The wonderful sound of new wave/no wave imploding! Bands like Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Spiritualized and Bang Bang Machine (maybe not!) were getting all jangly and introspective.  This was in my mind at the top of the heap. A classic!

Shoegaze was a term invented circa 1990 to describe a new breed on UK Indie guitar bands inspired by the likes of 4AD Records, My Bloody Valentine and US acts like Sonic Youth. Bands like Ride, Moose, Lush, Pale Saints and The Telescopes married dreamy, off-kilter melodies, skewed, heavily effects-laden guitar riffs and psychedelic production values. Although Shoegaze was initially a somewhat derogatory term to pigeonhole a clutch of new acts, the term quickly evolved to become an accepted genre of music which has influenced successive generations of bands, especially those outside of the UK.

• Allmusic.com - Review