Holding Our Breath

It's one of the best EP's in history, from my point of view. Also, it was released by one of the best bands in history.
I cannot express how much I love Slowdive, in a very personal point of view. One of the people on earth I cherish and love the most has given me their debut LP, and it has had a much more personal meaning ever since. This ep was included in it.
Also, I cannot tell you how much the lyrics and the video has made reached me in a very moving way. I personally like all of the albums better than the EP's because song like "Country Rain" and "Machine Gun" and "Celia's Dream" are not part of an EP. Anyway, this one is beautiful.
A cover of Syd Barrett's song "Golden Hair", originally written by James Joyce and took from one of his poems named also "Golden Hair", is also on the EP. Naturally, I find Slowdive's version better, not only because it sounds like it came directly from a dream, but also because of Rachel Goswell's beautiful and alluring vocals. But what's the funniest is that when I first listened to the song, I really thought it sounded like a Slowdive song, the lyrics mainly. Their lyrics have always had a very poetic characteristic and a bit of literacy.
Not to mention how in love I am with the video from Shine, which expresses all that I am about and all that I dream about: a long and beautiful field of flowers and running freely without any cares or fears.
There is something about Slowdive that makes me want to walk for hours, listening to their songs, with no absolute purpose other than walking all alone with your earphones on. Or maybe go on trip by train to anywhere, because usually I listen to Slowdive (and Galaxie 500) when I'm on a train.
I guess Slowdive give you that sudden will to travel, psychologically or physically, as in a dream.

Black Tambourine

They were a band who have never reached to the surface of the media, or to the surface of our tv's and radios. Still, they are well known for those who are aware of the underground twee music scene. Or at least, what it used to be. Also, they were one of the first bands to sign with Slumberland.
Although they have never released a LP, Black Tambourine managed yet to influence a few current bands that are on tour right now as The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Dum Dum Girls, Crocodiles, Veronica Falls.
Pamela Berry's vocals are the sweetest instrument to go along with the raw and noisy guitar. You could never imagine a voice like that singing about perverted stuff.
Their sound is unique, angsty and sweet at the same time. The ep "By Tomorrow" is one of the clearest examples: Black Car sings about being in love with someone that will never look at you in the same way, By Tomorrow is about breaking up with your partner, Drown is about revenge and Pack You Up is basically the sweetest way to say "fuck off" to your boyfriend.

By Tomorrow's EP cover, released in 1991

I think Black Tambourine's songs sum up all that everyone's love life looks like, at least at some point. Instability, disagreement, grieving for the relationship's end, heartbreak, the feeling of helplessness, and so on.
But what I especially love about them is the collision between the vocals and the guitars and drums, the sweet and the bitter, the heavy and light, the lovely and the awful (just a way of saying it). Of course, My Bloody Valentine had done it before, but not in the same way as Black Tambourine.
In my opinion, Black Tambourine would be much closer to Jesus and Mary Chain's "Psychocandy" or Beat Happening's "Black Candy" rather than something labelled as twee pop like The Pastels or The Vaselines (even though I don't really find The Vaselines that much twee). I guess I would say that I find Black Tambourine closer to noise pop than to twee pop. Anyway, labelling a band with a genre isn't that important.

Not to mention how funny I find the fact that they did a song about Aggi Wright, ex-bass player of The Pastels, since she was Stephen Pastel's girlfriend and Pam Berry had a little crush on him. Her crush made a wonderful song!