Still in a Dream: Shoegaze Book by Reynolds

Renowned music journalist Simon Reynolds has announced the upcoming publication of his new book, Still in a Dream: Simon Reynolds Shoegaze book. This highly anticipated work, set to be released in June, will be published by White Rabbits Books. Reynolds, recognized as one of the most influential music journalists of his generation, continues his exploration of music history with this book.

Still in a Dream delves into the shoegaze genre, a distinctive style of indie rock that emerged in the 1980s in Britain and gained international prominence in the 1990s. The book aims to capture the last major phase of analog music culture before the rise of the internet and digitalization transformed the music industry.

Priced at 23 British pounds (approximately 26.50 euros), the book is set to be a significant contribution to the existing canon of music journalism that includes Reynolds’s earlier celebrated works such as Rip It Up and Start Again.

“Still in a Dream: Simon Reynolds Shoegaze book” meticulously explores the emergence and evolution of the shoegaze genre within the indie rock movement. The book provides a detailed narrative of how shoegaze, characterized by its multi-layered guitar effects and the use of synthesizers, became a significant part of the music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By highlighting bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, Simon Reynolds offers insight into a period marked by a rich tapestry of musical styles including noisepop, slacker rock, and grunge.

This era is portrayed as the last significant phase of analog music culture, preceding the digitalization that later transformed the music industry. The book also connects these musical styles to broader cultural phenomena, depicting the ethos of the “slackers” and “shoegazers” who defined the subcultures of this time. Through Reynolds’s narrative, “Still in a Dream” captures the sound and spirit of this period, ensuring it remains a vital part of the historical record of music journalism.

The book serves both as a continuation of Reynolds’s examination of music trends, following works like “Rip It Up and Start Again,” and as a standalone chronicle of a transformative period in music history.

Simon Reynolds is presented in the available material as a central figure in contemporary music journalism, with a career that has produced multiple influential books. His earlier title Rip It Up and Start Again is referenced as part of his ongoing chronicle of music scenes, and his book Energy Flash is identified as a seminal work that addresses rave culture and drug culture of the 1980s and 1990s.

The available information frames Reynolds’s writing as thematic and historically focused, tracing the development of specific musical movements across defined periods. The material does not provide additional biographical details such as dates of publication, awards, or Reynolds’s wider career timeline.

The provided facts indicate that Still in a Dream continues the line of Reynolds’s music journalism that includes the previously mentioned works. Energy Flash is explicitly associated with the study of rave and drug culture in the 1980s and 1990s, identifying those themes as part of Reynolds’s interests.

The available sources do not provide further information on Reynolds’s methodology, personal background, or a comprehensive bibliography beyond the titles already cited. The material does not supply details about how these earlier works directly connect to the structure or chapters of Still in a Dream.

Still in a Dream focuses on the development of noisepop, shoegaze, slacker rock, and grunge between the late 1980s and early 1990s. The book places these styles within the music scene of 1980s Britain, where shoegazing emerged and later gained international recognition in the 1990s. It tells the story of slackers and shoegazers and includes references to bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. The material identifies shoegaze as part of the indie rock movement and as one of the musical threads covered in the narrative.

Shoegazing is described in the available information as a style characterized by multi-layered walls of guitars combined with electronic effect devices and synthesizers. The book highlights these sonic characteristics as central features of the genre and situates them alongside related styles like noisepop. The account emphasizes the texture and production techniques that defined shoegaze recordings from the period. The presentation treats these musical elements as defining markers of the movement within the broader indie context.

The book is presented as tracing what the material describes as the last major phase of analog music culture before the internet and digitalization changed the music landscape. It connects that phase to the emergence and local development of the named genres and to the subcultural identities of “slackers” and “shoegazers.” The available information also notes that Still in a Dream continues Simon Reynolds’s ongoing chronicle of music scenes established in his earlier work following Rip It Up and Start Again.

Still in a Dream by Simon Reynolds is scheduled for publication in June and will be issued by White Rabbits Books. The announced retail price for the book is 23 British pounds, listed equivalently as 26.50 euros. These publishing details accompany descriptions of the book’s subject matter, which include the emergence of the shoegaze scene and Reynolds’s continuation of his music journalism chronicle following Rip It Up and Start Again.

The available sources do not provide a specific day in June for publication, do not specify formats such as hardcover or paperback, and do not give details about distribution or pre-order channels.

The available material presents Still in a Dream as a work that documents what it describes as the last major phase of analog music culture before the internet and digitalization changed the music landscape. The available material states that the book traces the emergence and development of shoegaze alongside related styles such as noisepop, slacker rock and grunge in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The available material also presents shoegaze as a strand of the indie rock movement characterized by multi-layered walls of guitars, electronic effect devices and synthesizers.

The available material describes Simon Reynolds as one of the most influential music journalists of his generation and positions Still in a Dream as a continuation of his music journalism chronicle after Rip It Up and Start Again. The available material frames the book as part of Reynolds’s ongoing examination of music scenes and as a contribution to the record of music history and journalism. The available sources do not provide further evaluative commentary or external assessments of the book’s historical significance beyond these descriptions.