Secret Shine
Untouched

The Secret Shine may have never been the state of the art of shoegaze, they might sound a bit redundant, but they are certainly a great listen. Necessary clarification; talking to some of the most orthodox adherents of the Word, a poor altar boy might get the idea that a) all the shoo-gays records from the years 1988-1994 are little treasure chests of precious pearls to unearth and show off to friends to prove they're the coolest in the faculty, b) all the bands that have been shoegazing since 2000 are honest second-tier craftsmen who «I listen to them but they’re not like the serious stuff™». The second of these statements is contradicted by the existence of certain people, the first by the existence of now legendary groups that «if they are a bit niche, there must be a reason».

Untouched, released by Sarah Records in 1993, is the debut of Bristol's Secret Shine. It's a good record: the mix is always the same of massive guitars, female voices singing "uuu-aaa", drums that you only hear ta-ta-ta, beautiful sonic walls, and lots of dream pop. It's a recipe that never fails, just like that of drowned roasts (flour veal loin slices and brown them over a high flame in a pan with "Karol Oil"; lower the heat, salt, add water, cover the container and cook the veal).

Shoegaze solid and orderly, in short. And, like many dreampop area bands, they have made few albums and many EPs that are almost better than the records. Some distrustful people may wonder if Secret Shine really represent something more than a successful blend between the genre’s tutelary deities, the usual, indispensable, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. As if to be a mix of two tutelary deities is little. Is there a valid reason why Untouched is a somewhat niche album? The shoe-gaze fan-boy inside me says no. My more objective self says hmm.