by Jason Ankeny
Phase one of the Lilys' odyssey plunges Kurt Heasley and friends -- among them members of Velocity Girl, the Ropers and Suddenly Tammy! -- into the heart of the shoegazing phenomenon; In the Presence of Nothing is the quick follow-up to Loveless that My Bloody Valentine never made, with tracks like "There's No Such Thing as Black Orchids" and "The Way Snowflakes Fall" capturing the moment in vividly dreamy and atmospheric detail. A relic of its time, to be sure, but also a wonderful testament to shoegazing's brief but seminal moment in the sun.