Desert Island Discourse

Woof, are we getting esoteric this week. Merely a fortnight after the self-indulgence of "If I Haven't Heard It, It's New to Me" month, and we're already getting deep in the weeds, covering a wide swathe of a music scene that isn't even huge in its own country. Specifically, we're talking about Japanese Shoegaze, from 2000-2018. For all intents and purposes, shoegaze burned out in the 90's—it was big for a blip, and then quickly became a niche of a niche, the kind of genre beloved by hardcore fans and ignored by most everyone else. But the massive, dreamy guitars of My Bloody Valentine made quite an impact it Japan, planting the seeds for a shoegaze resurgence that continues to flourish. The Japanese shoegaze scene is massive and far more active than elsewhere in the world, quietly churning out some of the best music of the millenium. It's also a side of the genre that Max is obsessed with. Why wouldn't she be—it's the source of dozens of new great shoegaze bands. And while we hope this survey is somewhat