracks were recorded with the same sound in mind.
Because of this, at some points the record starts to blend together. While I’m a big fan of the style switch in this record, part of me wishes they got a little more ambitious with it. Near the middle of the album, I started to feel like the band was playing it too safe with the sound. Yes, there’s builds and fun synths, but most songs kind of drag. Although I wasn’t personally a fan of these choices, I believe that the long and drawn-out nature of the songs was completely intentional.
It feels like Slowdive was more focused on creating an atmosphere rather than coherent tracks. It works at some points throughout the album, like with the opener “shanty,” I can’t help but feel there should have been more brought to the table.
I know it sounds like I disliked this album but that is certainly not the case. While I believe my criticisms are still valid, it seemed like Slowdive achieved exactly what they were shooting for. I can see myself wanting to explore this world again and again depending on the way I feel. That trace like state, while empty, made me feel euphoric. It’s an album, that if played at the right time, could strike me like no other. I think overtime, I will continue to revisit it at different points in life to see if I can fully grasp what they were going for here. But, as of right now, everything is alive leaves a little bit to be desired.
Favorite Tracks: shanty, the slab
Least Favorite: andalucia plays
Rated Seven out of Ten