Reviews

The Year Zero

Oceania, I Will Return

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Review Date: 2006-08-11

So, it appears that there's a revival of shoegaze, a genre that takes its roots in the ethereal pop of Cocteau Twins and in the noisy guitars of early Jesus and Mary Chain in the 80s. Of course, there have been bands keeping the genre alive at the end of the 90s (Mahogany, for example), but shoegazer was considered dead by most people since the main bands that exposed it in the 90s in the UK were dismantled for a while (Slowdive, Ride, My Bloody Valentine).

There seems to be a growing interest for shoegaze in the new generation -- maybe because we are dreamers, the society we live in often lets us down and we are able to find a significant amount of dreamy tunes to make us feel better? I feel that way. Some people will classify these new shoegazer bands as newgazer, so if you ever see that somewhere, you'll know what it means.

The Year Zero is one of those "newgazer" bands. Former Sense Field guitarist Rodney Sellars formed it and his acolytes Lili De La Mora, and Alex Villanueva joined. To get an overall image of the band's main themes, watch the movie "Waterworld" and consider the whole situation as a new beginning. The band focuses on this theme throughout the album Oceania, I Will Return.

The Year Zero are, without a doubt, dreamers. Rodney Sellars' guitars shine like a sweet mix of the way the instrument sounded in Sense Field's "Save Yourself" and My Bloody Valentine's "Lose My Breath." Earlier this year, in this wave of newgazer artists, Fleeting Joys released an album sounding similar to Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. If I can compare Oceania, I Will Return to an earlier album, it would be Isn't Anything by My Bloody Valentine. The shimmering guitars ring directly in your ear without needing to travel ages like they did in Loveless.

"Anthem" is, in my mind, referring directly to Isn't Anything. The band probably listened to the song "No More Sorry" so many times that they decided they would need to make a similar one. The earlier song definitely sounds like an anthem, so naming this one "Anthem" is iftting. The timeless universe it drives us in is very futuristic and it's an ideal song for all those escapists around the world.

It is easy to draw images in your mind while listening to this album. "Dreamers Under The Sky" is one of those songs where it couldn't be less subtle. "We were alone, we were alive, we were the only ones out in the night" -- the imagery of this complimented by ethereal guitars really fits well.

While this disc has its dose of good dreamy ambient songs ("Moon Viewing Parties" and "Anthem") it also has its quantity of more usual pop songs, especially on the first half. "Stranger," "Some Great Majestic," "The Truth About Stars," "Skyway Racer" and "Phoenix" reveal more user-friendly tunes without losing their delicacy, enhanced by Lili's soft and childish voice.

Overall, this album has its good times and is a pleasant listen. It doesn't have any particular killer track, which is nothing bad since fans ordinarily want consistency in shoegaze. Although this is low-budget production, it sounds impressively good. This is not a shoegazer classic, but it sure has some charm; it's a good record, and I'm glad I have it in my collection.

Songs to hear: "Some Great Majestic," "Skyway Racer," "Dreamers Under The Sky"

Score: 7.3

- Alexandre Poulin