History Main / DreamPop

Generally, if someone says "dream pop", they're most likely thinking of bands in TheEighties on the 4AD label, such as DeadCanDance, CocteauTwins, Dif Juz and the genre's own {{Supergroup}}, ThisMortalCoil. These bands represent dream pop's "classic sound" - all instruments and voices soaked in reverb, breathy vocals, introspective themes and creating a wall of sound out of generally sparse instrumentation [[hottip:*:even the more arrangement-heavy dream pop bands like the Cocteaus stuck to the standard guitar-bass-drums-keyboards lineup; only ThisMortalCoil really used string sections, and even they stuck to minimal arrangements instead of overproduction]], adding up to something that, all snarkery aside, [[BetterThanItSounds is really quite beautiful]]. Most dream pop bands varied in terms of emotion between [[TearJerker somber and depressing]], [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel terrifying]] and [[SweetDreamsFuel optimistic]]. Still, not every band on 4AD was dream pop (ThePixies, TheBreeders, Colourbox and ThrowingMuses were on the label) and not every dream pop band was on 4AD (Cranes, The Passions, Bel Canto, Galaxie 500 and The Dream Academy among many others were on other labels). While dream pop was intially a pretty unified genre, variations on the basic "ethereal soundscapes + pop melodies" formula soon appeared, in particular bands that focused more on guitars than synths. Pretty soon, the genre started splintering into a ton of other subgenres as well: Low went into slowcore, Mazzy Star smashed together DreamPop, {{Shoegazing}} and PsychedelicRock, LoveSpiralsDownwards went into electronica, and so on.

* {{Deftones}} (a cross between AlternativeMetal and DreamPop, with {{Shoegazing}} and NewWave influences)

* Mojave 3 (dream pop crossing over into sadcore and alternative country)

* TheBlueNile (very strange combination of soft rock, easy listening, soul, and dream pop. Think of the Cocteau twins grabbed a vocalist that sang like Morrissey, and stole all of MichaelBolton's synthesizers, you'd have these guys.)

Dream pop's indie status means that its bands don't have access to incredibly advanced equipment or funds in their quest for sonic beauty. Typical characteristics of the genre include heavily processed guitars and synthesizers, breathy, high-pitched generally female vocals - the occasional male vocals show up but they tend to be just as breathy - and heavy use of [[LiveFromKhazadDum reverb and echo]] to give the songs a sort of celestial atmosphere. Basically, you can think of dream pop as the musical equivalent of SceneryPorn with a tendency to PerishingAltRockVoice. Thanks to its association with 4AD, the genre even had its own distinctive visual identity thanks to Vaughan Oliver and v23's work for that label: MinimalisticCoverArt designs employing very blurry imagery and occasional use of DeliberatelyMonochrome.

* Azure Ray are dream pop, with the [[LiveFromKhazadDum overwhelming reverb]] replaced by folk and indie influences.

* The xx are fairly modern, but unmistakably dreamy, breathy, and beautiful.

* SigurRos (dream pop + shoegazing)
* The Sundays

While the genre itself appeared in TheEighties, the VelvetUnderground song "Sunday Morning" has been cited as basically the UrExample of the genre, once again supporting BrianEno's statement that people who buy Velvet Underground albums will start their own bands.

* {{Radiohead}}

While the genre itself appeared in TheEighties, the VelvetUnderground song "Sunday Morning" has been cited as basically the UrExample of the genre, once again proving that people who buy Velvet Underground albums will start their own bands.

* BeachHouse (unique combination of dream pop and "beach" music)

* Galaxie500

* {{Deftones}} (a cross between AlternativeMetal and DreamPop)

* Lush

* All {{Shoegazing}} bands can be associated with dream pop due to the latter's influence on the former, but YourMileageMayVary - for some it's reasonable ({{Slowdive}}, which later evolved into the aforementioned Mojave 3, ''possibly'' {{Starflyer 59}}), for others it's just a stretch (''especially'' MyBloodyValentine).

* {{Efterklang}} (dream pop + post-rock, [[NewSoundAlbum lately]] dream pop + indie pop)

* ThisMortalCoil (not technically a "band", see above explanation; also {{Trope Codifier}}s)

* The Sundays
* The Chameleons
* The Passions

* Lowlife
* A.R. Kane
* Bel Canto
* Belly
* Seefeel
* Cranes (notably, unlike their more optimistic or atmospheric comrades, they dived completely into HighOctaneNightmareFuel PostPunk with the absolute creepiest CreepyChild vocals ever.)
** Their recent albums are much more optimistic.
* MazzyStar
* BeachHouse (unique combination of dream pop and "beach" music)

* SigurRos (dream pop + shoegazing)
* Candy Claws (self-described "dream, dream, dream, dream pop")
* Bon Voyage (the {{Starflyer 59}} side project), though they switched to SynthPop on their most recent album.

* {{Deftones}} (a cross between AlternativeMetal and DreamPop)

* The Delays
* The xx are fairly modern, but unmistakably dreamy, breathy, and beautiful.
* Azure Ray are dream pop, with the [[LiveFromKhazadDum overwhelming reverb]] replaced by folk and indie influences.
* OwlCity

* OwlCity

* Azure Ray are dream pop, with the [[LiveFromKhazadDum overwhelming reverb]] replaced by folk and indie influences.

* Cranes (notably, unlike their more optimistic or atmospheric comrades, they dived completely into HighOctaneNightmareFuel PostPunk with the absolute creepiest CreepyChild vocals ever)

The polar opposite of this genre is [[DoomMetal Drone Metal]], which is HighOctaneNightmareFuel in music form

* The xx are fairly modern, but unmistakably dreamy, breathy, and beautiful.