Just for a Day

Slowdive: Rachel Goswell, Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar); Christian Savill (guitar); Nick Chaplin (bass); Simon Scott (drums).
Audio Mixer: Slowdive.
Audio Remasterer: Andy Pearce.
Liner Note Author: Kieron Tyler.
Recording information: Courtyard Studios, Abingdon; Maida Vale 4.
One of the most influential albums of the early-1990s British "shoegazer" movement, Slowdive's JUST FOR A DAY is awash in the style's trademarks. Here waves of reverb guitar lines ebb and flow over spare grooves, while Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell's whispered, sometimes chant-like vocals drift high above. "Celia's Dream" and "Brighter" are light, aptly titled tunes that float along on gauzy textures and unwind at a leisurely pace; "Catch the Breeze" lifts a page from My Bloody Valentine's densely layered LOVELESS, and "Erik's Song" ventures into minimalist, ambient territory. Although these tracks rely on atmospherics much more than structure, Halstead, the quintet's main songwriter, would go on to create progressively tighter melodies on 1994's SOUVLAKI, his subsequent band Mojave 3, and his solo work. Though it's not as focused or adventurous as later Slowdive material, JUST FOR A DAY provides a shining template for the revered group's airy, spacious sound.