wombadelia

English

Etymology

Blend of womb +‎ psychedelia. Coined by Alternative Press' editor Dave Segal in 1992, to describe My Bloody Valentine's music.

Noun

wombadelia (uncountable)

1. (uncommon, music) Synonym of shoegazing
   • 1992 March, Dave Segal, “My Bloody Valentine: Rise of Wombadelia”, in Alternative Press, number 45, page 46:

     When My Bloody Valentine released their debut album Isn't Anything in 1988 they essentially created a new genre of rock that one may venture to call "wombadelia". At once ethereal and sexual, oceanic and astral, blissed-up and fucked up, beautiful and noisy, […] "

   • 1992 April 6, MXP...@psuvm.psu.edu, “Cranes”, in rec.music.misc‎^[1] (Usenet):

     My Bloody Valentine is another group you may want to investigate if you are into the pretty-female-vocal-mixed-with-powerful-rhythms-and-high-density-sound genre (known in some critical circles as "wombadelia").

   • 2005 August 12, Michael Chamy, “Comet's Feathers From the Wing EP Review”, in The Austin Chronicle, volume 24, number 50, page 61:

     Then comes Comet's true forte: starry-eyed, slowcore webs of patiently brushed cymbals and madly reverberated guitar. At their best, on "Sputnik," the Stones' slow-burning waves of woozy wombadelia creep up and double over into melodic explosions of bombast and beauty.

Derived terms

• wombadelic