No Joy
More Faithful
Mexican Summer
Grunge, in the form of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and endless lesser lights, wasn’t the only cool thing happening in rock’n’roll during the ’90s. Shoegaze, as personified by My Bloody Valentine and Lush, also made its mark and has shown remarkable staying power. Witness the Canadian quartet No Joy, whose exciting third album is textbook shoegaze, blending swirling, echoey voices, distorted guitars, and heavenly melodies into one dreamy and alluring package. It’s difficult to determine what singer-guitarist Jasamine White-Gluz and her accomplices want to say, if anything, but the waves of vertigo-inducing sound they generate are the real point. Call it cheap thrills, or high art, or both: In any case, More Faithful will give you a delicious buzz.