Neil Halstead | |
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Background information | |
Born | Reading, Berkshire, England | 7 October 1970
Genres | |
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Member of | Slowdive |
Formerly of | Mojave 3 |
Neil Halstead (born 7 October 1970) is an English musician, widely known as singer, primary lyricist, and guitarist of shoegaze band Slowdive. He has been hailed by AllMusic as "one of Britain's most respected songwriters", [1] and Time Out as "one of Britain's greatest songwriters". [2]
Halstead was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He is a singer/guitarist and served as frontman and primary songwriter for the shoegaze band Slowdive, formed in 1989 out of his first band, the Pumpkin Fairies. [3] Slowdive released the albums Just for a Day (1991), Souvlaki (1993), Pygmalion (1995), Slowdive (2017) and Everything Is Alive (2023).
Halstead also recorded with a side project called Zurich with members of Seefeel and Knives ov Resistance; the trio's sole album was released in 2014. [4]
After their 1995 breakup, Slowdive morphed into the Halstead-helmed Mojave 3 and released a string of highly celebrated records that merged jangly alt-country with dusky psychedelic dream pop.
In 2006, Mojave 3 went on an indefinite hiatus, prompting Halstead to embark on an acoustic-driven solo career marked by an emphasis on British folk-inspired melody and a love of surfing. An occasional drift into more whimsical territory prompted NME to describe Halstead as "like Syd Barrett if he’d ever set foot on a surf board". Halstead's first solo album, Sleeping on Roads, was released in 2001, [5] [6] [7] followed by Oh! Mighty Engine (2008), released on friend and fellow surfer Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records label. Halstead's third solo album, Palindrome Hunches, was released in 2012; it was described as "an exquisite set of dark folk music" by The Times , [8] while God Is In The TV called it "undoubtedly one of the finest British records released this year". [9]
Halstead formed the project Black Hearted Brother in 2013, [10] releasing one album, Stars Are Our Home. [11]
Slowdive, including Halstead, reformed in 2014, and released their fourth, self-titled, album in 2017. [12]
In 2015, Halstead served as the touring guitarist for Sun Kil Moon on select European dates, including their appearance at the Primavera Sound festival. [13]
Halstead produced Mary Lattimore's 2020 album Silver Ladders . [14]
Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume. It emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s among neo-psychedelic groups who usually stood motionless during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state. The name comes from the heavy use of effects pedals, as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during concerts.
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as reverb, echo, tremolo, and chorus. It often overlaps with the related genre of shoegaze, and the two genre terms have at times been used interchangeably.
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde in 1983. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Souvlaki is the second studio album by the English rock band Slowdive. It was recorded in 1992, and released on 1 June 1993 by Creation Records.
Chapterhouse were a British shoegaze band from Reading, Berkshire, England. Formed in 1987 by Andrew Sherriff and Stephen Patman, the band began performing alongside Spacemen 3. They released two albums: Whirlpool (1991) and Blood Music (1993). The group temporarily reformed in 2008 after being asked to join Ulrich Schnauss onstage to perform his cover version of their song "Love Forever" at the Truck Festival in Oxfordshire. The band finished the brief reunion with two gigs in London (2009–2010) and tours in North America and Japan in 2010.
Slowdive are a British rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Rachel Goswell on vocals, guitar and keyboard, Neil Halstead on vocals and guitar, Christian Savill on guitar, Nick Chaplin on bass guitar and Simon Scott on drums, all of whom have played on the band's debut studio album Just for a Day (1991). Halstead is the band's primary songwriter.
A.R. Kane was a British musical duo formed in 1986 by Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala. After releasing two early EPs to critical acclaim, the group topped the UK Independent Chart with their debut album 69 (1988). Their second album, "i" (1989), was also a top 10 hit. They were also part of the one-off collaboration MARRS, whose surprise dance hit "Pump Up the Volume" was released in 1987. Ayuli is believed to have coined the term "dreampop" in the late 1980s to describe their eclectic sound, which blended elements such as effects-laden guitars, dub production, and drum machine backing.
Rachel Ann Goswell is an English singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence as vocalist and guitarist of the shoegaze band Slowdive, which formed in 1989. Goswell, along with Neil Halstead, Ian McCutcheon and former Chapterhouse member Simon Rowe became Mojave 3 when Slowdive transitioned to a more country/folk rock style. She released a solo album in 2004, titled Waves Are Universal on 4AD Records.
Mojave 3 were a British rock band consisting of former Slowdive members Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon (drums) alongside keyboardist Alan Forrester and former Chapterhouse guitarist Simon Rowe.
Brushfire Records is a record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. Formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, the label was founded to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a company owned by Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and Chris Malloy to produce the surfing documentary Thicker than Water.
Ethereal wave, also called ethereal darkwave, ethereal goth or simply ethereal, is a subgenre of dark wave music that is variously described as "gothic", "romantic", and "otherworldly". Developed in the early 1980s in the UK as an outgrowth of gothic rock, ethereal wave was mainly represented by 4AD bands such as Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, and early guitar-driven Dead Can Dance.
Just for a Day is the debut studio album by English rock band Slowdive. It was released on 2 September 1991 by Creation Records.
Pygmalion is the third studio album by English rock band Slowdive, released on 6 February 1995 by Creation Records. It was the group's final album before their reformation in 2014, and their only album with Ian McCutcheon, who had replaced Simon Scott on drums.
Ask Me Tomorrow is the debut album by Mojave 3, released by 4AD on 16 October 1995 in the UK and on 16 January 1996 in the US. The album was released roughly eight months after the release of Pygmalion, the third studio album by Mojave 3 founders Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell, and Ian McCutcheon's previous band Slowdive.
Outside Your Room is the fourth EP by English shoegaze band Slowdive. Its title is taken from the lyrics of the song "Alison", which was also a single from their album Souvlaki. It reached No. 69 in the UK Singles Chart.
Out of Tune is the second album by Mojave 3, released in 1998.
English alternative rock band Slowdive have released five studio albums, three compilation albums, five extended plays, five singles and four music videos.
Slowdive is the fourth studio album by English rock band Slowdive. It was released on 5 May 2017 by the record label Dead Oceans. It was Slowdive's first studio album in 22 years, following Pygmalion (1995). It was also the band's first album since Souvlaki (1993) to feature the drummer Simon Scott as a member.
Silver Ladders is the fourth studio album by American harpist Mary Lattimore. It was released on October 9, 2020 under the Ghostly International label. Produced by Slowdive's Neil Halstead, it has been described as the album where Lattimore "sets herself apart as a bright innovator who pushes expectation."
Everything Is Alive is the fifth studio album by English rock band Slowdive, released on 1 September 2023 through Dead Oceans. It is their first album in six years and their second since reforming, following their self-titled album released in 2017.
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