Sunbather

Was thinking the other day that maybe I should have added Sunbather as my pick instead, so first off thanks for adding this album and righting my wrongs. It seems a logical combination - take the thrashing instrumentals of metal and combine it with the reverb-drenched guitars of Shoegaze. Somehow, this was the first LP to execute on that premise and deliver ‘blackgaze’ to a degree that I don’t think has been matched since, even by Deafheaven on their later releases. Every element of this album is tuned to fucking perfection. The production is air-tight, allowing the instrumentals to claim what seems like infinite space. And claim they do – the drumming is surgical but raw, the bass absolutely pounding, and the guitar lines expand until you’re enveloped in beautiful, pummeling melody. Clarke’s gnashing vocals will turn off the prudes on this project, but you can’t deny they seem to emanate right out of the sonic wall of midrange that erupts out of each track. It’s perfect order that sounds like absolute chaos, each of the main tracks a colossus that feels at once towering but fluid and agile. The LP’s composition only heightens its sense of scale, the contemplative interludes allowing a bit of breathing room before your head is forced back underneath the waves. What makes Sunbather truly revolutionary to me, however, is its unshakeable melodic grip. Metal is known for the minor-key, doom and gloom chugging that gets heads banging and mosh pits roiling, but the second ‘Dream House’ springs to life it’s clear this is no fugue. I’ve yet to find a track that matches the absolute triumph, power, and joy that’s invoked on the opener, which still feels like a breath of fresh air even a decade on. The rest of the album dips into darker territory (this is Deafheaven, after all), but even at its darkest the chords still ring out clearly and there’s a complete sense of musicality, not just distortion. Look past the gut reaction to the screaming, and you’ll find absolutely beautiful progressions and genuinely incredible artistic statements at the core of this album. I venture folks here will chafe at the interludes, but even the one with drill noise has some incredible piano going in the background. The more I listen to this album (which is frequently – ‘Dream House’ is a go-to driving/workout/fuck yeah kind of song), the more I’m certain this is one of the most important releases of the 2010s. Rarely does an album transcend its genre-trappings, but Sunbather does so in such extravagant fashion to sound at once orchestral and refined while being an insanely fucking raw metal LP at heart. This album absolutely deserves to be on the official 1001 and has already made it onto the Rolling Stone and NME Top 500 album lists, so again a massive thanks for getting it included here.

Wholesome album about bathing in the sun! Summer vibes and fun for the whole family! 5/5!

Great metalgaze album with dark atmospheric soundscapes. Sounds like Sigur Rós, Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but more in a metal format.

I fucking love chaotic, noisy stuff like this. I don't even know how or why, but this level of barely restrained musical insanity really speaks to me 4/5

Nothing evokes the serenity of basking in the warmth of our sun quite like being screamed at for an entire hour.

I sure am deaf now 1

A gamechanger. Never really dug the albums they made after this one, but *this one*, fuck yeah, the hype was fully deserved in my eyes. Unless said eyes were blinded by the sun ha ha.... That artwork, by the way, evoking what you see when you close your eyelids under a strong light -- so potent, and so fitting to that "blackgaze" genre Deafheaven almost singlehandedly created, exploring tones and emotions you would not necessarily expect this sort of act to explore... Because, yeah, turning on their heads the usually dark and grotesque aesthetics of black metal -- thanks to the incorporation of My Bloody Valentine-inspired shoegaze and Explosions In The Sky-adjacent post rock into the BM vernacular -- is exactly what the band does here. And I'm not only talking about the visuals of course! The subject matter of the shrieks are still pretty despondent and existential, but they're also softened by the expression of nostalgia and vulnerability. Without Deafheaven, we wouldn't have that brand new band Agriculture (if you liked *Sunbather*, please check out *The Spiritual Sound* as well!), who take that particular style to a whole other level. Or at least, I wouldn't have been as open to that other record 13 years later. If only for this, *Sunbather* needs to be mentioned in this list for me. The record is made out of four long tracks and three interludes. In the interludes, you have a delicate post-rock instrumental ("Irresistible"), a two-part conceptual piece ("Please Remember", first noisy, ugly and abrasive with its exponential layers of static, then suddenly melancholic...) and an ominous drone track ("Windows", sprinkled with vocal snippets of a drug dealer and an evangelist -- just to imply the two are ultimately in the same trade???). Said interludes are cinematic, but they also come handy to rest your ears between the songs proper: "Dream House", "Sunbather", "Vertigo" and "The Pecan Tree", four tracks that are ALL intense and extraordinary (in spite of that very midrange mix -- which could have been better handled in an ideal world, maybe?). Yet as intense as those songs are, Deafheaven also takes the time to let many softer-sounding post-rock moments shine as well in each of those long compositions... And when the shrieks, drum blasts and distorted guitars are in full force, you have quite a few unexpected key changes and rhythmical drops to reinforce the dynamics. So what could have been a one-note thing is certainly NOT one for the trained ear or the open-minded listener! Which, obviously, is not your common music fan, even in this generator. Their loss. One epic highlight to sum up all the assets of this record: the finale of the title-track, so melodic and poignant! At least, reach that point before you judge the album as a whole. There's been many extreme music albums suggested in this users' list tackling other genres going from post-rock to prog. But in my humble opinion, none of them is up to the level of this giant. I know some metalheads have derisively filed Deafheaven as "metal for hipsters", and I guess that they have a point somehow. But if you're a fan of those other styles this black metal band obviously gets inspiration from, you're bound to recognize their talent as musicians and composers. All trends aside, your ears can't lie to you if you're honest enough about something. Final verdict: it's a one-of-a-kind experience to bask under the light of *Sunbather*. Here's me hoping this record can change more listeners' outlook on black metal artists, just as it did for me. All you need to do, maybe, is close your eyes and let yourself go... 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (4.5/5 for the musicianship and production values + 5/5 for the artistry) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 105 (including this one) Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 116 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 249 ---- Hey Émile, j'ai répondu sous Demon Days ET ta sélection pour la users list ! 🙂

Probably first shoegaze-adjacent thing that I legitimately liked

An absolutely flawless mix of indie rock, shoegaze, and black metal. The album is simultaneously angry and beautiful. The art is so striking as well.

The album wouldn't have you guessing this is such a heavy album. It goes all over the place with the heaviness and the pace, but it just all fits. Loved it

This album really lived in the moment when it came out, everyone loved it. At the time I really remember thinking this atmospheric shoegaze metal sounded so unique and interesting. I don't really think that anymore when I listen to this album, maybe it and the band's live performances have worn on me a bit. Regardless this is a great album, and I think its a worthy inclusion on this list.

I know I've listened to this before, but I don't remember a lot. Feel like this one gets a lot of attention for having a super bright album cover that is such the opposite of most metal aesthetic. I'll be honest, the buried scream vocals don't do a ton for me. But as this album has gone on I find myself pulled closer into its orbit. Vertigo is much further along the post-rock spectrum and I'm here for it. Also the title track is pretty solid. IDK low 4 I guess

Wow, hits hard, softens up, lets you in, hits hard again. Dream House and Irresistible — what a combo. Thanks for sharing.

Splendid stuff - I prefer blackgaze to neat black metal, so this is very much in my wheelhouse, although I hadn't checked out this specific album before, funnily enough, so thanks for the intro, picker! 🤘 Fave tracks - Uh, let's say "Vertigo", but this is more of an album album.

An incredible album with... what? Blackgaze? A shoegaze/ black metal combination?

I was pleasantly suprised by this one. There was variation and the effect was right down my street. My wife hated it but then she likes Miley Cyrus. I played it loud.

Crazy that this is 12 years old now. I've never really though too much of the -gaze suffix of blackgaze, since it mostly boils down to heavy reverb instead of the effects soup that goes into true shoegaze band. It does create an atmosphere though!

I listened to their latest album earlier this year. Got a lot of great reviews. I heard it, I understood the importance, I got why people enjoyed it, but I did not like it. I feel the same for this album of theirs. Once again, I respect the whole of it, but it just isn’t my thing. I wish I could enjoy this. Glad that so many do. 4/5

Great fucking record. I love the way it interchanges the noise with the melodies. During the course of this project I've confirmed what I knew, but couldn't put quite into words: I don't care about the genre or the style, what I like and react to the most are melodies. Right around the time this record came out I was exploring death metal courtesy of Opeth. Exploring the genre and styles related to it I came around Alcest, Agalloch and other bands that put the effort in the melodies rather than de overwhelming noise. The Sunbather came out and became one of those records that you just have to put on again right after it ends with the last track.

It feels like I like this one in spite of the screamo, not because of it. Not sure if that will change with time and exposure.

The singer was certainly shocking when he first started but actually grew on me as the album went, mainly because it wasn't the focal point of this album. The progressive metal shoegaze instrumental were very awesome through the whole thing. I have realized that I really like this genre with that ISIS album coming up for us a couple months ago. Don't think I would ever turn this on at any point but I am happy to listen when it comes up on this list.

Just right, metal that's never unlistenable. I appreciated the way it calmed down a bit towards the end as well.

So many times I have listened to this album trying to love it. This last listen was probably my favorite. While I don't think I will ever embrace the screaming, the drone-gazey background and interesting music structure make this a solid album. I also saw them open for another band in the past year...great show!! 4/5

The Screaming from the next room works really well, love that concept a ton, I will remember the first song fondly. But they really need some sonic diversity, it felt like the same song three times.

This album sparks lots of questions, such as: they have four or five drummers, right? And has there ever been more of a “can’t judge a record by its cover” record in the history of the music? And might they also get the award for most deceptive album title and/or song titles (“Pecan Tree,” which grow in pastoral groves, generally)? And is it weird that this record sounds better at lower volume (quiet-loud-quiet being the new loud-quiet-loud perhaps)? And what’s the bloody point of the vocals? The screeching-shrieking adds nothing and subtracts quite a bit by corrupting what might otherwise be pure, pristine washes and waves of abstraction on quite wide-screen scale. Not that it was ever gonna be Loveless or Disintegration (but likely close enough for metal heads). (Thank god the vocals down so low in the mix, though they could be lower still – like vanishingly low.) In fact, all-instrumental would be a major improvement. But, on its own terms, one likes this as much or more than most all the metal records on the list proper (so fine to replace basically any) and one would like it more it got even more Godspeed! You Black Emperor or Sigur Ros. One’s affinity (or appreciation or acceptance) is based on its being non-metal for long stretches, for its having quite a few post-rock and indie-rock tropes and vibes and quieter, more thoughtful and more melodic bits (if one overlooks the scary monster vocals).

Who knew that I'd like shoegaze so much more if they screamed at me? I'd love to hear this live

A fascinating approach to black metal that takes on the dreamier soundscapes of shoegaze and the prettier melodies of emo/screamo while still retaining the visceral tremolo picking and blast beats of black metal. I remember this album permeated alternative music circles back when it dropped, and today it's still considered a genre-defying classic. Top to bottom, this album still makes me think it's in its own league. How do you make a black metal album sound so bright and sunny? Deafheaven figured it out, somehow. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: A little too extreme for the list maybe, but still a really cool pick.

…and Sigur Ross dreamt of death metal…

7/10 actually surprisingly cool!? you’ve got classic screamo vocals paired with like bright optimistic, almost my bloody valentine-esque instrumentals neat combo! I really dug it :)

Soundscapes rather than songs, with barely any vocals, but all the more evocative and atmospheric as a result.

A very unique album, it blends shoegaze with black metal but without being as depressing as BM typically is. The first song is actually quite a lush sounding song, which fits the album cover very well, and it segues into a wonderful dream pop and impressionism piece. These two tracks are easily my favorite part of the album. Outside of this, the standouts are definitely the other blackgaze songs, such as the title track and The Pecan Tree. My problem with this album, and Deafheaven as a whole, is that I feel their albums are a test of endurance with the harsh noises and screaming vocals, that combined with how long they are just makes me want the album to end ASAP. This album is a bit better about it than others since there are more low key segments to break up the abrasiveness though. Should it be in the main list: Yes 100% Top 3 Songs: Dream House, Irresistible, Sunbather

I usually can’t stand scream metal but partnering it with shoegaze chord progression is some kind of alchemy that makes it all worthwhile. I still don’t know what the f@&# he’s yelling about, though.

These guys copped a lot of heat when this came out for not being "true metal" or whatever. Maybe it was because the cover art looks like it's going to be a pop album? Who knows. I think it was also decided that their fanbase was mostly hipsters, not guys in BATTLE JACKETS. Either way it's just mildly boring and tends to drag on in that way anything inspired by post-rock does. 3/5.

If you need heavy drums and some screaming, you've arrived.

This was a little polarizing of an album to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the guitar work and instrumentals as a whole. Very dreamy, laid back yet forceful. Then the limited “singing” occurred which was just screaming unintelligible sounds. If this was merely an instrumental album I would rate it higher than what I just listened to. 5.2/10

The kind of Metal that I don’t need in my life and very quickly had to move on from

Cool stuff! I'll add this to the 'really fucking loud noise when I have to focus a t work" playlist

I prefer Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, but Sunbather is decent

from salmon pink to peely skin

Definitely checking more of them out.

At the risk of sounding like an old man, I think I would probably like this a lot more, if it weren’t for the vocals. …and here’s the thing about that, I listen to a lot of music that is instrumentally similar, just without the metal vocals and rapid fire drum fills. I guess from a metal perspective, it’s breathing new life into the genre, but from the perspective of some one who listens to a lot of noisy guitar-based indie rock, it isn’t really treading a whole lot of new ground for me. Going to split the difference with a 3. I get why this record gets acclaim and I didn’t dislike it, but ultimately it feels a bit uninspiring to me.

Album cover did not have me expecting metal whatsoever. It really looks like the label for a beachy cologne. There were actually a few things I really liked about how this album, but the vocals were not it. The instruments were a bit crammed at times, but then there were moments where everything was able to space out and breathe a bit. I'm gonna go mid 3 here. The vocals are just hard to ignore on an otherwise very interesting album.

I'd say these are the worst lyrics I've ever heard but I can't tell you a single word that's been said. Unfortunate too cuz the instrumentals kinda fuck. What do you know, two songs in a row without vocals and they're fucking jams. Loving the bass on Vertigo. jk he starts screaming on this one. This is tough between a 2 or 3 because the vocals really take me out of it. Cool if you like that style but it is just not for me. Gonna go with a low 3 cuz I'm feeling generous. If this was completely instrumental it would be a high 4.

It's MBV with screaming.. Just listen to Loveless instead.

I can appreciate this kind of "blackgaze"/post-hardcore stuff. I can also appreciate this is one of the more defining bands/albums of "blackgaze". However, I do sit in the critics camp of the genre as a whole and of this album. It has too much of a "samey" sound, it's not incredibly diverse, the repetition is not really for me. Compared with black metal it's rather soft. With that said, I think the songs (and lyrics) could be better portrayed with a more subtle approach, but I do get it from an artistic POV.

Some songs are really good for my taste, but then some...

Enjoyed the instruments. Did you know there are actual lyrics to the screaming.

Solid metal presentation. Nothing that separates their stuff from others

My knee jerk reaction upon seeing the album cover this morning was: "oh great, some more shitty pop music". What I heard was drastically different. Blackgaze......black metal mixed with shoegaze and screamo. Holy hell was I wrong! It's weird. It's just a wall of distorted sound, with a "singer" who just makes gutteral screaming noises about 4 doors down from the recording studio. Not a bakers fuck of an idea what he's saying. It's a really weird concept. The wall of noise is surprisingly warm, albeit deafening, but you pair that with the bloodcurdling screaming from a few doors down and it's like this weird light/dark balancing act. It displays, to me, like someone's inner struggles. Hope overlaying the constant quarrel with depression and anxiety? All in all, not something I'd necessarily revisit, but not the worst thing I've ever listened to. You would have to be in a certain mood in order to be receptive to this kind of music. It is pretty dark and hard to digest by times. Certainly an assult on the senses. Favorite songs: Dream House, Sunbather Least favorite songs: Please Remember, Windows 3/5

The contrast of light and shade of the album was very interesting. I just wish the shade wasn't so AAAAAAAAA!!!!!! Top tracks: "Please Remember," "Pecan Tree"

The music is really interesting. These guys are referred to as metal by some but it's not. Much more like shoegaze, except for the screaming vocals, which aligns with metalcore. Reminds me of Hum, or even Steven Wilson, but with the screaming. Blackgaze (black metal and shoegaze combined I guess) is also a term used and that seems more appropriate. I kinda dug the music - soaring and melodic.

Black metal is not exactly what I look for when I want to listen to some metal, but ok, I understand that may be important somehow for the scene.

If it was the music alone, i'd give this a 4. Really enjoyed the energy and the drive... a compelling sound. Apple Music seemed to indicated that the vocal noises that accompanied this were actually lyrics with words in them. I could not associated any of the printed words with the human generated noises on the tracks. I'm not opposed to the balanced scream-o approach, but this was a bit too overwhelming to appreciate more.

Music- 4 Vocals- 3 Overall- 3.5 I think with multiple listens, I would really come to enjoy most of this and tolerate the vocals more. They remind me a lot of the band Pelican. Cool find!

An interesting experiment of mixing metal with the sort of ethereal soundscapes of (cribbing from another reviewer here) Sigur Rós. Mostly successful!

Not sure about the "blackgaze" thing, sure it has quieter melodic interludes, but so does Metallica. Anyway this stuff always falls apart for me on the shrieky vocals, I just don't like it. It renders lyrics meaningless, making the vocals just a type of instrument, and one I don't care for the sound of. Which is a shame since for the most part I liked it musically.

Absolutely loved Vertigo

Cold

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Irresistible

A bit screamier than I usually like, parts of this were still interesting to me. Not my cup of tea but I didn’t loathe it.

Little too much screaming but I liked the big sounding instrumentals. Probably won’t listen to them again though.

Didn't like the vocals. The music was alright.

2 long and not really my style

This one didn’t do it for me. I hate to say it but I couldn’t see it as much more than noise.

high-speed, thrash-metal screaming for a lot of it, but some were decent

Fun fact: you can click on the song name in Spotify and read the lyrics. Which does not help.

Music is good, but there is a something that sounds like a dying animal in the room next to the recording studio that the sound engineers should have probably put out of it's misery, or at least make sure it didn't get picked up by the recording.

I like shoegaze. I hate screaming. The shoegaze parts were good but the screaming made me dislike it immensely. My personal rating: 2/5 My rating relative to the list: 2/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

I want to like Sunbather because at its best it creates some brilliantly atmospheric sounds, they're not really metal, just metalcore adjacent because of the screamo vocals and basic arrangements, it's chaotic and incredibly noisy but there's just as much stuff in there that doesn't work for me as that which does. At its best it reminds me of a heavier Maybeshewill but it might just be this morning in not quite getting on with it. There's a bit right in the middle of Please Remember that made me want to rip my ears off and that can't be good. It's a 2 but might get a 3 if I listened to it another day because it does grab me here and there.

Just, why? Fascinates me how some music appeals to people.

That's too bad. I really like the guitars on Deafheaven's "Sunbather." But I really don't care for screaming as the sole vocals. All the bits without the screaming are quite good and would be a high 4 stars without the rest.

Music was ok. The screeching not so much

What the hell man? 50 minutes of unintelligible screaming?

I gave this a full week before listening again as I had a headache and wasn’t in the right frame of mind last week, coming back to this fresh I can feel my headache coming back.

I wish I were deaf.

It's truly impressive how different the aesthetic of the album cover is from the actual mutant contents within. I wouldn't have minded it were it instrumental, understanding it as a metal+emo wall of sound guitar project - not my thing but there's some strong melodic content here. But honestly what the fuck. Adding the death screams of someone being run over repeatedly by a steamroller slaughters it for me immediately. It's infinitely more frustrating than the usual screaming lunacy bc this could have been something more - a lot more. Reading about the literary aspects of this combined with the melodic music...I don't understand the choice to shit all over it with whatever is happening to the vocalist. I have a friend who loves this kind of music which cracks me up but I'm never going to be convinced that this nonstop screaming isn't idiotic and just stupid. Oy, never again. 2/10 1 star IMO: Belonged in the book? No.

I thought was going to like this when the music started, that shoegaze/post-punk type guitar and drums were great. Then the vocals started. I couldn't stand that. This was a chore to get through.

I dislike this genre and gave this band and album a chance. But the grunting style of singing for death metal will never be music to my ears.

Even among what must be a very niche subgenre I don't understand how this could be essential listening

I don't know what this is, but I regret listening to it. This will be my first 1 on the post-list. It feels weird, because I think this is exactly what the artist intended and it was well executed. But why would you want to do this? I like metal and I hate shoegaze, but I feel like this takes the worst of both worlds.

An absolute DNF. It's a chore for one or two tracks. Fifty nine minutes of it means that I'll invite deafhaven to park themselves squarely on the waiting list for a group therapy session.

scream scream scream, one day your parents will pay attention to you

Jag brukar försöka lyssna med ett öppet sinne men det går inte. Det är ett hemskt album.

Blackgaze, post-metal, atmospheric black metal. ¿Por qué grita sin sentido? Si fuese sólo instrumental, estaba hasta bien... Así, un 1.