Bands coming back with reunion albums is hardly a new prospect, and neither is the worry that what was once there before might not be there now. But when Slowdive released a self-titled effort after some initial reunion tours, they avoided the cliches easily. By capturing the sense of what they’d done years before but finding new ways to write, perform and arrange that material to make it feel truly involving and fresh, the album asks what 21st century old school shoegaze could be and delivers handily.

– Ned Raggett