m b v

In a culture consumed by the nostalgic need to regurgitate past successes, we are increasingly fortunate to have had (hopefully still have) a band like My Bloody Valentine that both sounds like none other and is resolutely uninterested in recycling sounds from 20+ years ago.

This is modern classical.

This is definitely an album that I truly love. When you play it, it feels like it’s divided into three sections. The first part is more in line with Loveless, with its swirling, dreamlike guitars. The middle section leans more into the melodic, ambient, and introspective side of shoegaze. The last third of the album shifts into a more experimental sound, with heavier electronic elements and beats that almost have a breakbeat feel. What’s nice about this album is that MBV stayed true to their signature sound while also pushing into new territory. It’s one of those albums that gets better and more rewarding the more you listen to it.

First listen, loved that. Cross between the Cocteau Twins and the Jesus and Mary Chain.

6/5

I love My Bloody Valentine. Helped me get into shoegaze. This album wasn’t as good as their second, but it does its own thing. More dreamy, less intense overall. Loved it. Standouts: everything but and this and yes and nothing is.

OMG, THIS IS MY FAVORITE MY BLOODY VALENTINE'S ALBUM. The soft noise and sound wall give you the feeling of being pulled away from everything and drifting in the beautiful blueness. Sometimes, I love it more than Loveless. This is so beautifully and perfectly done, so admirable I'm speechless. A completely unarguable 5/5 album here because, damn, this is one of my all-time favourites.

Awesome

Precioso.

When this turned up I was skeptical on a My Bloody Valentine reinvention but it turned out to be very lovely, dark and moody - got to listen to it on runs on Welsh Coastal woodland runs and it was very apt. Its a record’s record - meant to be heard it it’s entirety to fully appreciate - and it presents a full evocative journey.

cool ranch 😍

really really awesome. not many individual tracks but as a complete listen just love

5/5

Заебись.

not my favorite my bloody valentine album, but that doesnt mean it isnt almost perfect as well. loveless is probably my favorite album ever, and this doesnt live up to it, but shoegaze is still shoegaze at the end of the day and this is a shining example of the genre

4.75

YESS

It took 22 years for Kevin Shields to record a follow-up to *Loveless*, a pivotal and timeless record for every noisy shoegaze fans out there... So you can bet your boots expectations were sky-high when *mbv* was released. And yet the latter delivered, even exceeding expectations on key moments. No dud, all killer no filler. Many cuts (the dreamy "she found now" and "only tomorrow", catchy banger "new you", the rhymically and harmonically hectic "in another way"...) would have fitted right into *Loveless*'s tracklist, actually. For any other "legacy" band, this would mean that you're just stuck in the past, yet My Bloody Valentine's magnum opus was so groundbreaking and influential that the usual rules about treading old ground can't apply here. There is indeed a melancholic, chiaruscoro poetry to the Irish band's sound that makes it stand out compared to all its followers. And there's also a manic, obsessive attraction to layers and depth that belies its apprent droney surface. This album even ups the noise-rock ante with its challenging last two cuts "nothing is" and "wonder 2", where guitar tones wince, wail, drill, tremble and enchant, helped by the ever-eerie vocals of Bilinda Butcher. Punishing for folks not attuned to off-kilter rock music (a sad majority?), but pitch-perfect for everyone else. 5/5. Number of albums left to review: less that 150. Numbers of albums I'll keep in my list: half approximately (including this one) Numbers of albums I might keep: a quarter, approximately. Numbers of albums I won't keep: another quarter.

wonderful, an album i have been looking forward to hearing since the start - and especially since i had their debut a few months ago. flawless, and with the option to fully immerse yourself or have it as (interesting and absorbing) background music. try both!

Love this one. It’s got a vibe that’s good for driving and for sitting back and smoking a j with friends.

cool

Sure it can't really compete with 'Loveless' but what can. Nobody does it like My Bloody Valentine does, so even if this isn't their best, the deafening wall of sound that masks those sweet pop songs hiding underneath is still worth a 5 to me. Over the course of this album i found myself increasing the volume steadily throughout, until I finished it at about twice the volume I started it on.

Love this! Soft, whispering, pretty, melodic vocals backed by layers of fuzzy distortion and trance-like rhythms. A sweet spot of aggressive rock and alternative noise, which MBV influenced and perfected!

Amazing rainy day album, sounds so familiar tho I’ve never heard of them. Rock/indie vibes. Something unsettling, yet so comforting that’s created in this album. Lots of dissonance which you don’t get to hear much and is also very hard to do properly. It’s the stuff that tickles your brain in all the right wrong-ways. I think I like it extra cause I love sci-fi movies and a lot of the great ones from recently feature music similar to this. Type of dystopian feel

Mmm cozy warm musical blanket.

mbv! I’m a fan and always have been. This record could have been a huge risk as Loveless was a milestone record for the band and the genre. The wait certainly paid off and this album, while just shy of the greatness of Loveless, is excellent.

Two decades to make this album and it's pretty great. Hope we get another before 2033.

wow so atmospheric

To me this is still the "new" MBV album that I had not got around to listen to, but then I discovered it is already eleven years old. In any case, I listened to it today multiple times. It is excellent and contains both accessible and less accessible songs (towards the end). I liked all of them, and this is a 5* album. To compare: the previous two MBV albums are 10/10 (made more impact and have a bit stronger songs) whereas I would give this one 9/10.

So so so good

Un incontournable du shoegaze période 5eme république. Un bruit d’aspirateur en fin de vie pour certains, le cri d’une armée de angsty teenagers pour d’autres.

The shoegaze GOATs. Honestly this album may even beat out Loveless for me. I can’t believe it really happened still.

a worthy successor to loveless here’s hoping it’s not another 20 year wait for another mbv album

This album is like a long weekend with nothing to do but by Saturday morning, you've gotten lost in something completely gluttonous and consuming and just give in. This is yours, you keep it all to yourself and quietly decide this is how you're going to spend the next three days ... getting lost in the drone-y feedback and static abyss.

10/10 wow, MBVs discography is so good I guess all I have left to hear is Isn’t Anything

I love the ethereal fuzz of MY Bloody Valentine so much. This is my 3rd album of theirs on this list, and they absolutely grow in my estimation each and every time. This rating is really for the band overall, I'm not sure if this individual album is truly their best. I'll need to revisit it over the rest of my life!

There is no mistaking a mbv record

Gr8 innit

Imagine putting out a literal masterpiece and then having the task of creating something to come after it. Now, m b v is no loveless, but it’s still really fucking good and definitely holds its own! Love it.

Mbv I had them mixed up with My Chemical Romance- so I was really surprised. Was not expecting noisey, textural art rock. Probably the best of this kind of stuff we’ve had so far. I love the super saturated fuzzed out sound on the first few tunes. After a while I kind of need a break dynamically or texturally. Some of this is pretty challenging like the repetitive broken record thing that happens. Cool to have a repetitive trance inducing thing but still pretty challenging. I like the 2nd half of the album and cool how the sound changes throughout kept surprising me. Last song I think “Wonder 2” was my favorite. Something about the busy drums with the swelly guitars reminded me of tales of topographic oceans. Pretty crazy how it was recorded over 13 years. Kind of interesting how it can sound drastically different and consistent at same time. tough one to rate. Some of it is so great but also challenging enough that I probably won’t always want to listen throughout. 5

Loved this!! Really dig the sludgy fuzzed out vibe, fav song was who sees you. Def gonna keep this on rotation and check out more of their stuff

I feel like I’m gonna be in the minority here but I loved this album. Only tomorrow especially at the end was great. Love all the percussion in who sees you. Nothing is could be edited down but that’s my only complaint. I would listen to this album over and over again and feel like I would like new things.

Surpreendente a beleza sonora desse álbum. Realmente entregaram uma experiência auditiva carregada de camadas sonoras e principalmente pelas guitarras distorcidas.

Letting this wash over me like a wave of fuzzy distorted endorphins. Fantastic stuff. (Loveless is even better).

i hadn't given this album a real shot before this - i kinda thought it would be mediocre, but it was pretty damn good. not on the level of loveless of course but still great. it's kinda difficult for me to rate shoegaze albums because as long as the album is good I kind just sink into the feeling but I think a five is in order.

Didn't know this was on the list! I mostly consider this a slightly different and slightly less good album than Loveless. I'd guess I listen to Loveless 10-15 times for every listen of m b v on average? That said... I always feel surprised by this one when I listen to it. I do feel it holds up better than Isn't Anything. Better than Ride - Nowhere for sure. Less good than Slowdive - Slowdive if we're talking shoegaze reunion albums. Certainly less good than Slowdive - Souvlaki. So once again I find myself comparing an album to some of my favorites of all time, deciding whether it's a 4 or a 5. ...And it's definitely a 5. I guess it's more like a 4.5 rounded up, but... No way I'm giving this the same rating as Nowhere lol. It's shoegaze, the production is fucking wild and beautiful... Doesn't hurt I saw them live on this tour. I love it. How about a 4.85? That feels right.

It’s like the Platonic ideal of an MBV album without being cartoonish or self-caricature.

Any follow-up to the flawless Loveless was going to be a daunting effort with impossible expectations. That the follow-up took 20+ years only adds to those expectations. Despite all of that m b v landed as a great third record from My Bloody Valentine. It has everything you'd expect from the band. It doesn't ascend to the impossible heights of Loveless but it's still a phenomenal album and a great companion listen to their previous masterpiece.

I have only ever heard 'when you sleep' from 'loveless' before. I love that song so I'm expecting good things. The first song clearly demonstrates that this album is still shoegaze, like 'loveless' 22 years before. However, the more I listen, it sounds like it was influenced by... pop. Specifically electropop, with loops. Not what I was expecting on the second half, from 'if i [sic] am' until the end. In fact, 'nothing is' is a rave track and no-one can tell me otherwise. I can understand the lead singer better on this album, which is positive. I'm thinking an 8 or a 9 out of 10. 'new you' was probably my favourite, but none, including that one, really stood out. Nevertheless, I loved the overall cohesive sound so I'll give it a 9/10. I will listen again.

Hypnotizing and fascinating. Similar to one of my favorite bands, Slowdive and 4AD label groups. Real find.

I had heard the name of the band but never heard their music, which is unlike anything else I’ve heard. I looked up all the lyrics on genius.com, and the only comment on any of the songs could have been a comment on all the songs — every line is “wonderfully cryptic.”

Such a large shadow was cast on My Bloody Valentine in the years following Loveless that it became all the more plausible that no new music would ever come from them again. Now that m b v has past its ten year threshold, it can be safely said that, no matter how close we may appear to be, the large shadow appears to be in the shape of this album than the one that preceded them. For m b v is not just a continuation of what Loveless achieved, it is also a markedly decisive evolution of their sound, incorporating spacy ambiance, sudden stops and instrumental passages that pulverize and leaves one asking for more. For an album whose anticipation was greater than expected, the wait was rather worth it.

Oneirically unhinged! Love the otherness of this, the changes in pitch and tempo that you make you think either the music is fucked, or your head is. Pretty sure I saw them on the tour promoting this album, and I think it was maybe the single loudest gig I've ever been to - louder than any metal band I've seen. Just an ego-obliterating wash of vibration. 🤘 Fave track - "New You", but this is an album album.

My Bloody Valentine took over two decades to follow their masterpiece, 'Loveless.' It was well worth it. m b v treads familiar ground, but infuses it with a thoughtfulness and more adept touch. The electronic elements are well placed among the drones and noise, and the androgynous vocals flit in and out throughout the music. m b v may not be as groundbreaking as Loveless, but it is still incredibly beautiful and a worthy addition to the discography.

I adore this band so much you have no idea

I am not super familiar with MBV but when I think of them, I think of soft grunge which is probably not too far off. But with this project, it seemed a lot more trance and electronic. I really liked how those two sounds blend together on this record. Not a single skip for me, perfect atmosphere to chill and do some work with. I seriously kept coming back to this, officially a mbv FAN

I wasn't sure how much I would like this album at first but I think by the time it got to who sees you I really got into it. It's best to not think too much and just crank the volume, sit back and chill. The final song is fantastic and it gets so pleasantly loud. I listened to it a 2nd time right after. Score: 90 Art: 60

So great. What a comeback

Crossing one off the backlog with this listen. Very enjoyable experience, great comeback album that you can easily get lost in. Heavier and more distorted than their earlier efforts, in the best way. The song nothing is was an anomaly - I listened multiple times and just can't wrap my head around it.

I really enjoyed this album. "Soundscape album" bucket. Very high distortion, very high reverb, dreamy and dissonant.

Nice change of pace

I expected to hate this but I think I love it. I love the dense sound bed created by the guitars, together with the unrelenting beat. The mysterious, reverby vocals and the surf guitar licks are the perfect icing on top.

good but not my style

So delighted when I got to the end of a long, stressful day and discovered the album was mbv. I know this album back to back anyway, but always enjoy listening again. So beautiful and warm. It has my fave song on there 'who sees you'. I love how their songs build and build. Its a 5 star

Gwah

This is an album I have been dragging my heels on for nearly 10 years. I have no reason to have done so. I love Loveless. I knew MBV hadn’t made an album in a lifetime. I knew this album was getting rave reviews and appearing on year-end best of lists. What was I listening to instead in 2013? Mostly Foster the People, Naked and Famous and Two Door Cinema Club. I should have been listening to this, just vibe out to it in my old basement apartment. My Bloody Valentine I started listening to in my early 20s. I was in my third, maybe fourth year of university and while already a scholar of Britpop, I started digging deeper into some of the other bands that preceded the 90s boom. I loved those Ride albums. I love only Just Like Honey by the Jesus and Mary Chain(I cannot with the rest of their catalogue. I’m likely going to have to face Psychocandy at some point on this list). Even the revivalists Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. But the top is My Bloody Valentine and that album Loveless. I got into MBV most of all because their music weirdly sounded like music from Final Fantasy 7 (also had references with in game billboards) which I had been obsessed with 10 years earlier. I had also seen Lost in Translation during this period of my life and after that how could you not live shoegaze music. MBV (the album) sounds like a companion piece to Loveless. It still has that beautiful noise-pop sound going on and still manages to have catchy songs even though there is nearly always a wall of sound coming at you at all times. The winners here are she found out and only tomorrow. Truly wild that this group makes one of the best albums of all time, make everyone of their contemporaries look like musical morons, their record label drops them because they spent too much money, then come back nearly 20 years later and pitch a perfect game. I listened to this today while I mowed my lawn. I now have to schedule time when I can just lay on the floor, put this on an iPod, completely vibe out and become 24 again

Superb album that gives the lie to the idea that records after long hiatus are never good. This is excellent. Such a lush and glorious sound. It's not quite as good as Loveless, but MBV albums are so rare that doesn't matter. Finishes off with a wonderful cacophony as well.

my brain today is very well reflected by the sounds that come from this album.

I like Loveless a lot. Female vocalist: excellent Good guitar work Only tomorrow: good song Music creates a good atmosphere. Great album: four stars

maybe you fucks would like this if you listened to it with headphones

Immaculate, forward thinking production, just not the same strength of songs as Loveless. When it goes right it is amazing.

What a strange album. At times sounding like rising shepherds tone, others sounding like pure groovy pop distillate, this album challenges and envelops. The noise and intentionality is unlike many of its contemporaries, and the mood set is one of a kind.

It’s obviously no Loveless and it probably shouldn’t be here, but I’m a sucker for that MBV formula.

felt like a dream

I woke up this morning. Pulled on a random tshirt. A blue one with the initials mbv written on it. Then the aggregator randomiser generator thing chose an album chose an album with a blue cover and the letters mbv on the cover. The forces of synchronicity have turned me into a full kit wanker. I’m not sure why this is on the list. But the fact that it is gives me the chance to dig it out possibly for the first time since its release year. The thing is. You know how it goes I get a craving to hear My Bloody Valentine I go to the Shoegaze section of my collection, find the bit where the m’s are about to turn into the n’s and I pull out Isn’t Anything or Loveless or The Glider ep or Tremelo but not this. Listening again it’s a perfectly enjoyable listen but if you want a triumphant 2010’s Shoegaze return you’re better listening to Slowdive. If this was mbv’s tenth album of the millennium then I think we’d be saying they’ve still got it but we waited so long it feels like more of a letdown. The embarrassing thing is I’ve worn the t shirt all day, found the album on my shelf, listened to it, read the wiki, wrote my review and it’s only at bedtime that I realise that I’m wearing the t-shirt of the selected album. That’s Shoegaze for ya!

OK, so I have completely mistaken My Bloody Valentine and because of this mistake, I have been avoiding listening to them for years. I thought that they were a 2000's metal band like "Bring Me The Horizon". And although I have a place for that type of roaring vocal, metal band. Its not my favourite. Much to my surprise "m b v" is an experimental rock album. Full of noise, distortion and a dream like quality that makes some songs have an ethereal feel. And other tracks feel a little psychedelic. It is quite intense in places like the repetitive "nothing is" but I get what they are doing here. I am impressed and this has reaffirmed to me why I have decided to take this musical journey. (3.900)

m b v by my bloody valentine was actually pretty good. I went into it expecting it to kinda drag on but I liked it. I’m a bit undecided on whether it’s a 4 or 5 start album but I certainly enjoyed it. Top songs: she found now, only tomorrow, is this and yes, if i am, in another way, nothing is

Loveless is a masterpiece and after waiting 21 years for the follow up not disappointed at all. Not the first time listening to this album and might be bias but it holds a special place in my heart. Not as moody, noisy or textured but has a chill spring/summertime vibe going on

Anything recorded by MBV is going to be compared to "Loveless," given the heft that record has in the genre. "m b v" is more accessible, weirder (somehow), and just as satisfying. There is a diversity of sound here that I wasn't expecting. After defining their sound so narrowly, this album stretches out a bit and is all the better for it. Another album new to me that will start going on the rotation. FOUR STARS

I'm mixed on this one. Generally I really liked the music, but buying stood out for me. I think this would've been my jam if I was in the right headspace for it.

shoegaze gets too much hate on this site yall gotta train your ears

My Bloody Valentine, it’s not just a weird slasher film about coal mining, folks. We’re about to enter the world of shoegaze and noise pop, a couple of genres that frighten me. What’s interesting about this album is that recording began in 1997, and then the band broke up. The band then reunited in 2011, finished the album, and released it in 2013. This is the band's third album and their first album since 1991. That’s wild. Not that the band broke up, then reunited and recorded an album. No, the wild part is that the album is regarded as one of, if not the, best they ever recorded. How many great albums were released after a 20-year breakup? Hell, how many great albums were released 20 years into a career? I assume not many. So, let’s see if m b v rises to the level of must-listen. There are nine tracks, and the album is 46 minutes long. We’re off to a good start. Track 1 is She Found Now. Hmmm, the music starts as noise, but it is pleasant-sounding, I guess. That must be noise pop. It’s just a wall of guitar distortion with one kind of plucking in the background. There are very soft vocals. Kevin Shields is the vocalist and guitar player. The vocals are almost so soft you can't even really make them out. It sounds like the song is getting louder as it goes on. The guitars are starting to be more musical. It’s almost like Shields is whispering the song. It reminds me of what Tool does sometimes with the vocals of Maynard James Keenan, especially in the song 46 & 2. You can just barely hear him singing in parts of the song. I can’t say I don’t like this. It’s not totally unenjoyable, but I can’t imagine a whole album of this. The song ends with one big wave of distortion. Track 2 is Only Tomorrow, and it starts more like a song. It reminds me of a band, a 90s band, but I can’t make my brain think of the band's name. It’s going to drive me crazy. I do like this song. It’s definitely more musical, but it’s still a lot of guitar distortion. The vocals are a little louder, but not much. Again, the song isn’t unpleasant. It’s just weird. Ooooh, the guitars are really getting loud and fuzzy. I wish I were more musically inclined. Then I could tell you exactly what I’m hearing. But I’ll say the song has a brighter sound, and it’s definitely a fun sound. I really like this song. It’s a bit melancholy, but I’ve never really heard anything like it, so it makes me happy. I can see how someone would think it’s noise, but it’s how the noise is arranged. I can see just putting this on and just zoning out. I loved this song. It’s unlike anything I’ve heard in a long time. So, shoegaze is a subgenre of indie rock that features, according to our good friend Wikipedia, “ethereal soundscapes, obscured vocals and extensive use of guitar effects and distortion.” The genre is rooted in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound and the production of the Velvet Underground. Yes, the Cocteau Twins are shoegaze. I listened to their album Heaven or Las Vegas. I liked it, but I remember them being more pop than noise. I think they were even a subgenre of shoegaze and noise pop. They were dream pop and an even more ethereal kind of music. Track 3 is Who Sees You, and it starts with more distortion and sounds out of tune….Wait a minute! I just realized at this moment that I earlier listened to MBV’s first album, Isn’t Anything. What reminded me? Track 3 has that weird “glide guitar” sound that Shields invented. The note played starts in tune, then he uses the whammy bar, or tremolo, to take the note out of tune before bringing it back in tune at the end. Shields' thinking was that the brain isn’t quick enough to pay attention to the out of tunesness before it’s back in tune. Or something like that. I focus just on the out-of-tuneness mostly. Turns out I hated MBV’s debut album, and I think it was because most of it was out of tune. I’m going back to track three, which is wildly out of tune in places. The guitar sounds kind of like how a chainsaw's “tune” changes when it's sawing something. However, I think maybe Shields has perfected it, because I actually find it pretty cool in this song. It sounds beautiful, really. The vocals again are buried deep in the mix, and it’s all about the distortion. Interesting. I’m in awe. Maybe it’s my headspace right now, but I’m digging just listening. Not thinking, just letting the distortion wash over me. Track 4 is Is This and Yes. Now this is different. The song starts with synths and what sounds like robots. I’m sure there have been synths and keyboards used throughout the first three songs, but they are out and in the open on this track. Now this is dream pop. Added to the keyboards is now a chorus of female singers just singing whole notes. Hmmm, that’s all it was. Just a nice break from distortion. Track 5 is If I am and it starts with a good drumbeat, and then it sounds like track 4’s music, but with distortion added. The same female chorus is now singing vocals. This song has guitars, which track 4 didn’t. One thing about this album compared to MBV’s debut is that the music seems to be more musical. I can hear songs in these songs, whereas in some of the songs from Is This Anything? I couldn’t hear songs. It was just noise. Track 6 is New You, and wow! This really does sound like a real song. This sounds like a pop song from 1998, but a new wave song from 1985. The vocals again are sung by women, I assume they are Debbie Googe and Blinda Butcher, as they are in the band. The song really isn’t much, but there are little things that happen that add up to being really cool. I know that doesn’t sound like anything, but this album is hard to describe. I have no idea why I’m liking it as much as I do. Is it as simple as saying I like the chords the band’s playing? The keyboards in the background of the song remind me of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark. The guitars remind me of the Smiths’ song How Soon Is Now. With all that being said, New You is a really poppy song, and I bet it could have been a hit in 1985 or 1998. Track 7 is In Another Way. It starts rather chaotically with drums and guitar distortion before morphing into something resembling a song. The women are on lead vocals again. The vocals give the song its popness. Oh, there’s a point about midway through the song where all the instruments combined sound kind of like bagpipes. I love the sound of the guitar in that part of the song. The verses of the song make you appreciate and love the part of the song where the bagpipe-sounding music comes in. I love this song, or at least half of it. Track 8 is Nothing Is. The song begins with hard-charging drums and the guitar screaming out the same riff over and over. I’d think the record is skipping if I were listening to a record. Who comes up with songs like this? I don’t know if Shields is a genius or a madman. The intensity is growing. It’s almost to the point where I can’t take much more. Is that the point of this song? I want to skip ahead and see if, or where, the tension breaks. I don’t think it will. What a weird song. Track 9 is Wonder 2. The ending of Nothing Is kind of leads into the final track on the album. I hear vocals, I think. It sounds like a jet is taking off in the background of the song. I keep waiting for a sonic boom or something. Now the guitars sound like a freight train's horn. This song just keeps getting louder and louder. The drums keep getting faster and faster. This is not the song I would have used as the closer to what was a pretty good album. Okay, that was MBV’s m b v. I must admit, I enjoyed this album way more than their debut. Shields, who wrote all the songs, really seemed to mature as a songwriter, without giving up any of his experimentation. I’d imagine that was the most accessible of their music, but as there were no singles released, I assume none of this album was heard on the radio or MTV at the time. Can I recommend it as a must-listen? No. I think most of you would hate it. But if you’re kind of bored with the state of music now and are looking for something weird? This might be for you. It isn’t so weird it will repulse you, but it’s not so poppy it will repulse you.

Great rock on the edge of chaos. That blend of calm and noise I love. 4/5

Loveless is one of my favourite all time albums. I never really clicked with m b v the same way, but to be fair, I never really gave it much of a chance. I would listen to it once every now and then, kind of lose interest about halfway through, endure to the end, then forget about it again. This time I set out to do things differently. I planned three full play-throughs before forming an opinion and I promised to not put Loveless on every time I was reminded how much better an album it is. I guess this is three different albums in one, each consisting of three tracks from the nine in total. Album one is the tracks that didn't make the grade for Loveless. They're similar, but very dreamy/ chilled and not as ground breaking. Album two feels more like a step back to MBV's first studio album, "Isn't Anything". Everything is more simplistic, there's less guitar, then it suddenly switches. Album three is a bit more experimental and dance-orientated. I feel that this is around a 3.5 star album, but I'll mark it up to 4 stars as there are flashes of brilliance here and there and I know I will try it again in the future, even if I still don't love it anywhere near as much as Loveless.

I didn't listen to this in 2013 but it is sooo very tumblr era.

First time listen. I really liked this! Not too many standout songs to me this time, but I liked the experience of listening all the way through.

I love My Bloody Valentine, but I was surprised this album made the list. Loveless is obviously a classic, and this album isn't close to it.

I'm not super familiar with them, but did hear one other album on here before this. I like it, shoegaze noise pop works for me.

This was good. I've only ever heard of this band, never actually listened to them before. Me likey.

I’ve listened to My Bloody Valentine before and it’s definitely one of those things you have to be in the mood for. I was in the mood for this today.

4.6

Could be 5 stars if it didn't feel like they got stuck in the same style of experimentation on the last 3 songs

Best Song: only tomorrow I think that this project has made me appreciate shoegazing more and more. My Bloody Valentine I have enjoyed every time I've listened to them and this is no exception. Only tomorrow is a fantastic song to boot! 4/5.

Some lovely melodic and rhythmic moments tarnished only slightly by the tendency of shoegaze to simply dial up the gain and reverb and hit all the notes at once

These guys are the face of shoegaze music. A sub-genre that’s starting to have a resurgence with young listeners and a genre of music I personally adore. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but the experimentation that comes from this kind of music is so cool to listen to. My Bloody Valentine put out one of the best records I’ve ever listened to (loveless) and I constantly go back and listen to. This is the first time I’ve done a deeper listen of m b v though and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. No it doesn’t reach the heights as their magnum opus but some of the sounds they play around with are out of this world. Listening to this album I felt like I was in a trance at some points but other times my face was being melted off by the thrashing guitars. The wall of sound with unique guitar effects hit the listener constantly throughout this record. These guys are so experimental and weird. They’re easily on my bucket list of bands I need to see live.

Вообще не фанат шугейза, но альбом на удивление понравился, особенно вторая половина. Причем понравилось даже больше, чем loveless. Приятная мелодичная музыка, а не просто вайбовый шум, который делают почти все шугейзеры

Сначала Ариана Гранде, Леди Гага, Slowdive, Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, Ride, а потом уже My Bloody Valentine. Сущий кошмар для любого инди крейзи лейбла. Мило, что люди тратили свои деньги. Поэтому и дописали чудом этот альбом. Когда он вышел, мне понравился. И сейчас вроде норм, но чуть меньше.

Жжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжж

Surprisingly excellent. In my head, when I see My Bloody Valentine, for some reason I always think of Type-O Negative, probably because of Bloody Kisses (and the fact that I have never really listened to either band). Suffice it to say that this album is extremely different than I expected. I was taken aback at first, but I started liking it more and more as the album continued. Using my own personal rating system, would I play this album of my own free will? You know, if I were in the right mood? I just might.

Brrrrrrrrrpp

Ik ben nog eens gaan luisteren naar loveless wat me nooit echt heeft gepakt en ik vind dit leuker dan loveless

Drone-y en gefragmenteerd. Zoals een wijs reviewer zei: 'geweldig als je loveless niet kent, valt net tegen als je loveless wel kent'.

not as original as Loveless, but pretty cool

I didn't know MBV was chill like this! This has a very soothing chill vibe. I'm diggin it.

I can’t believe this album made it on the list even after their first two albums were put on it. Not that it’s a bad thing but after the first two this one is probably not essential. It would be great to free up a bit of room for some other artists who aren’t on the list although I wouldn’t kick this one off the list before the other bunch of shitty albums that are inexplicably on this list. Anyways, this is a great album and if putting three albums on this list by this band raises the chances of people getting exposed to their unique style of music then so be it!

wow. i’m going on an mbv deep dive after this… finally. favs: she found now, is this and yes, in another way,

delicious

Pre listening: Love mbv. Not sure if I’m in the mood for it today though. But challenge is a challenge.

Kúl shoegaze, maður skilur vel að ekki sé hægt að líta upp þegar menn eru að spila svona svala tónlist og þurfa að afstilla gítarinn rétt.

Highlights: only tomorrow, who sees you, if i am, new you, in another way I was completely prepared to take a dump on shoegaze as a whole but this was a pleasant surprise. I didn't pay mind to the lyrics all that much, but the instrumentals were decent. They never got stale even though they do follow a certain formula. It was amazing since I expected to be bored out of my mind. The low point was definitely Nothing Is as it was just plain repetitive. Not a masterpiece but it was definitely an experience. The record is best listened to as a whole.

Wait, My Bloody Valentine is an Irish Shoegaze band form the 90's?? I could have sworn they were an American emo-pop band from 10 years ago? Who am I confusing this band with? Anyway, jokes on me, this album is pretty great. I have long heard of this band but wrote them of as something I wasn't interested in. This was a pleasant surprise. Definitely not an everyday album but hits the spot if you're in the mood. Loud enough to have some edge but also low-key enough to not be in your face which for me is what I want in this type of music.

I’m definitely into the innovative, fuzzed out, experimental guitar playing, so I dig the instrumental side of this album. I can also appreciate My Bloody Valentine’s influence on music especially because a few bands I’ve been listening to lately like Deafheaven and Agriculture have drawn direct influenced from shoegaze. That said, I just don’t really care for the dreamy, washed out vocals and the album kind of drags a bit through the middle. Overall, I did enjoy it though.

When I first heard this album I wasn’t super blown away (compared to how much I love Loveless). I gave it another listen and I still love Loveless a lot more

This album is certainly very good, but moreso at the beginning and end. The middle is a bit less interesting to me. But overall it's nice while it's on. 3.5/5 -> 4/5

I appreciate this a lot, but I’m biased because I love shoe gaze and Loveless. Good album, but not quite a 5 I give it a 3.9

Kommt auf Vinyl bestimmt krass

First impression: I'm sure this fuzzy, muddy indie mumbling was cool in the 90s, but doing a comeback 20 years later with the same sound is lame. Second impression: actually, this does sound cool. Let me sit with a beer in the sunshine. Third impression: life has no meaning but the sad pain of loss and change. Fourth impression: life has no meaning, in all its messy, soft-focus tragedy, and that's why the world is beautiful and songs about love are noble. Solid 4*.

Мені трохи не вистачило динаміки, яка точково проявлялася у гурті в Loveless. І через це він відчувається іноді занадто шугейзовим з саунд-ефектами і менш пісенним. Але насправді це скоріше бажання порівняти з суперкласичним альбомом і побачити, що є відмінності, що саме по собі не погано. Сильний камбек альбом, в цілому гурту все вдалось

felt like i was in a diff world i loved most tracks

if you didn’t listen to this with noise canceling headphones you didn’t listen right

I know shoegaze isn’t for everyone but I’m a fan

Super cool noise

It just doesn’t have the same magic touch that Loveless did, but if i am, new you, and wonder 2 are close to that level. Still love their sound

Shoegaze at its finest. Solid record

Nowhere near Loveless level but it's still so good. Favourite Songs: she found now, only tomorrow, in another way, wonder 2. Least Favourite Songs: new you, nothing is.

Cherubic vocals over dissonant guitar orchestra fuzzscapes? I'm in!

It's like ambient music dialed to 11.

Ahhhh take me back. Love this shoe gazey album.

9 / 10

Im very conflicted on this one because many many moments of it were so cool and beautiful in a Radiohead-esque style, but then I would be rudely torn away from my vibing by weird dissonances and noisy fuzz. I only had time to listen through once, so I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and try to give another listen or two to truly judge. I think this would be an excellent album to listen to while really really baked.

Good

Fadey druggy nothing music, enough for me to like, though by 2013 there's probably better options for this area of music

Artish, creative. Liked it.

pleasing noises i see why they want it LOUD all of the time

in another way, this album was pure wonder.

Although I personally love this band and this album, I don’t think this album deserves to land on the list as much as Loveless. The hype for MBV was fever pitch, but fans nowadays don’t care too much about it.

Overall: 7/10 While I prefered Loveless, this was also a pretty great album. I was able to get lost in all the noise and vibe out. I found it surprisingly relaxing in a way that I didn't expect. I would've liked to be able to understand the vocals a bit more, and I found the mix was overshadowed by all the staticness of the overly distorted guitars. Overall, I'd recommend it if you've already heard MBV, but otherwise you should just check out Loveless. I'm gonna take this opportunity to point out that the choices for this list post-2010 are very strange to me and don't really seem to represent the decade very well beyond a few obvious choices. I wouldn't have included this album personally and I don't think most people would. 2013 was a great year for music and it's a shame that we have this, The Next Day and Beyoncé in favour of Random Access Memories, ...Like Clockwork or even Pure Heroine. Fav Song: New You

Shoegaze!!

Solid stuff

only tomorrow 2013 shoegaze irish-english

This album is so weird lol i love it

really enjoyed! and then listened to some of their other stuff. loveless isn't on spotify which is odd

I liked this, but it isn't quite as memorable as some of My Bloody Valentine's other work, e.g. 'Loveless'. It's still a very good album in my opinion, though. 4/5

This is definitely a mood. It's not an easy listen, the songs on Loveless are way catchier. But it still feels like a logical continuation of MBV sound in the 90s.

I’m shocked to be writing that I think Tame Impala was influenced by the synthier tracks on here. Very sludgy and not something I’d normally put on, but I do think I see the appeal.

Genuinely liked it. It's moody, muted and the perfect listen for a dark, rainy day

Interesting noise. Synths and repetitive drums reminds me of boards of Canada, but rock version

Mbv really captures the most dreamy parts of the My Bloody Valentine sound. Only Tomorrow captures the most interesting guitar sound-scapes on the whole album, and the last three songs are really cool too. But the middle few are just fine. The dreamy stuff here sounds pretty similar, but it is enjoyable. Even though this isn't Loveless, it is cool, and MBV experiments with their sounds in really cool ways. Overall, this is not a bad last album of the year. Happy New Year, let's enjoy more albums

need to listen more

Actually really liked this album a lot I was really jiving with the shoegaze instrumentals on this one. Really still had trouble with the vocals, but the instrumentals were super strong. Was wool sock gazing on this one at my desk cause it is cold as hell up here in Maryland. My southern bones can't handle this anymore

So we've now had every MBV album and got them in order! Wild this one came out 22 years after the last one. This has some really beautiful parts in it. Some not so beautiful parts as well (still not sure about Nothing Is), but as an overall whole I really enjoyed it. Not as much as Loveless but it's still pretty good. Going with a low 4 on this one and fully expect a 1 from the Hamills.

very nice cozy vibe, the last two songs kinda ruin it but it’s nice for background noise

Well, well, well this is really good, and nothing like what I was expecting. Another for the 'to buy' list, and another band that I've seemingly missed out on. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ ★★★★☆ (7/10) Total reviewed : 176 Already owned : 39 Purchased : 6 To buy : 5 Nope : 126

Ég elska lagið Only tomorrow, það er svakalegt. New you og In another way eru dáleiðandi líka. Hin lögin eru flott en ekki alveg eins grípandi. Ég var að velta fyrir mér að henda fimmu á þetta, en ég er í svona 4,3 núna. Látum það gott heita í bili.

oceans of shimmering fuzzy guitars, everything slightly wobbly and not quite in focus - lovely

First time listen and a fitting follow up to Loveless. Kevin Shields doing Kevin Shields things, song titles all in lower case, obscured album art, and digging further into the esoteric and the ethereal. This has some interesting twists such as the Stereolab similarities in spots and much of it sounding like it was built around 'touched'. I like this take on inverted "pop" music. Still sounds sexy but in a weird Cronenberg body horror sort of way.

very high 4

It's not Loveless, but very few albums are as good as that one is. This is still fantastic, can't wait for the next album in 2035.

Worth the wait. 😎

Did they record this album through a pillow? Maybe I have a double ear infection? I dunno. Regardless, I found this album annoyingly muffled. However, when I was done shouting at the clouds about this, I very much enjoyed it. Like their fellow footwear observers in Lush and Slowdive, these folks churn out some dreamy, quasi-psyche guitar rock that hits quite nicely . . . even from underneath a pillow.

One thing I’ve noticed about my vinyl collection is that I own a lot of second or third best records of bands. This is an example. I bought this in the mp3 era and I don’t own Loveless for some reason. Someday I need to trade quantity for quality because I don’t listen to this record. That preamble makes it seem like I don’t like MBV but this is an interesting album because it feels like it is roughly divided into thirds. The first third sounds like Loveless 2.0, and sure, I’m going to like that. The middle third is more subdued and while it is not unpleasant, it is a little boring to me. The last third sure seems a lot closer to EDM, and maybe even jungle. I know Shields has liked that scene for years and this seems like what MBV sounds like fused to heavily percussive electronic music. It’s sometimes grating, but definitely an interesting new direction.

Good stuff! Liked the droning, fuzzy guitars. Will listen to more from them.

4/5 - When I think of MBV, I think of Loveless and Kevin Shields doing the score to Lost in Translation. I didn't know this decades-later follow-up existed and was surprised to read that it was entirely self paid for and released. The sound here was what I expected from Shields, and I'm pretty much always up for this type of guitar -- ambient distortion or whatever it is. It's like being in a soft noise cocoon with the mood washing over your ears. Obviously, if this is on the list, Loveless will be too, so I'll reserve my MBV 5 for that.

I wondered why they'd list an album from 2013 for a band prominent in the late '80s/early '90s? My Bloody Valentine was able to release a (sort of) self titled album decades past their era of influence and it was still highly regarded and sought after. That is quite a feat and listening to the album, it makes perfect sense. Shoegaze feels too simple and lazy of a descriptor for this album. Sure, it has all the characteristics of shoegaze, but My Bloody Valentine is giving so much more here. And maybe that's what 20 or so years off allows you to do. The album feels very contemporary and of the time. Yet, you can feel the influence this music had and would have moving forward. It's like you're experiencing that first beat of a massive ripple effect. The album is wistful and atmospheric; perfect for a late night drive with no particular destination. This isn't sleepy music though. The final duo of Nothing Is and Wonder 2 build up an adrenaline inducing tension and cap off the album in cathartic release. The album is a solemn journey that caps off in a quaking exit that still feels like a warm hug and a wave goodbye.

I appreciated this one more listening today. It would never surpass Loveless but a pretty great final result after 20 years of tinkering. It’s only an essential listen for MBV fans but I still found it to be up to their lofty standards. Rating: 4.3

Did you know shoegaze is pronounced like fugazi? Another MBV banger.

Very atmospheric and fantastic production

This is a very specific genre I don't often find myself listening to, but I admit it is excellent within that genre. Noise rock, as many of us have seen can be utterly trite without careful artistic vision, and this is no such case. Very musical, creative, and innovative.

A warm wall of sound. It's not as good as Loveless, but it certainly scratches an itch.

Now I’m partial to a bit of shoegazing so enjoyed quite a lot of this. I’m sure my mum would have said ‘but it’s just a lot of noise’ and there are moments in this where I would agree. But overall I enjoyed this one.

A sonic assault on the senses at times and at others a dreamy masterpiece. I love the multi layer feel and quite a few of the tracks but some are a struggle to get through. The album is clearly structured to perfection but yet still manages to sound improvised.

After a 22 year wait, My Bloody Valentine returned with an album that picked up where Loveless left off. Fans may have expected something fresher after such a long wait, but for me it's forgiveable given that nothing sounds quite like Loveless and having more of that in the world is a gift. And besides, "Only Tomorrow" stands along their best songs. Also, after the first three tracks the album starts to veer in a new direction. The middle is lighter and dreamier, and while "Is This And Yes" is a bit too minimal the next couple tracks are enchanting. The ending is completely new, going in an almost drum and bass direction. It hinted at a new sound, and it's a shame we may never hear what that would have been. A pleasant album for fans of the band that is mostly comfort food but which has enough surprises to be interesting.

I dug the fuzzy dreariness and even the mopey vibe. I think I would listen to this again, it just barely reaches the level of a 4 for me. I would be interested on another listen to dig deeper on lyrics, of which I only caught a small portion the first time through.

Not as good as Loveless (what is?) but still very good

its no loveless but honestly nothing else is

MBV!! So rad. I'm always excited when we get an MBV album. Do all of the songs kind of blend into one? Yes. Is kind of a confusing haze of chill shoegaze confusion? Absolutely. And its why its good. I can have this on all day and just vibe out. Its kind of the epitome of Autumn music. Its perfect. Give me a warm latte and a sweater. I'm gonna feel happy and sad at the same time.

Was anxious, put this on and it was pretty calming. 4/5 for getting me through a tough moment.

I'm at least familiar enough with My Bloody Valentine to recognize them as one of the pioneering groups of the shoegaze genre. I recall listening to Loveless a couple of years ago, an often-considered landmark album, and I enjoyed it. Apparently, there was a lot of hype surrounding their follow-up, as the band recorded it on and off before their breakup in 1997, only to continue working on it after their reunion in 2006. m b v, for all intents and purposes, had been decades in the making. Was it worth the wait? The answer is a yes, albeit with more tempered expectations. I wasn't looking to be blown away by this album, given the style My Bloody Valentine plays in. The thick, droning guitar textures, the hushed vocal delivery, the simplistic dreamscape imagery in the lyrics, and the overall laid-back, unintrusive rhythm section make for a sonic cushion that I can ease back into. It's amazing how many elements put to record over the years were woven together in a seamless haze. That said, there are moments on this record where I felt like the band could have pushed a little further. There were a couple of interesting experimental choices made, such as the ambient piano piece "Is This and Yes", the fuzzy bass and punching drums of "New You", the sheer loudness of the instrumentation on "In Another Way", and the progressive build of the drum machine loop on "Nothing Is". But a part of me feels these ideas could have been developed a tad more, as songs tended to end before building to something potentially greater. Also, for as much as I do find Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher to have very pleasant vocals, their presence here felt more innocuous in the mix. Granted, it's not like someone checks out My Bloody Valentine primarily for the vocals, but perhaps there could have been room for better integration of them. Still, I consider m b v to be a pleasant enough record. It does feel like a natural continuation of where My Bloody Valentine left off after Loveless, which is certainly commendable for a group that had been inactive for some time.

Wasn't totally feeling it until the last 3 songs. May need to revisit it again since I like those so much.

Really enjoyed this one. Very soothing and the lo-fi production reminded me of some blackgaze bands (no doubt influenced by MBV) that I enjoy. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

a cold grey droning background wall of sound, ft. some 90's style ghostly voices. like they took Loveless, removed some of the fire, and replaced it with a softer more brooding energy. kinda like drinking a well-aged scotch: much more subtle, but you yearn for the edge. 3.5/5

Beautiful and fantastic. Almost a 5 but one dong (nothing is) dragged it down.

considering the length of this bands career, they still manage to pin down their sound and keep quality high after over 20 years, this was great, dreamy and spacey music that i love

I love this album.

Oh boy, the standard deviation on this one is going to be high. My Bloody Valentine, among the originators of shoe gaze, is an experimental band, always has been. Experimental music is intrinsically challenging and many people hate being challenged, despite sometimes claiming otherwise. When listening to experimental music, I like to first consider what the band is trying to accomplish. In this case, exploring tonal variations of the guitar and layering them together into music that is noisy, sure, but also beautiful. While influenced by bass and drums, you will not find a traditional beat on any of their tracks. Not everyone will like this music, but there is a reason why music fans remained excited about the return of the band to the studio after a 20-year hiatus. Getting back to the experimental nature of the music, several critics have pointed out the MBV can be separated into thirds, each playing with different guitar tones/layers and vocals. Part one is surreal, focusing on layers of fuzzy guitar tones and once I let go I found myself lost in this music in a pleasant way. Part two brings forward Butcher’s beautiful, albeit intentionally understated vocals, with layers of wavy guitar. There are fewer textures here and the sounds are more accessible and perhaps less interesting? The final third of MBV see an increase in tempo, a little more melody. The guitar tone experiments on “in another way” are twangy and then crunchier on “nothing is”, in both cases they are repeated and layered in a way that droned me into a state where I was genuinely lost in the music at points. The final track, “wonder 2” sort of mixes all of the previous experimental sounds into a sonic soup that I found interesting, but perhaps less enjoyable. My Bloody Valentine remains a highly influential band, who essentially started the shoe gaze genre using experimental sounds that are all their own. Numerous bands have cited the band as an influence including the obvious shoegaze bands (e.g., Slowdive, American Football), but also less obvious bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead and even modern experimental psychedelic rock bands like LSD and the Search for God (check them out if you are unfamiliar). The band and this record, as a critically acclaimed return to the studio after two decades, certainly belong on this list, whether or not everyone appreciates the sonic experiments.

Great album! The best introduction to shoegaze.

Good album. It's not Loveless, but what is? A few tracks in the back half are even bangers. 3.5/5

Not to be that guy, but I’m always a little thrown off by people complaining that shoegaze has too much reverb. Like, isn’t that the whole point? It’s like shitting on jazz for having too much improvisation.

80

22 years later, the Loveless follow-up had no chance of meeting expectations but they did a great job picking up where they left off.

It grew on me. I was surprised.

Cool stuff

Not nearly as groundbreaking or memorable as Loveless but still a cool return from the fuzzmasters. Surprised it made the list though.

Nogle af de første som virkelig definerede hvad shoegaze var. Eller definerede og finetunede lyden. Jeg synes musikken er rigtig god og jeg kan godt lide albumcovered. Jeg bliver ved med at være fan af noise rock, dreampop osv så naturligvis er jeg også vild med shoegaze. Jeg tror bare "støjen" virker sammenhængende og beroligende for mig. Jeg ved ikke rigtig hvad jeg sådan generelt synes om dette album, men det var jo et comeback fra MBV efter lang tid, som satte gnist til at andre shoe gaze bands også begyndte at lave et comeback. De viste at man godt kunne modernernisere lyden af shoegaze og udvikle videre på genren. Jeg synes ikke det var sådan megaaaaaa iøjenfaldene for mig. jeg kan godt lide genren og musikken men jeg tænkte bare ikke wow det her album er noget helt specielt. Jeg vil maks sige 3,5 men jeg vil ikke give det på en 4.

Spectacular sonic atmospheres from track to track as per usual from MBV. My favorite was "New You." Reminded me most of the stuff I've most enjoyed from Loveless.

3.5

I love the first album .. hadn’t heard this one before and was prepared for disappointment. I was wrong. This one is great too 👍

Jag gillar gitarrer och då gillar man shoegaze. Men man måste se live eller lyssna med hörlurar. Tror jag gillade den mer än loveless (bäst att inte säga högt)

I'm a 100% shoegazer, and MBV offered a cosmically heavy version of that in the nineties. This is an album that came out of the blue 20 years later, and without changing too much is a great listen, distortion, layers and the Loveless sound - but rhythmically more varied and with some songs that -gasp - are almost straightforwardly unadorned. Won't convert the uniniated and not quite sure what it's doing on this list after their first two albums made it, but four from me.

The Valentines pick up where they left off 22 years after ‘Loveless’. ‘m b v’ is the follow up we didn’t know we needed - until it arrived.

Beautiful atmospheric opening track, followed by a collection of grungy shoegaze that's easy to get lost in. The guitar work is interesting - distorted power chords are complemented with reverby riffs that add to the rhythms, with the occasional addition of ambient synths.

The glorious return of the shoegaze kings does not disappoint.

Fine album, but not as catchy as loveless

<333

Great vibe Each song is unique Love the album cover

It's not as good as Loveless but it's still mbv. There's not much else that sounds like this in a very good way

My bloody valentine the blueprint for shorgaze. Incredible album wouldn’t expect anything less.

Never listened to My Bloody Valentine in my life. Didn't even have a concept of what they sounded like. Kinda surprised me

This grew on me after repeated listenings, but I must admit that it still wasn't my favorite. It has many components that made me think I should have liked it (downtempo, fuzzy.guitars, etc). However, the tonal qualities tended to grate on me.

Ja leuk

loveless is better fav: she found now, only tomorrow, who sees you least fav: is this and yes

Nice atmosphere and mood in this

More of a swan song than a comeback. Interesting to look back on after 12 years, especially so far from the hype that was around this thing when it came out. The verdict: it's still really good!

great album from a very underrated band

Enjoyed it, but didn't really connect with any specific tracks.

Banger Album, selten so gute "Background chill vibes" gehabt

It sounds a lot like their older stuff. Not a bad thing.

A little less interesting than Loveless, but then what could possibly compare to Loveless? As a standalone record, m b v is still pretty dang impressive. It's less obscured by a distortion-wash than its predecessor, meaning the compositions themselves are a little easier to judge. And they're pretty good (if a little longer than necessary). The experimentation leans more on individual instruments, including a goopy-sounding guitar in the opening track and a rougher, 90s-esque texture in the following song ("only tomorrow"). Track #2 also benefits from a distinctive central guitar melody that carries the baton for the vocals, which take an eerie background role for the full six minutes. Track #3, "who sees you", has a sort of weeping melody on another thickly distorted guitar, though this one's a bit harder to follow. And again, another six-minute track. The sudden end comes as a shock, but also a bit of a relief. The two strongest tracks here, in my opinion, are the aforementioned "only tomorrow" and "is this and yes", narrowly beating out some strong contenders. The latter song is fever-dreamy, switches between four (or so) heavily suspended keyboard chords with a high hummed vocal on top. Pretty simple, and maybe a little unexpected from MBV. But it's excellent. The five remaining tracks pick up the tempo significantly, beginning with an unnervingly echoey rock piece in "if i am". "in another way" is a rapid number that begins with a nifty guitar tone that it doesn't replicate anywhere else in the song. I would've loved to hear a soundscape made of interweaving guitar lines with that techno-ey feel. But alas. "nothing is" is another slightly odd track for MBV to release. It's one very fast 3/4 bar with a repeating two-note melody, over and over again for three and a half minutes. Weird. 4/5 Key tracks: only tomorrow, is this and yes

Maybe.doesnt move much past loveless, bit still great

Esse disco marca o retorno do My Bloody Valentine enquanto uma força motriz na industria fonográfica, mostrando que eles ainda são relevantes e empurram a experimentação de camadas e texturas de som antes não desvendadas. Ainda assim, é um disco claramente marcado pela dificuldade em superar o magnum opus da banda, loveless.

Agréable à l’écoute

I love shoegaze, faites un autre album et venez au Québec

Similaire à Loveless mais plus accessible. Très 'dreamy'.

After a long break, We are back at it. Let's go. I'm a big fan of Loveless, although it took me time to process it initially. Coming to this one excited. Track 1 absolutely magical 2 builds it up beautifully 3 has some surprising chord changes and great energy. Track 4 is stunning and hypnotic. The most notable keys I've heard on a mbv song ever. Super sweet vocals as well. 5, 6- feature a more traditional rock sound, but executed great. Got to point especially the vocals that are great on each track here. Track 7 bring the energy back up. Guitar sounds goes crazy. Panning and mix as well. Awesome songs, highlight here for sure. 8 is a repetitive section but it has a nice effect in my opinion. Good energy. The final song on this one is the most adventurous and complex listen on the album. I think it's a great reminder of what mbv are. Some Robert Wyatt keys in the end. What an album... Absolutely loved it. In a way, it's more easy then Loveless, but the depths are incredible and very warming. A wintery record, I will come back to it for sure. 4.5

Virkelig glad for at den her plade eksisterer

Great (late) follow up , which sounds almost like Loveless.

I'm not that familiar with their work but this album was very much in keeping with the little I do know. I generally enjoy the wall of sound approach although given that this album was released in 2013 I do question how this adds anything to their catalogue.

This album gets in there and shakes up your soul. It's got a texture you can't really get from any other group. Thoroughly magical. Pairs best with woodworking or lsd (I wouldn't recommend them both at the same time though).

Loved the atmosphere, like people have said maybe a few songs went on too long but still 4 stars

Perfect for angsty strolling through the italian contryside, which is exactly what I was doing yesterday

perfecto para disociar y romantizar tu vida

For the first couple of songs I didn't get it. Then I realized this album isn't something I'd ever go out of my way to listen to intentionally. It is however an album that would make great background noise.

Not the best My Bloody Valentine album, but still a great shoegaze album. Just love the dichotomy between the noise and the whispery vocals. 4 stars

3.5/5

A most brill, venerable comeback record from the toppermost troupe of 90s shoegaze. It’s not quite the masterpiece to match Loveless but does go toe to toe with their debut Isn’t Anything. Some choice swirly, dreamy, psychedelic noise assaults. Particular highlights are Is This And Yes with its stark organ and sparse, twinkly midnight vibe and New You which is a wondrous, hyper blissed groove monster that rivals Soon as my fav MBV track. Does trail off slightly into stuck on a groove drum n bass festival in a wind tunnel chogginess towards the end but overall still the highest of 4s. Definitely a 1001 album to check out before you die for My Bloody Valentine fans.

I am glad I finally listened to this album but it does have some problems. First off, I feel like a lot of the songs go on just a tad too long to the point were it starts to get boring. I don't think 6 minutes is long for a song, but I don't think enough happens in these songs to really need that length. Another issue with this album is that the first 3 songs all kind of sound the same, they are good songs, they just kinda sound the same. I should say I do enjoy this album, it is just hard not to compare it to Loveless. Mid 4.

This album isn’t Loveless but anyone who thinks this album is bad has never spent the night staring up at the ceiling of their room in the dark thinking about every decision they’ve ever made with only the soundtrack of crunchy guitars to lull them to sleep This album for me is a 4.5 but I will be rounding it down to a 4 since the first half of the album is well-tread ground for MBV. The second half is so inventive and SO COOL from them, and I wanted more of that ambient-drone-shoegaze DnB inspired sound. I liked the first part but it’s not really anything new. Great album.

Well, its My Bloody Valentine, so its layers of distortion, so many layers of distortion... I did appreciate the endless drone in Loveless, and I can appreciate the endless drone in this too, but its really not for everyone. My Bloody Valentine isn't what you would call an accessible band.

One of those albums that demands you listen on good headphones as loudly as you're willing to go. You want the wall of sound to overwhelm and the gorgeous, haunting melodies to emerge and worm their way into you. I'm completely swept up by shoegaze and My Bloody Valentine is the best of the genre. I came to My Bloody Valentine very late in life -- after even this 2013 album was released -- writing them off as some kind of horror rock band that I had no interest in, so I didn't get to participate in the roller coaster of emotions that accompanied its sudden and startling release 22 years after it was begun after so many false promises and waylaid hopes. I've often wondered out loud if my whole life trajectory would have been changed by discovering Loveless in real time. Its hold on me is so complete that I imagine my younger self wandering through my hometown desperately searching for one likeminded fan of music to lay on a floor with and let the unstable tuning of the tremolo arm wash over us. The intimacy of the soft, sweet mix of Kevin and Belinda's voices buried so deep in the mix that they make you lean all the way in demand (in my mind's eye) to be pictured like the light of an early 90s indie movie projected through dusty air onto the screen of a worn-down theater that hasn't yet been scooped up by AMC. Their music lends itself to romanticizing a soundtrack to my teenage emotional turmoil, falling in love every other week, desperately wanting out of the house, longing for a place in the world that I can just be myself and not be shoved into lockers for it. mbv isn't quite the monument that Loveless is, so I don't return to it quite as often. It's essentially broken into three distinct sections. Tracks 1-3 could fit onto Loveless seamlessly. Tracks 4-6 feel like a step into something new, possibly what a proper follow-up to Loveless would have felt like in the early 90s. Tracks 7-9 are stark departures with pummeling percussion only really hinted before now on the final track of Loveless, though there it was nearly a proper dance track. Those last three tracks by nature can't sink into your psyche quite the same way and so it's taken many more listens to find their melodic heart, especially buried in "Wonder 2." I don't know that I actually like the last three tracks so much as I feel obligated to like them, though on the right day I can find them invigorating.

Need to be baked out of my gourd when I listen again but was pretty good while sober.

• 4/5 • A great shoegaze revival from the original masters

Originally gave this 3 when it’s skirting a five as I keep revisiting it, 4 for now.

4/5

This was similar to the other My Bloody Valentine album I recently got (maybe a little better). I like this kind of thing, so I was happy. 3.5-4

Soo deep

⚠ Warning: my bloody valentine's music is 𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗗 and 𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬. Proceed at your own risk. So, you see, my bloody valentine is a mixed bag for me. "m b v" is my favourite my bloody valentine album. A lot of people complained that mbv is just noise and lacks any substance, but I feel like you need to be in a certain state to appreciate it. I find "m b v" soothing when I'm feel anxious or tied down despite its unsettling demeanour. There's something about its ambience and grittiness that is extremely comforting. It's a fantastic album for dissociation, or just to play on a rainy day. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, I wouldn't listen to my bloody valentine as a pastime, as the band's discography tends to be super overwhelming to my ears. Their recordings are incredibly loud, intense, and heavily processed with distortion, tremolo, reverse reverb and flanging. 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 fatiguing if you're not familiar with the shoegaze genre! I would also like to mention that I find three mbv albums making the list a bit excess: Both "Isn't Anything" and "Loveless" only contain a handful of good songs and "Souvlaki" by English rock band Slowdive would've been a greater inclusion.

I'd listen to it again but it didn't grab me.

NICE. not their five star classic but a great record from them. If you need to feel bathed in sonic waves. Or feel deep unexplainable emotion. Or love loud guitars then these peeps are a must

So much atmosphere and though sometimes glacial, the movement within feels seismic when it hits.

Okay, maybe NOW I understand the thing I say every time about “past their prime albums CAN be great.” This was such a great surprise! And I feel like I understand mbv and their entire web of influence so much better now. Thank you for this one, list!

Lyrics? Who knows. The vocals are here for melody and texture. The walls of sound make this more of a set of feelings rather than songs. I just think Shoegaze is really cool. Not quite as good as Loveless, but there isn’t much that is. Favorites were She Found Now, Only Tomorrow, New You, and Wonder 2.

## In-Depth Review of *m b v* by My Bloody Valentine *m b v*, released in 2013, marked My Bloody Valentine's long-awaited return after a 22-year hiatus following their groundbreaking album *Loveless*. Helmed by Kevin Shields, the album is an exploration of shoegaze, ambient textures, and experimental soundscapes that both revisits and expands upon the band's earlier work. Below is a detailed review focusing on the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, and its pros and cons. --- ### **Lyrics** The lyrics on *m b v* are characteristically opaque and abstract, continuing the band's tradition of using vocals as an additional instrument rather than a narrative device. Bilinda Butcher and Kevin Shields deliver dreamy, often indecipherable vocal lines that blur the boundaries between words and melody. This approach allows listeners to project their own interpretations onto the songs, creating a deeply personal listening experience. Tracks like "She Found Now" and "Only Tomorrow" exemplify this lyrical ambiguity, where the vocals are submerged within layers of sound[1][3]. While this lyrical style is integral to My Bloody Valentine's aesthetic, it may alienate listeners seeking more direct or emotionally explicit storytelling. The lack of clear lyrical themes could be seen as a limitation for those who prefer lyric-driven music[1]. --- ### **Music** *m b v* is divided into three distinct sections: 1. **Opening Tracks (Classic Shoegaze):** The first three songs—“She Found Now,” “Only Tomorrow,” and “Who Sees You”—are reminiscent of *Loveless*. They feature dense guitar textures, ethereal vocals, and layered melodies that evoke nostalgia for the band's earlier work[1][2]. "Only Tomorrow," in particular, showcases Bilinda Butcher's timeless vocal delivery paired with lush guitar riffs. 2. **Middle Tracks (Experimental Pop):** The middle section takes a surprising turn toward minimalism and pop influences. "Is This and Yes" abandons guitars entirely in favor of organ synths and meditative vocals, creating a tonal shift that feels like an introspective pause[2][3]. "New You" introduces brighter melodies and cleaner production, edging toward mainstream indie-pop territory without losing the band's signature sound. 3. **Final Tracks (Aggressive Experimentation):** The last three songs—“In Another Way,” “Nothing Is,” and “Wonder 2”—are the most experimental. They incorporate driving beats, hypnotic loops, and chaotic noise textures. "Nothing Is" is particularly daring with its repetitive krautrock-inspired riff that builds intensity over time[3][4]. The closer, "Wonder 2," features skittering drums and soaring flange effects that create a whirlwind of sonic chaos[1][3]. --- ### **Production** Kevin Shields' meticulous production is one of *m b v*'s defining features. The album's sound is carefully layered and immersive, with every detail contributing to its dreamlike atmosphere. Shields uses techniques such as reverse reverb, pitch modulation, and intricate mixing to craft a sonic landscape that feels both intimate and expansive[2][4]. The production emphasizes texture over clarity; instruments often bleed into one another to form walls of sound. While this approach enhances the album's ethereal quality, it can also make individual elements difficult to discern. Audiophiles may appreciate the vinyl edition for its ability to reveal subtle nuances otherwise lost in digital formats[3]. --- ### **Themes** *m b v* explores themes of introspection, nostalgia, and renewal. The album feels like a reflection on time—both the two decades since *Loveless* and the transient nature of music itself. Tracks like "She Found Now" evoke feelings of longing and memory through their hazy soundscapes[2]. The experimental nature of the final tracks suggests a desire to push boundaries while acknowledging the band's legacy. This tension between past and future defines *m b v*, making it both a continuation of My Bloody Valentine's shoegaze roots and a bold step forward[4]. --- ### **Influence** *m b v* solidifies My Bloody Valentine's position as pioneers of shoegaze while demonstrating their ability to adapt and innovate within the genre. The album has influenced contemporary artists in dream pop, ambient music, and experimental rock by showcasing how noise can be used creatively rather than destructively[4]. Its release also reaffirmed the relevance of shoegaze in modern music despite its origins in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bands like Slowdive have cited *m b v* as an inspiration for their own comebacks[4]. --- ### **Pros** 1. **Innovative Soundscapes:** The album successfully blends familiar shoegaze elements with new experimental directions. 2. **Immersive Production:** Kevin Shields' attention to detail creates an enveloping auditory experience. 3. **Bold Experimentation:** Tracks like "Nothing Is" push genre boundaries while maintaining coherence within the album. 4. **Timeless Vocals:** Bilinda Butcher's ethereal voice remains captivating throughout. 5. **Legacy Affirmation:** *m b v* reinforces My Bloody Valentine's status as genre-defining artists. --- ### **Cons** 1. **Lack of Accessibility:** The abstract lyrics and dense production may alienate casual listeners. 2. **Uneven Structure:** The tonal shifts between sections can feel disjointed at times. 3. **Overwhelming Noise:** Some tracks may be too abrasive or repetitive for certain audiences. 4. **Limited Evolution:** While innovative in parts, some songs feel like retreads of *Loveless* without significant growth. --- ### **Conclusion** *m b v* is an ambitious return that balances nostalgia with experimentation. It may not surpass *Loveless* in terms of groundbreaking innovation but stands as a worthy successor that showcases My Bloody Valentine's mastery over their craft. For fans of shoegaze or experimental music, *m b v* offers an immersive experience filled with sonic depth and emotional resonance. The album's strengths lie in its ability to transport listeners into its unique sound world while challenging them with unexpected twists. However, its abstract nature may not appeal universally—a testament to My Bloody Valentine's commitment to artistic integrity over commercial accessibility. Ultimately, *m b v* is less about reinvention than refinement—a celebration of what makes My Bloody Valentine singularly compelling while hinting at new possibilities within their storied legacy.

Another classic band, such a sleeper that was overshadowed by the grunge movement. However, their classic album Loveless is very hard to overshadow as their best album.

I liked it a lot. Heard of them but had never heard. Peaceful low vibe. Good for a cloudy day.

I love My Bloody Valentine, and while this isn’t quite Loveless quality, it’s still strong.

I thought "Loveless" was rather brilliant. This isn't bad but it doesn't have the same edge as "Loveless", it's a bit more ambient, which doesn't work as well for these guys in my opinion. That said, it's great to see something of this quality come out so much later, I know I was surprised when this was released.

Легендарное звучание, которое хорошо сохранилось спустя 22 года. Мне реально нравится одноименник My Bloody Valentine, вайб их песен остался прежним и все еще вызывает те же эмоции, что были от прослушивания loveless. Они преобразили шугейз до идеального состояния и создали свое уникальное звучание, навивающее атмосферу искренней любви, тех самых беззаботных дней и ее влюбленных глаз. Само звучание похоже на то, как бы звучали Radiohead, если бы они выгнали Тома Йорка из группы и поставили на первый план идеи Джонни Гринвуда. Ведь в отличии от Radiohead, в песнях которых стена звука появляется к концу и деформирует песню, то треки MBV будто бы деформированы изначально: они состоят с первой и до последней секунды из стены звука (что и отличает звучание шугейза), и, что самое примечательное, их стена звука работает, великолепно звучит даже треками по 6-7 минут. Я не могу ставить данный альбом на один уровень с loveless, так как тот релиз больше подходил под эпоху и стал большим шагом в эволюции рок музыки. Любовные 4/5.

I rate She Found Now a 4 star beacause I've listend to this before and I liked it. I rate Is this and yes a 1 star because they just repeated words. I rate cant winners a 4 star beacause I've listend to this before and I liked it.

Do you want to listen to some music that is a little calming? Well in She Found Now you can! I rate this song a ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I recommend this song. Do you want to listen to some music that has a lot of the organ? Well in Is This And Yes you can! I rate it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I recommend this song. Do you want to listen to some music that has a lot of drums? Well in In Another Way you can! I rate it ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I recommend this song.

i really like this it sounds very mental i love it sounds very calm

The great return of shoegaze giants My Bloody Valentine. After switching labels, technical problems with their new home studio, and writers block, the band dissolved by 1997. Only Kevin Shields was left from the band to deliver any material to the new label, of which they had a few hours recorded. The band would reform in the mid-2000s for a bit of touring, which restarted old recording sessions from those troubled times. How well did those old song ideas age? Incredibly well. What a band. What a mass of sound they've created. It feels untouchable, like a mountain of vibration. The album crescendos in such a way that feels like they making music out of pandora's box itself. Shoegaze doesn't even describe how deep and rich the songs are. Fantastic.

MBV always has a way of digging into the subconscious with guitars, and regardless of the appeal, you have to appreciate that's a pretty incredible thing to achieve.

Chilly

Looking at what fans of this band like on Spotify it says slowdive, have a nice life and panchiko. In an ideal world all of these bands would have a place on here. How isnt Souvlaki on here seriously? Have a nice life too. Panchiko I kinda get cuz they didn’t get popular till years later…. Anyway I digress, for the first few tracks it’s inclusion seems stupid, it’s loveless 2.0 innit? Then it begins to have it’s own personality. Do I prefer it to loveless? Fuck no! But I do like it, shoegaze isn’t a genre where I have any ‘deep knowledge’ but mbv is good for what it is. 4/5

Like their other album, I enjoyed it.

Loveless is a damningly difficult album to follow up on, and while mbv's self titled effort doesn't hit the same highs as I Only Said, When You Sleep, Only Shallow, etc., there are some good moments, and this record is well worth listening to. Just don't go in only planning to compare against Loveless.

Album takes off like an airplane in the distance. Definitely its own wall of sound.

not at the same level as loveless but plenty to work with

Definitely the type of album to grow on me after a few listens, musically it's a hypnotic dreamy wall of sound that blends melody and distorted noise. Certainly not commercial and not for everyone but something I'll come back to.

One of the best gazers ever, only losing a star because it's not as good as Loveless

Loveless is an amazing album...MBV, long in the coming, was a solid follow up but not quite to the caliber of its predecessor. Overall a worthy listen though. 4.5/5

lovely gorgeous…made me want to curl up and go to sleep (compliment). like a beautiful warm rumbling furnace or perhaps a nice vacuum cleaner. not nearly as dynamic or varied as their other earlier albums but i don’t mind.

Really cool, atmospheric and meandering, but also if someone told me they thought it was wank i wouldn’t know how to argue

82/100. A pretty damn good shoegaze record. This is the kind of album that makes you want to lean back, relax, and put your feet up while soaking in the music.

I like it

mbv <3

I’ve been thinking a lot about Loveless– an album that eluded my ears and my taste for so long that I had to throw in the towel, accept that I respect it, but also accept that it isn’t for me. When it came up for me early on the generator, I had come to what I thought was a final determination, that I felt it was a mid album I wanted to caste aside so I could finally move on with my life after nearly two decades of trying to “get it.” And yet, 300 albums later, I’ve found myself thinking about Loveless again, wondering if I should give it another chance, concerned that my apathy dismissed the number of earworms that’ve stuck with me still, despite listening to at least 150ish albums I supposedly enjoy more, at least according to a 5-star rating system. And so, m b v presents a fun opportunity. Maybe meeting shoegaze in the modern era is what I need in order to appreciate My Bloody Valentine. The answer is yes, it’s exactly what I needed. m b v is easily a better album than Loveless to my ears. That’s in large part thanks to the production, which is much cleaner, and actually allows Shield’s Christmas Tree pedalboard to simultaneously achieve his desired washed-out sound while not feeling like a mudslide in my earholes. This, in turn, allows the actual songs behind the effects to not only be enjoyable, but audible. I know that was the aesthetic choice of Loveless, which does have some solid songs buried beneath that choice, and is part of the album’s lore. But I don’t know….I like to hear songs when I listen to them, which I know is a crazy fucking concept. So we’re already starting off strong in comparison. I also think I just like the songs more on m b v. While before, My Bloody Valentine aimed for blown-out indie rock, this time around, they’re largely aiming for blown-out post-punk, and I’m a lot more amenable to that style. The back half in particular stands out, with “new you” and “in another way” being instant grooves and instant revisits. I honestly could listen to Side B front to back, no issue. And there’s plenty of energy on “only tomorrow” and “who sees you” to make me immediately like the majority of this record. That’s not to say that there’s a lack of spaced-out slow core, from “she found now” to “is this and yes” to “if i am,” but by incorporating more subtle guitar work, synths, and other new touches, I think there’s a level of sonic diversity to the style this time around. And I also think I like all of these songs, even in their prolonged balladry, more than almost every song on Loveless. But most of all, it’s about the level of indulgence. The closest Shields gets to feeding his effects demons is the closer, “wonder 2,” which still has just enough energy to cut through his literal music for airports. The second closest is the opener, “she found now,” but it’s folkish, Man With His Guitar™️ approach makes it much more tolerable. The rest of the record has real energy, and now that the aesthetic distortion is less intrusive and more well-rounded, that energy is much more palpable and immediate. Am I now shoegazed-pilled? Will My Bloody Valentine suddenly become my favorite band in the world? Am I going to go out and buy 500 guitar pedals from independent evangelicals? Probably not, but I might revisit Loveless, and I’ll certainly talk less shit about this band in the future. I don’t anticipate revisiting m b v frequently, but I can proudly say that I am sincerely into this record. See, even when you think you hate something, there’s always a counterpoint!

Amazing, an almost perfect dreamscape.

Nice one

Da sind mer haarscharf mini 3er-Bewertige usgange! Aber denn chund vode siite de bluetigi Valentin inegschlideret und chlöpft stinkfrech siin shoegaze i mini ohrmuschle. Und wie mer scho immer im alte Folk vode Gazianer*inne gseit het: "One shoegaze a day keeps the schlechti Stimmig away." Und bi dere Musig isch mini schlechti Stimmig definitiv away keeped und devogazed! Ich liebe au s Album Cover wo usgseht als wärs vomene 12 Jährige am Zuekunftstag in 15 minute mit Microsoft Paint zemegrüert worde. vier ustanzti Sandale für de Valentino

hallo single boys. Also leider langsam chli schad aber gester hani vum album krankheitsbedingt nöd si viel mitbecho. Has passiv glosst und es hed au verleitet zum dra verbizgseh. Aber ez namal biz dri glosst & mit biz aktivem lose falled die schöne riffs viel meh uf und katapultiered eim direkt i anderi sphäre. Achh chum, das isch doch es geils album. 4 flirts für de noah hüt am flughafe.

ich mag mi no guet ah mis erste date mit my bloody valentine erinnere: paar jahr isch‘s zrug woni de atemberaubendi wimpereschlag imne youtube video entdeckt han, druf abe hemmer chli chattet und ich han sie es paar mal uf es znacht ihgladet, für sexytime heds allerdings nie glanget... chan guet dra ligge das ich sie erst es paar jahr nach mim shoegaze peak kenneglernt han, aber es isch sehr schön gsi dur sie die alti liebi wieder chli chönne ufzfrüsche, au wenn mer dazumal nöd uf tutti gange sind dank dem album generator hemmer eus sit langer ziit wiedermal gseh hüt und obwohl sie sich im lauf vo de jahr üsserlich veränderet hed, isch sie im chern immer no die glich und ich han mi scho wieder es bizli verliebt <3 wenn sie ihres retro loveless-chleid ahgha hetti, hettis für die volli punktzahl glänget… im moderne mbv-look gfallt sie mer trotz ihrne ecke und kante au, also wer weiss: vilicht wird das ja doch d‘frau für mis läbe

- I don't think anyone does soft aggression like they do. -

Sonically artful and totally engaging at times – musical equivalent of a Gerhard Richter canvas, giant, sprawling and wondrous and inviting viewers/listeners to immerse and get deeply and lysergically lost. the opener is just dazzling in its roaring quietude (quiet being the new loud) and "in another way" is tremendous, at once overwhelming and beguiling. A few other cuts challenging but well any effort required. Objectivity compels one to point out that three MBV records is borderline too much but one's quite pleased they are here (and for whichever is the main fanboy). This isn't Loveless but their second best, and stunningly original.

De echte shoegaze sound. Prima opvolger van loveless na al die jaren niks te hebben gereleased

When shoegaze legends, My Bloody Valentine, released their first album in over two decades, there was a considerable amount of hype in the music press. And unless you really dislike shoegaze, it didn't disappoint. The opening tracks recall the band's famous past releases. The remainder of the album evolves their sound to more experimental stuff, apparently heavily inspired by drum n bass (which is a combination I wouldn't have imagined). Whether My Bloody Valentine deserves 3 spots on this list, I'm not sure. But it definitely was a pretty cool comeback.

Valve releasing the lastest Half-Life game for a slowly dying gaming trend (one that also doesn't play nice with glasses) feels like a cruel twist of fate, a monkey's finger wickedly curling up. Half-Life: Alyx, by all accounts, is a good game, and shows that Valve still has it. this infuriates me; HL:A is a great game that the company has the capacity to make, but refuses to do so on anything one could consider a reasonable basis. why would they? if you owned the biggest computer games market in the world and could print money with live service multiplayer games, why would you bother with things like narrative experiences? just shuffle the desks and collect the dough. it's fine. nothing can convince me that any part of m b v was recorded in the 90's, much less the 2000's. i think maybe Shields wrote some of the songs in that period of time, but the earliest i could see the record starting production is 2009. by then, Loveless had essentially gone from the record that started that weird trend of loud guitars in British music to being the blueprint for any band that wanted to make "shoegaze". so what we get isn't anything new or exciting, but rather just... more Loveless. and more Loveless is fine, but i'm seeing this assertion that this is in any way less innovative than the records that came after it. it feels like everyone who loved My Bloody Valentine waited 22 years for the Amnesiac to the last album's Kid A. that's fine. the vocals are pretty similar, as are the odd, charming ambient experiments, and even if they're lowered in the mix, the guitars still have that classic glidey sound to them. what the album's sound lacks, really, is an actual progression of what was approached before. "If I Am" has baggy beats underneath Bilinda's (or Kevin's) vocals like "Soon" does. "Only Tomorrow" is close enough to "Sometimes" that i feel like they could transition into each other comfortably. "Wonder 2" betrays a new direction in sound for the band, but good luck seeing them ever get there; other than that, My Bloody Valentine sounds largely the same. it's an adjusted frame, not another picture. and that's fine. Kevin Shields does not make music. he makes money off of music. and that's fine. if you wanna do that, that's ok. you can go recluse! you can write your one book and go "nah, i fuckin nailed it" whenever the music press bugs you for an interview. it's ok to hang it up -- Mark Hollis did. Harper Lee did. Boards of Canada did (stop lying to yourselves). it's also ok to just put out a good album every four years or so -- nothing to top your magnum opus, but nothing really could, so why bother? you're still making something you believe in. what i can't abide is not doing anything for a near quarter century, putting out something that sounds like it could have been made four years after and is solid, and then going back to doing nothing for the next quarter of a century. you can't do both. in short, it's fine. the album is fine, good even. i hate it.

Noisy and weird but there were some nice songs in there. No need for 3 Mbv albums on the list though

My Bloody Valentine is great. They’re unique and original, both in a good way. Their experimentation pays off. It’s difficult to articulate the vocals at times, but I understand that it’s what they’re going for. That it’s less about what they say and more about the vibe the vocals give the project. Their vibe is firmly established, but I wish they had something more to say and were able to find a way to express it clearly. My only issue with them, though. 4/5

This one took me a minute to figure out. Somehow I thought My Bloody Valentine was an emo band from like 2005. Once I figured out I was completely wrong about that I was able to enjoy this. I like the risks he took, and how original it is.

An album I own on vinyl, but haven’t given it as much time as I should have and this has prompted my to do just that, I love the previous two and been fortunate to see them live twice, Barrowland and Southbank Centre, it sounds like it would reward with repeated listens.

Love the sound but think I would enjoy it more if it was a bit more vocals forward.

Very moody punk rock.

yesss shoegaze yesss

4.5/5. Took them 22 years to release another album but man was it worth the wait.

9/4/24. Great example of shoegaze here, really cool sounding album!

While the album isn't as consistently fuzzy as their prior album, as the fuzz is mostly abandoned after the third track, the entire album captures this dreamlike state of exploring an abandoned town, but rather than feeling fear you instead feel at peace. This feeling may be familiar to those who've listened to Cocteau Twins' more ambient records, and I'd say while the overwhelming emotion that comes from heavy distortion is missed on this record, its ethereal substitute feels very mature and is a perfect natural progression after nearly twenty-two years in the melting pot. It isn't as mind-altering, or as much of a force to be reckoned with, but it is something to just gaze into. Like a Summer's night to Loveless' Summer's day, this album may not be a worthy follow-up to some, but in my mind this just feels like a natural conclusion is a sound decades in the making. That being said, I wouldn't mind a fourth album, Kevin...

Doesn’t touch the greatness of Loveless. Nonetheless an enjoyable listen.

Woozy, dreamlike yet heavy at the same time - it pulses with something vital. A lot to take in for one sitting, but a powerful, strange miasma of psych fug. Pretty cool!

Ar first it sounds as if over 20 years never happened. With the progressing running time the pop ekements take over, blend in beautifully and make the whole oeuvre dreamlike.