Serena-Maneesh: Serena-Maneesh

Herald rating: * * * * *

Thanks to Norwegian six-piece Serena-Maneesh, shoe gazing is back in fashion. The early 90s was this genre's heyday and the music of bands like Ride, Chapterhouse, and Slowdive seemed a lost art. These bands - typified by the hazy distortion, wall-of-noise guitar, and a penchant for looking at their shoes when they played - released a few great albums each, like Ride's 1990 album, Nowhere, and Chapterhouse's Pearl from '91.

Serena-Maneesh is shoe gazing with renewed intensity. They also combine woozy guitar psychedelia, similar to noise-rock pioneers My Bloody Valentine and trippy space rockers Spiritualised, with the dead beat distortion of the Jesus and Mary Chain, to create intense squalls and melodic tunes.

They're big on dynamics, too. The squealing cacophony of Beehiver II is followed by the delicate singing of Her Name Is Suicide, and Sapphire Eyes High is a hypnotic blend of both.

If this all sounds like a recycled record collection it's not. This self-titled debut is like nothing around and sometimes it sounds even better than the sounds of the band's heyday. Now, grow that hair long, look at your shoes, and sway.

Label: Playloud / The Label