By Christopher David<\/p>\n
One of the most innovative and focused styles of the 1990s alt-rock movement was the school of shoegaze, which spawned several of the most notable and influential bands of the era, many of whom released only a scant number of albums before nearly vanishing in the post-alternative wake. Fortunately, everything old is new again, and \u201890s alt-rock has seen a major resurgence in recent years, with reunions for just about every band of the era coming together in rapid succession.<\/p>\n
In that number, few reunions have been more anticipated than Lush. Delivering four excellent records that married the dreamy sounds of shoegaze with melodic pop as perfectly as could be imagined, Lush disbanded after 1996\u2019s Lovelife<\/em>, but good things come to rabid music fans who wait, and after twenty years of silence, the band returned to the Vic Theatre on Sunday night for a transcendent, sold-out show.<\/p>\n Opening with an energized version of \u201cDe-Luxe,\u201d the band delivered the lion\u2019s share of 1994 album Split<\/em>, with brief forays into Gala<\/em> (1990), Spooky<\/em> (1992), and Lovelife<\/em>. On record, the band\u2019s sound has an otherworldly quality thanks to layers of shimmering guitar, singer\/guitarist Miki Berenyi\u2019s angelic falsetto, and guitarist Emma Anderson\u2019s harmonies. That signature sound carried through beautifully, particularly on songs like \u201cOut of Control\u201d and \u201cMonochrome,\u201d one of the band\u2019s most haunting tunes.<\/p>\n Not that the more rock elements of the band\u2019s sound were missing: quite the contrary, in fact. Bassist Phil King and drummer Justin Welch are one of the tighter rhythm sections I\u2019ve seen in recent memory, and Berenyi has noted before that the band started out as a punkier outfit before settling into the \u2018dream-pop\u2019 elements of their sound. That instinctive lean toward rock and punk came out in the thrashing \u201cHypocrite,\u201d which was heavier and more driving than the album version, and \u201cKiss Chase,\u201d a song which always struck this fan as the real bridge between Spooky<\/em> and the more Britpop-leaning material that the band was delivering by the time they originally called it a day.<\/p>\n Split<\/em>\u2019s \u201cDesire Lines\u201d built to a shattering finish, and Lovelife\u2019s lead single \u201cLadykillers\u201d turned into a stomping singalong complete with handclaps. Main set closer \u201cSweetness & Light\u201d from the band\u2019s early EP of the same name was perhaps the most defining song of the night, and would serve as a great introduction to the band\u2019s sound for the uninitiated.<\/p>\n The shoegaze sound was always, to my mind, about reaching for something\u2014not just songs, but building a sonic atmosphere around<\/em> those songs. Lush pulled off both in spades, and Sunday\u2019s show was proof that even if you don\u2019t get to see lightning in a bottle very often, it\u2019s worth the wait when you do.<\/p>\n For more on Lush, the current mini tour and music, click here<\/a><\/p>\n