Various Artists – We Are The Beautiful: Two Decades Of Shoegaze 1991-2011

As mentioned in another recent review, I’m particularly fond of box sets that cover a scene as opposed to an artist. Because my familiarity with shoegaze is spotty at best, I thought that the We Are The Beautiful compilation would help me fill in the gaps. In typical Cherry Red fashion, there are scene stalwarts alongside obscure (but largely deserving) artists. Detailed liner notes by knowledgeable writers (in this case, Frank Deserto) illuminate the fact that, more than most other genres, women are heavily represented not just as vocalists but as musicians too. All this had me primed for an exciting as well as educational listen.

For those not in the know, Deserto describes shoegaze as “injecting post-punk ethos with blistering psychedelic energy, beautiful reverb-drenched melodies and feedback-driven Wall Of Sound layering”. While I largely agree with this assessment, there is a dark side as well. Too often, effects pedals are more important than the actual instrumental performance. Vocals are so tertiary in importance that they are often buried, unintelligible, or delivered as if they were a barely melodic hostage video. Production is often so lo-fi as to sound like the recording was done in a cardboard box with musicians covered in wet blankets. That being said, even coal mines have diamonds, and We Are The Beautiful is no exception.

Assembled in roughly chronological order, this compilation begins with one of the genre’s premier bands, Ride, performing the catchy Vapour Trail. Right out of the gate, my criticisms find their target. There are plenty of interesting guitar parts, but they are low in the murky mix. The Telescope’s Flying fares better, with psychedelic electric guitars, folky 12 string acoustics and solid vocal harmonies vying with sonic embellishments. Blind Mr. Jones’ Eyes Wide benefits from a relatively clean mix which allows the harmonized vocals and dreamy instrumentals to shine. Catherine Wheel’s I Want To Touch You focuses on the guitars, yet the vocals capture your attention, as opposed to Drop Nineteens’ My Aquarium (Second Time Around), which has hardly a hint of melody. Pale Saints set themselves apart with the quirky rhythms of Throwing Back The Apple. The bands that draw on other genres for inspiration usually do so with positive results. Swallow’s Lovesleep marries the guitars to synthesizers for a beautifully layered track. Adorable’s Homeboy takes a dip in the grunge pool while The Ecstasy Of St. Theresa latch onto punk energy for What’s, and Bleach’s Burn is a swirling psychedelic onslaught.

The dichotomies continue on disc two. Slowdive’s Souvlaki Space Station channels David Gilmour’s guitar over swirling experimental sounds. Delicate guitars and ethereal vocals collide with crunching rock guitars on Secret Shine’s Suck Me Down. Chapterhouse, whose song We Are The Beautiful lends this compilation its title, uses relatively clean production to bring out the nuances of each instrument; on the other hand, phase shifted sounds detract from the beauty of Ultra Vivid Scene’s Medicating Angels. The title of Here’s Haze says all you need to know, Veldt’s Heather is an exercise in reverb overkill, and Starflyer 59’s vocalist sounds like she’d rather be driving nails through her palms than sing She’s The Queen. Effects pedals don’t always stand in the way of a well crafted song as proved by the likes of Alison’s Halo’s Calendar and Anilore’s Movement. Brian Jonestown Massacre bring psychedelia with an edge to Crushed and An April March spotlight their songcraft on Let Everyone Down.

Kicking off a run of great songs on disc three, the Cocteau Twins show why their popularity was deserved with great songcraft, effects as enhancements, and stellar vocals on Violaine. The same can be said of The Autumns’ The Garden Ends. Bethany Curve are Serene And Smiling through their dreamy and beautifully rhythmic tune, a quality Piano Magic exemplify on Snowfall Soon. Synths are the yellow brick road to bliss on Bowery Electric’s Floating World, Ashrae Fax’s Ultravaca, and Emergency Turn Off by All Natural Lemon And Lime Flavors. Heavily processed vocals and pointless sound effects derail Con Dolore’s Dream, but it is one of the few missteps on disc three. Stella Luna’s Change is an epic guitar piece with curiously muted vocals, but it works. Even spaghetti western soundtrack stylings make an appearance on The Lost Patrol’s Velveteen.

The final disc of this compilation dishes out more of the same. Shoegaze has always borrowed from other genres, but the most danceable cuts are concentrated here. New Order was a heavy influence on Alcian Blue’s 71705 and The Mary Onettes’ Lost, while School of Seven Bells looked further afield for their beat heavy muse on My Cabal. Rock energy with an emphasis on jangly guitars guided the likes of Televise (Outside Out) and Bell Hollow (Seven Sisters). Some bands were content to concentrate on noise over songcraft, such as Pink Playground’s Sunny Skies and Ceremony East Coast’s Don’t Leave Me Behind. Fuzzy, hazy and dreamy were still key adjectives for bands like The Daysleepers (Release The Kraken) and Tamaryn (Love Fade). Pop hooks also found their way into such songs as The Prids’ Like Hearts and Tears Run Rings’ Forgotten.

I love an effects pedal as much as the next guitarist, but it should always be used in service of the song, not the other way around. And if you’re going to have a vocalist who has a voice we’d actually enjoy hearing, why bury that voice so deep in the mix that it becomes indecipherable? While I’m glad for the opportunity to expand my knowledge of shoegaze, I’ve come to the conclusion that some things are best in small doses. Muddy production and bludgeoning walls of sound have their place (I suppose), but it seems that listening to We Are The Beautiful has promoted me to grumpy old man status.

TRACK LISTING
Disc One
01. Ride – Vapour Trail (4:19)
02. The Telescopes – Flying (2:54)
03. Lush – Nothing Natural (5:56)
04. The Ecstasy Of St. Theresa – What’s (2:15)
05. Bleach – Burn (6:34)
06. That Uncertain Feeling – Sunriser (2:52)
07. The Charlottes – Love In The Emptiness (Album Version) (3:47)
08. Blind Mr. Jones – Eyes Wide (3:45)
09. Curve – Horror Head (3:43)
10. Catherine Wheel – I Want To Touch You (4:41)
11. Pale Saints – Throwing Back The Apple (4:11)
12. Sun Dial – Let It Go (4:37)
13. Drop Nineteens – My Aquarium (Second Time Around) (3:14)
14. Kitchens Of Distinction – When In Heaven (5:17)
15. Swallow – Lovesleep (5:00)
16. Adorable – Homeboy (4:30)
17. Moonshake – Blister (3:33)
18. Teenage Filmstars – Inner Space (5:16)

Time – 76:24

Disc Two
01. Slowdive – Souvlaki Space Station (6:00)
02. Secret Shine – Suck Me Down (5:16)
03. Chapterhouse – We Are The Beautiful (4:02)
04. Ultra Vivid Scene – Medicating Angels (8:13)
05. Here – Haze (6:13)
06. Cranes – Shining Road (3:53)
07. Revolver – Cradle Snatch (5:57)
08. The Veldt – Heather (7:35)
09. Venus Beads – Shackled (3:42)
10. Alison’s Halo – Calendar (5:51)
11. Brian Jonestown Massacre – Crushed (6:11)
12. Starflyer 59 – She’s The Queen (3:26)
13. Morella’s Forest – Hang Out (2:48)
14. An April March – Let Everyone Down (3:36)
15. Anilore – Movement (2025 mix) (4:19)

Time – 77:02

Disc Three
01. Cocteau Twins – Violaine (3:48)
02. The Autumns – The Garden Ends (5:51)
03. Bethany Curve – Serene And Smiling (5:00)
04. All Natural Lemon And Lime Flavors – Emergency Turn Off (4:39)
05. Piano Magic – Snowfall Soon (5:02)
06. Lowsunday – She Follows Rain (3:44)
07. Bowery Electric – Floating World (4:47)
08. Mira – Cayman (5:42)
09. Andalusia – Swallow (2:42)
10. Con Dolore – Dream (7:15)
11. Asobi Seksu – Sooner (3:47)
12. Ashrae Fax – Ultravaca (5:07)
13. Stella Luna – Change (6:38)
14. Pluramon – Hello, Shadow (ft. Julee Cruise) (3:58)
15. Skywave – Fire (4:15)
16. The Lost Patrol – Velveteen (4:11)

Time – 76:26

Disc Four
01. Televise – Outside Out (3:50)
02. Soundpool – Millions&Billions&Trillions (4:00)
03. Film School – On & On (5:42)
04. The Prods – Like Hearts (3:46)
05. Alcian Blue – 71705 (4:16)
06. The Mary Onettes – Lost (4:04)
07. School Of Seven Bells – My Cabal (5:09)
08. A Place To Bury Strangers – I Know I’ll See You (4:07)
09. Bell Hollow – Seven Sisters (4:08)
10. The Daysleepers – Release the Kraken (3:56)
11. Screen Vinyl Image – Cathode Ray (4:41)
12. Pinkshinyultrablast – Blaster (3:26)
13. The Big Pink – Crystal Visions (5:49)
14. Pink Playground – Sunny Skies (EP Version) (4:18)
15. Ceremony East Coast – Don’t Leave Me Behind (3:30)
16. Ringo Deathstarr – Shadow (3:56)
17. Tamaryn – Love Fade (3:40)
18. Tears Run Rings – Forgotten (5:52)

Time – 78:10

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: International
Date of Release: 31^st July 2026

LINKS
Cherry Red Records – Boxset Info