The Bardots

A shoegaze band that shared much in common with dealers of the genre's hard-lined, heavy, dense variety, like Ride, but that didn't approach songwriting and recording with such intensity. The Bardots have a certain fragility and calmness that makes them stand apart a bit, and for that, I enjoy them, their earliest stuff in particular.



Their debut single was a little more jangle, a little more sunshine blues.



Their second album—their final album—is a somewhat confused affair. A grasp at the hippie alt-rock of James, a run at the Brit-pop of Oasis, an attempt at the bohemian bookishness of the Auteurs, and, overall, a dud, frankly.