Nothing sounds like Codeine before 1990, at the release of Frigid Stars. Except for a bizarre track from a dadaistic band that sounds like nothing near what we call slowcore; a track that Codeine cover on their Barely Real mini-album. The importance and influence of this band are very underappreciated; with them started a new sound, a new way of writing music. Codeine were the starting point for a handful of fearless gen x'ers that chose quiet pace and slowness as opposed to the usual frenetic, noisy rock clichés. Red House Painters, Idaho, Low, Tram, Bluetile Lounge, Savoy Grand and many others. Before them, the slow song came in the form of a ballad (the 'depressive' trilogy of Frank Sinatra), or the folky singer-songwriter with no drums (the debut LP by Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake as well), or the experimental drone/space rock by the underground German scene; there were signs: Neil Young, Joy Division, Talking Heads, The Cure, American Music Club -bands and artists with disparate styles that in some moment decided to slow down, and see how it goes at a quiet pace without losing sight of emotion or rage or meaning. This mix is dedicated to Codeine, one of the truly important bands of all time, for taking what came before and making it their own precious way.
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Nothing sounds like Codeine before 1990, at the release of Frigid Stars. Except for a bizarre track from a dadaistic band that sounds like nothing near what we call slowcore; a track that Codeine cover on their Barely Real mini-album. The importance and influence of this band are very underappreciated; with them started a new sound, a new way of writing music. Codeine were the starting point for a handful of fearless gen x'ers that chose quiet pace and slowness as opposed to the usual frenetic, noisy rock clichés. Red House Painters, Idaho, Low, Tram, Bluetile Lounge, Savoy Grand and many others. Before them, the slow song came in the form of a ballad (the 'depressive' trilogy of Frank Sinatra), or the folky singer-songwriter with no drums (the debut LP by Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake as well), or the experimental drone/space rock by the underground German scene; there were signs: Neil Young, Joy Division, Talking Heads, The Cure, American Music Club -bands and artists with disparate styles that in some moment decided to slow down, and see how it goes at a quiet pace without losing sight of emotion or rage or meaning. This mix is dedicated to Codeine, one of the truly important bands of all time, for taking what came before and making it their own precious way.