Auburn Lull “Regions Less Parallel (early works & rarities 1994 - 2004)” (2005) [by Michael]

This music lives in the troposphere between ambient and shoegaze. It’s ethereal to the extreme. It consists of sound washes, echoes, warm electronics, processed instruments, dreamy vocals, slower tempos, and drones – the usual cast of characters for shoegaze and dream pop. Some of it has a less song-structured, more “com- positional” aspect, tuning it into the frequency of ambient music: more about soundscapes than songs. The problem is that this music is just not that inventive and so the overall impression is of uniformity. This is a common problem in shoegaze music. It works better with pure ambient compositions, which tend to be composed as longer pieces that build and shift, creating a sort of background atmosphere. Shoegaze also creates that haze of atmosphere. It’s an easy formula not to either fuck up or excel at.

My current feeling about shoegaze music is that it’s too easy. It’s too easy, given the proper studio equipment and an understanding of the aesthetic, to create ethereal, dramatic soundscapes, and then if you want, add indecipherable, dreamy vocals. It doesn’t seem too hard to create a competent shoegaze album, which is what I think this CD is. I could see enjoying it if someone put it on during a long, nighttime car ride, or at night at home to have in the background for quiet conversation or making out. But it’s just not good enough - it’s kind of a cheat. It’s too easy. The music just isn’t that interesting, and it gets kind of annoying and tedious. Listening to the whole thing in one sitting, I feel like I just spent the night getting stoned and watching TV – not without its pleasures, but ultimately unsatisfying and kind of a waste of time. (That all being said, I think there are actually a couple of good tracks on here.)