Holding Our Breath

Slowdive\'s third EP, *Holding Our Breath*, is where the band crystallized the sound for which it\'s remembered. The opening track, \"Catch the Breeze,\" is also the leadoff cut on its excellent debut album, *Just for a Day*. It takes the atmospheric wanderings of Slowdive\'s first two EPs and marries them to pop melodies and distinct songforms that signal important growth. Rachel Goswell\'s vocals are moved further up in the mix while the guitars shimmer and whir with genuine consistency. The three remaining cuts are specific to the EP. The cover of Syd Barrett\'s \"Golden Hair,\" based on a James Joyce poem, is sung by Goswell as an ethereal prayer; the words are obscured, as if recited by monks from another century. The music, however, builds into a glorious swell where daybreak and all its wonders are given a suitable soundtrack. \"Shine\" creates an orchestral glow so bright and definitive that it\'s absurd the track was left off the album. \"Albatross\" completes the circle with an atmospheric piece more in tune with the group\'s earlier work.

Slowdive began to hit their stride with their third EP of escapist psychedelia, reaching number one on the U.K. indie charts.