Slowcore

Slowcore, synonym sometimes called Sadcore, are names for varieties of indie rock that had since the late 1980s to the mid 1990s (but partially to the present) mainly in the United States in use. Both names reflect the character of the music, which is emotionally is slow and sad music. Sometimes the content of the texts is thereby used for the delineation of the two concepts. Similarly, as the term emocore, such an assignment but rather takes place from the outside. So the name is derived according to an interview with Alan Sparhawk of the band Low, although by a friend of the band, but was originally meant as a joke. A rather mocking alternative name is Snorecore.

The music of this genre evolved from several influences: There are obvious references to the late albums of the band Talk Talk, as well as The Velvet Underground and Brian Eno. As a demarcation to supposedly bombastic developments in the then-popular rock genres translated bands like Low, Red House Painters or Codeine on a framework of more reduced, often dark and of themselves circling melody lines. Their arrangements offered plenty of space, so that music and text were able to develop. The eponymous slowing the music was (and is) a figure of speech often used.

Among the best known and most influential Slowcore albums include Songs for a Blue Guitar by Red House Painters, Secret Name by Low, The White Birch by Codeine or Year After Year of Idaho. Recently it was above all the albums in the band Savoy Grand, the identifiable related to Talk Talk and the solo album, their singer Mark Hollis, for a revival of this variety. Other well-known representatives of this genre are Sophia, Dakota Suite, Galaxie 500, The American Analog Set, Bedhead, Songs: Ohia, Sun Kil Moon, Cowboy Junkies, Mazzy Star, Come or Chokebore. Also, some songs by solo artists such as Bill Callahan, Cat Power, Lisa Germano, Scout Niblett, Will Oldham, Iron & Wine, or can be attributed to the Slowcore.