This year, the most popular phenomenon in British alternative rock is a wave of hazy neo-psychedelic guitar groups. Some critics call them "shoe gazers" because of their on-stage bashfulness. Perhaps the more appropriate term is "dream pop," which evokes these groups' blurry, blissful sound and out-of-this-world aura. The most successful British dream-pop groups -- My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Lush, Chapterhouse, Ride, Swervedriver -- have records from major American labels already released or in the pipeline.

Dream pop combines nebulous, distorted guitars with murmured vocals sometimes completely smudged into a wall of noise. This dazed-and-confused style was pioneered by American groups like Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr. But the British groups tend to be more fragile, their swoony harmonies reminiscent of the Byrds. Other influences include the ethereal soundscapes of the Cocteau Twins and the fractured "avant-garage" rock of Sonic Youth.

Lyrically, dream pop celebrates rapturous and transcendent experiences, often using druggy and mystical imagery. A common theme is the desire to rise above the drab confines of everyday life, by going nowhere fast (the mood created by both Ride's "Drive Blind" and Swervedriver's "Sandblasted").

This yearning for escape relates to the groups' socio-political environment. After 12 years of Conservative government in Britain, any idealism or constructive political involvement seems futile to these alienated middle-class dropouts. At the same time, dropping out is not as easy as it once was. Struggling independent bands used to live off unemployment benefits, but during the 80's, the Government waged a war of attrition against this bohemian "dole culture" and pressured claimants into joining Government-sponsored job training programs.

Having grown up in the aftermath of punk, these musicians are making abrasive guitar rock at a time when the mainstream is dominated by mellow singers like Phil Collins. Confronted by a lack of options, both politically and in terms of youth culture, dream-pop musicians (and their audiences) are dreaming their lives away.

My Bloody Valentine, a London-based quartet on the Sire label, pioneered the sound. The group rose to prominence in 1988 with "Isn't Anything," an album that featured a self-invented technique that the group's leader, Kevin Shields, calls "glide guitar." This involves modulating the tone directly by using a tremolo arm on the guitar rather than by processing the sound through special effects devices. The technique produces an amorphous drone, at once visceral and disembodied, that seems to swarm out of the speakers and envelop the listeners.