By Lucy Griffiths– Deputy Illustrator
I first listened to Slowdive when I was 15 years old, after coming across the music video to ‘Shine’ on YouTube. Other than being completely obsessed with the band Ride, I hadn’t previously heard of any other shoegaze bands. I was transfixed by Slowdive’s sound from that moment on, with Rachel Goswell’s ethereal vocals and the mesmerising vastness of everlasting guitar effects; this catapulted me into a sound world that guided me through the turbulence of growing up.
Souvlaki was Slowdive’s second studio album released by Creation Records in 1993. For a bit of context, the front duo Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead had recently broken up, having been together since the formation of the band, and knowing each other since childhood. The break-up not only inspired the melancholic lyrics found in songs like ‘Dagger’ and ‘40 Days’ but provided a driving force to a new and progressive sound that will forever be timeless. Much of the album’s atmospheric essence is provided by the help of ambient composer Brian Eno. Eno co-created some of the songs most recognisable in the track ‘sing’ with the water droplet synth sounds and distant and haunting vocals by Goswell.
Souvlaki is not just a break-up album. Though much of the music was impacted by this, it will never be consumed by it; in fact, Rachel and Neil still work together to this day. The making of the album was also turbulent due to the manager of Creation records, Alan McGee, scrapping about 40 songs that had been inspired by David Bowie’s Berlin era, Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen. Undoubtedly the record would have been completely different if McGee hadn’t scrapped these songs, but what came instead shaped the distinct sound that has defined Slowdive’s sound and image.
The most compelling track of the album is ‘Souvlaki Space Station’. In my eyes the song is an accumulation of all the others, put into one, evoking a sense of euphoria every time I listen to it. Neil Hanstead was inspired by Dub and Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works, which is shown in the deep and driving bass and the everlasting delay.
Back when I was 15 Souvlaki provided me with a place to feel all the frustration and sadness that came hand in hand with being a teenager. ‘Alison’ and ‘When the Sun Hits’ will always hold a strong emotional weight for me. Reflecting on moments spent lying on my bed, after school, in a state of stillness whilst these tracks were playing on my record player.
Yes, the album is pretty sad, however it’s an album that makes you feel like you can let it all out. That’s how most music should make you feel. Souvlaki will always leave me in a state of suspension and total immersion, and as I get older, I hope that the album’s meaning will grow in a way that is intertwined in my development.
Image credit- Steve Double 1992/1993