Still in a Dream

In the mid-1980s, a political atmosphere of seemingly never-ending conservative government of both sides of the Atlantic saw many idealistic young people disengaging from the mainstream. With progressive ideals dropping away from political reality and radical music largely unable to penetrate the pop charts, the underground music scene became a haven.

In time, a new psychedelic music emerged to soundtrack this period of anti-politics and withdrawal: shoegaze. In Still in a Dream, acclaimed author Simon Reynolds (whose book Rip It Up and Start Again is unquestionably the definitive account of the post-punk era) explores this cultural phenomenon, from its glorious sonic innovations to the darker side of its dream-your-life-away resignation.

From My Bloody Valentine to Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth to Slowdive, Reynolds tracks the sound of shoegaze from its origins in post-punk through to its eventual crash into the mainstream in the form of grunge and Nirvana.