Mini VJ Set: Vince Corsaro of The Sleepover Disaster chooses his top 5 most influential shoegaze tracks.

Even though we enjoy giving an opening paragraph of love to every single person doing this, at this point, we're going to have to get a little more brief - so many amazing people wanted to participate, and there just isn't time for us to explain why we love every single one of you. We just do - read it and know it to be true. We particularly adore Vince Corsaro - his band, The Sleepover Disaster, along with having one of the best band names ever, is also SO EFFING GOOD. Top notch. Want proof? They'll be on the compilation. :) We love you, Vince!

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1. Ride - "Vapour Trail"

The first time I saw Ride's "Like a Daydream" on MTV's 120 Minutes, I was hooked. "Vapour Trail" epitomizes the shoegaze sound for me. A great song by the band which was most responsible for getting me on board with the genre.

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2. Slowdive - "When the Sun Hits"

This is another band that 120 Minutes debuted for me with "Catch the Breeze". This is hands-down my favorite song by the band (not just a kiss-ass selection for the blog!). I love the guitar tones, the classic whisper-y vocal, and the soft/loud dynamics.

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3. Lush - "Sweetness and Light"

A great example of the genre, and the first time I remember hearing a drum part that tied a shoegaze song together. I typically hear guitar tones first, vocals next, and the rhythm section last (odd, I know, for a drummer); even with the beautiful layered guitars and sweet vocals, this song spoke to me because of that simple, but so fitting, drum beat.

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4. Chapterhouse - "Breather"

An early discovery as I was getting into the genre. The "skip-beat" drumming, the vocal treatment, and the upbeat tempo sold me on this one.

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5. Catherine Wheel - "Tumbledown"

After hearing "Black Metallic" once on local commercial radio, I bought the album (Ferment). "Tumbledown" stood out to me right away, and to this day remains one of my favorite songs ever by probably my favorite band ever. These guys have had a great influence on my band. Although by most accounts they were never strictly a shoegaze band, this song is a shining example of the sound/genre.

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Honorable mentions (read: I wish this were a Top 10 list):

My Bloody Valentine "Soon"- All around amazing.
Swervedriver "Rave Down" - A huge influence on my band and a personal favorite.
The Telescopes - "High on Fire" Awesome vocal harmonies, big guitars, great drum work.
Submarine - "Dinosaurs" A rare-ish gem. From the album Kiss Me Till Your Ears Burn Off,
an all-time great album title.
Cocteau Twins - "A Kissed-Out Red Floatboat" - Robin Guthrie's guitar work. Oh yeah.