Originally Posted by
Wales-Bales
That's where the definition of genre comes in handy. Shoegaze is just a label, but various bands can be linked through "musical composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content". That would be things like musical influences, equipment, production values, etc. Shoegaze and dream pop artists favoured offset guitars, elements of distortion, reverse reverbs, and vocals lower in the mix. That's why bands like the JAMC are considered to be a shoegaze influence due to their wall of sound production. The video posted earlier in the thread goes all the way back to the influence of Phil Spector. It's a similar story with heavy metal, it's roots can be traced back to earlier music. I remember Jimmy Page saying how important Link Ray was to him.