Not too long ago, I posted about a shoegaze cover of a music charts staple from decades ago and, well, I was sorely tempted to do it again.
I came across a YouTube channel for a service called Musora which bills itself as “the ultimate music lessons experience.” Musora offers a subscription which will help you learn to play an instrument and your favorite songs. For $20/month (with an annual subscription), you gain access to a suite of interactive practice tools and a community of like-minded students.
In the video from Musora that I stumbled upon (algorithms can be helpful), shoegaze band La Lune is challenged to reimagine Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” on the spot. I’ve listened to “Dreams” quite a few times recently, so I was instantly drawn to the concept and this particular setup. The video features the band constructing their version of the song and then executing on their vision. It’s hard to call a shoegaze version of a classic rock standard a “straight cover.” However, La Lune maintain the darkly sweet intent of the original while bringing the “reverb, dissonance and distortion” that are features of the genre. It feels like a perfect update to the Fleetwood Mac classic. Though there is some discussion about how the vocals will be done during the planning section, bassist Olivia Wells handles the duties with aplomb.
La Lune - Dreams (YouTube)
Vancouver’s La Lune is new to the scene, with only an EP, Disparity, that was released this year to comprise their discography. Though the lead track starts out with accoustic guitar, the EP quickly proves its shoegaze bona fides, with crushing walls of distortion and epic dynamics. The title track is a harrowing, almost claustrophobic slice of dreampop.
