shoegaze

I've been listening to a lot of country recently (the good stuff, not that shit you hear on the radio), and I had a revelation. Reverb + slide guitar, downer lyrics, and an overall narcotic feel: these are all characteristics commonly found in country ballads, but they also sound like a lot of dream pop you've heard, right?

Obviously, I'm not the first to make this connection. Mazzy Star, Cranes, Cowboy Junkies, Drugstore, and even Dean Wareham have managed some brilliant hybrids of country and dream pop in their music. I'm just curious if anyone else has noticed the similarities. If so, what are your favorite dreamy country acts, or country-influenced dream pop acts?

EDIT: Guess this should've gone in "Other Genres." Oh, well.

In my mind I always have linked Mazzy Star & Cowboy Junkies to dream pop or what ever you call music that pulls you into a dreamy/hazey vibe (which I think is an awesome feeling)

I remember a period in my past when I was feeling hopeless & would I lie down in the dark & listen to Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions album & it would put me in an altered state for the better, like floaty & being pulled upward. I can't explain it but you are on to something.

Mazzy Star should be illegal because they are straight up audio drugs for me lol Hope Sandoval is my goddess

This band have been described as country shoegaze. Investigate...

http://www.myspace.com/sleepyvikings

I know Nathaniel Cramp from the Sonic Cathedral label and club often plays country music. He says it is all in the drone. Sarabeth Tucek from his label and the band with ex-Slowdive members Mojave 3 are very country influenced. Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Bert Jansch, Skip Spence, Gary Higgins, amongst others have all been on the playlist.

Just checked out Sarabeth Tucek. Pretty stuff. Loving that warm, overdriven guitar dipped in tremolo.

Interesting observation by Nathaniel Cramp about the drone elements in country. Especially in country-folk, there are plenty of I-IV-I-IV chord progressions that you can really lose yourself in. There's actually a lot of music out there that I classify as "drone folk." Jessica Bailiff, Richard Youngs, and the French duo Natural Snow Buildings are all great examples of spacey, drawn-out folk. It's a really cool phenomenon, when you think about it: combining avant-garde tendencies with the simplest music there is.