Shoegazing

Wikipedia defines the shoegazer scene as such:

"...a genre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s, lasting until the mid 1990s, peaking circa 1990 to 1991. British music press, like NME and Melody Maker, called this genre "shoegazing" because the musicians in these bands maintained a motionless performing style, where they stood on stage and stared at the floor while playing their instruments, hence the idea that they were gazing at their shoes."

"...The name was coined in a review in Sounds of a concert by the newly-formed Moose in which singer Russell Yates read lyrics taped to the floor throughout the gig. The term was picked up by the New Musical Express, who used it as a reference to the tendency of the bands' guitarists to stare at their feet (or their effects pedals), seemingly deep in concentration, while playing."

The guitar work in shoegazing music is often characterized as "textural," due to multi-tracked, effects-laden guitar parts. A good example (and one of my favorite albums) is Catherine Wheel's Ferment. Hell, the first track on the album is called "Texture".

Possibly the most oft-cited shoegazer band is My Bloody Valentine, particularly their album Loveless. My personal favorite band from this scene , however, is Lush. Their album Spooky is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest albums ever. Produced by the Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, it features layers of heavily processed guitars underneath the hypnotic vocal harmonies of Emma Anderson and Miki Berenyi.

Unfortunately the shoegazing scene had fizzled out by the mid-90s. Lush disbanded around 1996 after the suicide of their drummer. My Bloody Valentine did not release any new material after Loveless, though singer/guitarist Kevin Shields has done solo work, notably contributing four songs to the soundtrack of Lost In Translation. Catherine Wheel drifted away from shoegazing into a more traditional rock sound, and eventually went on hiatus in 2000. Front man Rob Dickinson (cousin of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson) released a solo album last year.

There is plenty more that could be written about the Shoegazer scene. Read the Wikipedia article for a more in-depth analysis.