Just for a Day (1992)

Though the aptly named Slowdive doesn't exactly drone, the British quintet's deliberately atmospheric ditties would probably sound equally nifty — and not that different — at twice their intended speed. Like Ride, Moose, Chapterhouse, Curve, Blur, and Lush, Slowdive is part of a new wave of U.K. bands that cynics gleefully call ''shoegazers'' — mainly because, they contend, the groups stare at their feet a lot on stage. Unlike most of their compatriots, though, Slowdive has a sound that's never off-putting; Just for a Day combines the somberness of pre-pop star Cure with Fleetwood Mac circa 1971's Future Games, and is airily delicious. B