Dream pop is a subgenre of post-punk alternative rock. While the genre engenders much stylistic diversity, several key characteristics are usually present:

• atmospheric, moody or ethereal soundscapes
  
• sonic textures, variously created by shimmering feedback and processed, echo-laden guitars and synthesizers
  
• pop-oriented melodies delivered by breathy, often high-register female vocals or androgynous male vocals
  
• introspective, existential lyrics, sometimes unintelligible

Much debate has ensued about the shades of difference between dream pop and its cousin, shoegaze. Generally, it is agreed that shoegaze tends to be louder, more noisy and more aggressive than dream pop, but often the terms are used interchangeably by fans, artists, and music journalists alike. Related musical styles also include space rock, bliss pop, slowcore, ambient pop, neo-psychedelia, noise pop, trip hop and even some post-rock.

An ever-evolving list of dream pop artists can be found at AllMusic.com, ArtistDirect.com and Wikipedia.org.


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