Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Good
This is somehow my third album from My Bloody Valentine from this list, surely this has to be the last one? I would say I casually like this band, although I do really like the whole Loveless album. They are a band that I don't really think about much but when they come on I usually do like what I hear. A few songs into this record and I can tell that I will be a little lukewarm on it. It's definitely not as good as Loveless. I kind of feel like they didn't really grow much in the 20+ years between these two albums, just got more into guitar effects. 2.5/5 but I'll round up because why not.
No lo conocóa. pensaba que terminaron en los 90. Ya no sorprenden
I haven't listened to much music in the shoegaze genre, but I've definitely heard of My Bloody Valentine before listening to this album. Going into the album, I was expecting the stereotypical shoegaze record- songs that sound the same dragging on for far longer than they should. "She Found Now" and "Only Tomorrow" are both culprits of this. I really enjoyed the guitar on "Who Sees You" and I thought that the somewhat fast paced start of the track was refreshing after the first two tracks. The track "Is This and Yes" contains no guitars, rather opting for a organ-synth throughout the track. This surprised me as it was a complete 180 from the first three guitar-heavy tracks. The vocals on "If I Am" were the highlight of the track, though the drum pattern in the background also drew me in. "New You" opens up completely different from the other tracks, I almost expected the track to be a pop song. Bilinda Butcher delivers a completely different vocal style on this track while Deb Googe's "oohs" in the background just add a nice touch. "In Another Way" had a surprising opening- which seems to be a common theme on this record. While this track seemed to be faster paced than the others, I think something about the pitch of the guitar and the vocals threw me off as this was one of my least favorite tracks on the album. "Nothing Is" and its back and forth guitar and drum combo got me moving and the choice of no vocals was appreciated- though I'd like to see what kind of vocals would even fit on an instrumental like that. "Wonder 2" sounds like an airplane flying through the sky taking you to a whole new world which was a great way to end the album. In all, I enjoyed this album. While I didn't love the typical shoegaze start, the album peaked for me in the middle and carried through all the way to the end as they went away from typical shoegaze sound. I loved the drums on this album. However, the vocals really took this album to the next level for me.
This album had a cross-genre sound and feel and sound for me. It was a mix of New Order, The Deftones, and a wee bit of Sum 41. I have heard of My Bloody Valentine but never listened to their music. A good listen but felt repetitive.
Rating (1-5): ✩✩✩ Higlighted songs: Only tomorrow, Only you It was ok
I thought the first few tracks of this album were pretty cool. After that, it was kind of diminishing returns. I think the guitar textures are pretty cool, but overall, I don't love it. 3 stars.
When the guitars go hard but nothing else does. Atmospheric, cool but ultimately unsatisfying.
Good, but not much growth from previous albums and probably only good listening when not sober
This is a band I never really got into, but I dig their sound. Heavy guitar noise and drone mood, making for a mid-tempo somber effect. The vocals complement the noise and add a wavy, reverberating sound. It has its place in music, just not something I may revisit with regular frequency.
3. fine but dreary
Not what I expected.
the later half of this album was more enjoyable than the first for me since it felt like there was more going on instrumentally and the sounds themselves were much more interesting such as the plane sample on the last track
The songs are needlessly long, could be good if songs are shorter and have more changes in them, overall solid 3, boring, but not too boring, new you is the best song
It was...okay? Not in the same league as 'Loveless'.
My first My Bloody Valentine album (weirdly late to jump in, but thus spake the Album Generator). Immediately: down-mixed, dreamy vocals underneath lush, beautiful guitar textures. Nothing roars and dips and wobbles in quite the same way (maybe Dinosaur Jr.). Drums & bass are steady. Lyrics are apparently important but totally inaudible to my ear. Just more atmosphere. This isn't my jam. This bad has clearly been influential (apart from having heard the name repeatedly in my quarter-century playing guitar). Come for the lesson in the beauty of saturated audio circuits adding just the right overtone chaos to chords. Normally, I'd tell you why to stay, but I didn't.
My desire to hear distorted guitars vs my assertion that shoegaze is just okay.
this wall of absolute noise only seems to work for me when i am absolutely knackered and can’t move and need to numb my pain. the noise is weirdly comforting at times. i didn’t enjoy this as much as “loveless” tho so it’ll only get a 3. i imagine “loveless” may be a 4 or a 5 once i get it. ‘only tomorrow’ and ‘new you’ were tracks that stood out for me.
good for sleepy time
Not bad. I don’t get all the hype, but it’s not as annoying as previous albums by them.
voor een specifieke mood, of helemaal niks
I have to say I'm underwhelmed by this album. Loveless is a masterpiece , but mbv is a bit too light and airy for my liking. I love a long slow burn of a song, but there's rarely any payoff on this album
It was ok
3.2
Solides aber anstrengendes Album mit destruktiver Attitüde. Es ist keine Musik die Spaß macht aber deswegen trotzdem auch gute Aspekte vorweist.
This album was good vibes if you’re looking for ambient background music, super chill yet layered. 3 stars
I will say this album is no Loveless but I don’t think it quite deserves the hate it gets. It’s a great ambient album still and personally an enjoyable listen for me.
Few decent tracks
Really interesting listen. A lot of the ambient distortion can get old and boring, but there is an almost comforting quality to it that keeps it intriguing. Not a entertaining listen, but definitely unique. Top tracks: she found you, who sees you, in another way
I enjoyed this
Pretty low-key. Wasn't too impressed, but it was fine.
Kind of floated by in the background; it wasn’t as immediate as Loveless
3.5
Shoegaze has the effect of both sounding amazing and calming while uncomfortable and noisy at the same time. I enjoyed it, the soundscape it produces is so hypnotic, but sometimes it creates a fog and it becomes a bit annoying Best song: who sees you Worst song: wonder 2 Cover check: Washed out dark blue and pink colors gives the album a very melancholic and distant feel
Rating: 3/5 | Favorite Track: Only Tomorrow --- This album was okay, but a little to one-note for my lacking. The first half was a bit of a slog, but the second half did make up for it with more energy. Not likely to return to this album.
Shoegaze chyba stanie się moim wrogiem. Te wszystkie efekty, szumy, na co to komu? Jasne, klimat jest, czasem nawet dość niezwykły, wyróżniający się i zapadający w pamięć. Ale części z tych utworów nie da się słuchać. Is this and yes ratuje ten album i też podnosi moją ocenę na 5.5/10
Every shoegaze album I listen to is the same experience. I really like it at first, then quickly get bored, and finally end up being annoyed. This one was no different.
Good, but not loveless
Don’t hate it, even dig some of the fuzz, but feel like it should have a label saying “must be stoned out of your mind to properly listen to the record”
It's not the worst thing I've ever heard, but it's nothing special either. 7.1/10
Det er lenge siden jeg har hørt på Kjærlighetsløs av Min Blodige Valentin, og annen skoblikk for den del. De to første sangene er et stort hakk over resten. Ørene bader i en tung sjø av gitartoner. Erfaringen av å høre på albumet veksler etter hvert mellom en behagelig dis og travel klaustrofobi om det gir mening. Derfor setter jeg pris på variasjonen som tilbys, med en fin pustepause rundt midten og en intens og mer eksperimentell vri mot slutten. Jeg lengtet etter flere minneverdige melodier og musikalske ideer, men dette er uansett et greit utført prosjekt.
Al Andrés de 16 años le hubiera gustado más, no está mal del todo supongo
My thoughts kinda flit between: "wow this is so cool, they really push the boundaries of what guitar music is" and "ok getting bored of this one now, it's just noise". 3* for mixed feelings then I think I prefer bands like Jesus and Mary Chain, Teenage Fanclub and Ride with a bit more melody to offset the fuzziness. But I don't hate it
Fine, but then when it stopped playing Loveless automatically started and it was so much more immediately compelling to listen to.
Okay, but not my style
Bueno
ok
I like this style. Just felt over inclusive to add this in addition to Loveless
the first song is good i like it kinda, i don´t like how little words there are and how quiet the voice is i like the background instruments. the next song is the exact same but there are barely any words and they are repetitive. the last song is a lot better i like it, it sounds more rock than all the other songs still not much speaking and the words are very quiet.
I love this project, but I sometimes feel the perception you get of some artists are victim to the order you get their albums in. Example: I got 6 of Bob Dylan’s 7 albums on this list in my first 100 Albums, Time out of Mind and Royal Albert Hall were the first (not the best introductory to him) and 700 albums later I haven’t pulled Highway 61 Revisited. Which is by far his most acclaimed.) I bring this up in the case of MBV, as I’ve gotten them almost back to back, but neither of them being Loveless, which holds great weight to a lot of people. Both their debut and their long awaited follow-up to the aforementioned Loveless, I just can’t fully grasp. It’s a paradox of enjoying each sound individually, but with it all together, maybe I don’t? I’m not sure. I wonder if I would’ve enjoyed it more had I gotten Loveless first? Objectively this is a good album, but it lacked something for me. I’m really hoping this can be one of those album’s like previous ones to where, down the line I can relisten with fresh ears and enjoy this album more.
#511. Definitely not as good as their previous stuff. Good on them for trying, I guess, but this one doesn't quite do it like the earlier albums. 3/5: acceptable
It's a vibe more than an album
Ahh it was alright. Simpsons: debatably
Better than there other album. Tolerable
Only Tomorrow
Y'know, generally speaking, I don't feel like I've had much luck with albums labelled as Shoegaze. I mean, you just have to look at my lowest-average genres: currently, it's tied with World for the worst with a 3.17, and it's that not far ahead of Post-Punk's 3.28. Even if it's still above 3, it's not **not** an indication of something. Yet, looking back through the albums my group has gotten that've been labelled Shoegaz, it seems like I've actually been way kinder to them than I'd previously thought. Heck, there's an album labelled "shoegaze" that I'd given a **5**. Realistically, it seems like the only reason why it's so far down my genre ranking is because I once gave PSYCHOCANDY a 1 outta 5 — and that was more because I found it horrendously mixed and unlistenable noise than for any thoughts of "Shoegaze." (For the record, the same "'coz I gave one album a 1" thing goes for World music as well, 'coz fuck Koffi Olomede.) In fact, really thinking about it, PSYCHOCANDY is probably the big reason why I've come to feel like I hold such disdain for Shoegaze. It's not fair to every other album labelled as such, I know, but someone it's just wiggled its way into my mind as **the** definition of the genre, even though it's really more "noise music" than anything else. As well, I'm probably getting it a bit mixed up with the real dislike I hold for Post-Punk... And, I'unno, it seems like one of those genres snobby people tell you're supposed to like. That's petty, but I can't act like that's not a factor here. So coming into this album, I was... **Really** not looking forward to it. With my skewered preconceptions, backed with a random couple seconds from the middle of a random song, I seriously doubted I was gonna rate it that highly. At best, I could see giving it a 2. It didn't help, either, to find out that this album was entered into the 1001 Albums book only a year after its release, only to then immediately be removed in later revisions. Seemed like I was gonna get a little bit of that "But did it get put into this book too soon?" bias I'd previously slapped CHEMTRAILS OVER THE COUNTRY CLUB with. Things were not looking up. But there's one review I'd read that suddenly popped into my mind before I pressed play that made all the difference. More specifically, it was these four words: "Ambient music for metalheads." And then it clicked. Oh — **THAT'S** what this shit it! Keeping that in mind, being someone who very much enjoys both ambient music and metal... Yeah, yeah, no, I liked this a lot. Like, just figuring that I wasn't supposed to scrutinize this so hard; that I was just supposed to get lost in these beds of fuzzed out and reverb guitars... Goodness, it did the world for me. Not that I don't still have problems, of course, the biggest of which being that, like... Even understanding this material as ambient music, there are spots where it can get a little too repetitive? I mean, this album isn't something like MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS, where it was out and out explicitly designed to be wallpaper: stuff you're not supposed to pay attention to, or, at best, get lost in a trance listening to. The songs on this album are still, y'know, **songs**. Even if the vocals are done to be incomprehensible, you're not supposed to ignore this stuff. It's a lot easier here to notice when these songs dedicate themselves to playing the same riff over and over again for what feels like a whole minute. That, and, well, speaking strictly in matters of taste, I've always preferred my ambient music to exist in the realm of electronic music. There's the aforementioned MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS, but I'm also one of the rare few people who's a big fan of THE ENDLESS RIVER. This isn't even to mention all of the light Moog music I consider ambient for how relaxing it can be — MOTHER EARTH'S PLANTASIA and all that. There's a lot of spots on this album I do legit find pretty despite being largely guitar noise. The tone and pitch they hit just scratches the right part of my brain. All the same, however, there are some tones, like, while I wouldn't call them ugly or unlistenable... Well, like the repetition, they're a bit too noticeable for me to fully eat this up as ambient music. Despite those two lengthy paragraphs of complaints, though, I wanna re-emphasize that I did actually like what I heard. It's a harsh cloud of music, sure, but it's not a bad one to float away on. I can honestly hear why so many critics named this one of the best albums of 2013 and why someone was so horny to add it to this book. It's not something I feel like I'd 100% agree on in either case, but given that hours before listening to this album I was mentally preemptively writing a straight **1** review, I can at least say it surpassed my expectations. Enough so much that I even considered giving this a 4 — but given my complaints, I think a 3 better fits how I feel about this album. The funny thing is, despite my mostly positive feelings, this is still gonna move Shoegaze as a whole down to being my number one worst rated genre by average (3.14). A 4 or higher would've saved it from that fate, but it's not like I'm gonna rate albums just to manipulate my averages, y'know? I'm not that crude. The way I figure it, if nothing else, at least it didn't move down as far as I would have if I'd given it a 2 (3.00) or a 1 (2.86). This keeps Shoegaze's small margin above dropping below 3 — and, I'unno, if I were the embodiment of Shoegaze, I'd be pretty alright with that.
I’m at a 3, but I was surprisingly close to a 4 at points. I tend to harp on the thought that “the first minute is the whole track” is a desperately negative thing, and it usually is – I find it to be an exercise that shows that a song is sometimes just an idea stretched out to fill time, with nothing really thought out past the first chorus. Shoegaze is the exact type of genre that leans into this philosophy as a tool for music to explore soundscapes through minor adjustments, and challenges the notion of “first minute = whole track” being inherently bad. If I’m being honest, as far as this album goes, it succeeded a few times – there are tracks here that I would classify as “first minute”-y tracks that really won me over, but it’s about a 50/50 split. The last time we got a pure shoegaze album, to my memory, was “Nowhere” by Ride, released in 1990, and my initial assessment of shoegaze was that “it’s like leaving the reverb in as if it’s a smoke cloud from a fire; it just hangs around, and stays there, and it doesn’t really bother you, but it is kind of weird that it’s there”. This is a different variety of shoegaze, blended with more ethereal instrumentation & production to feel like the in- between phase of a lucid dream. The overblown guitars feel like the brain starting to stir awake, but whenever melodies pop in to cut through the mix, it’s a welcome remnant to grasp onto and really make something click. It’s a very hit and miss effect (at its very worst on “nothing is”, which just droned for me as an exercise in madness), but when it works, it really works – there are about 4 or 5 tracks on this album I think I could go back to, just to try & capture that same feeling they gave me again. The other 4 or 5 tracks fall short of that same goal, and don’t inspire the same level of imagination, mainly because their instrumentation isn’t as captivating, and there’s never a chance to enter the zen state with them. I do think I “get” shoegaze now, in a more proper way; apparently, these guys have two other albums on the big list, and if “Loveless” is this absolutely seminal 90s record and the pinnacle of this style that people claim it to be, I think it could be really good. For this, as a 1997 project dragged all the way into 2013 like it’s Duke Nukem Forever, I think it’s a fine enough showcase of the genre, and with maybe a little more time to reflect on each track and modernize them, this could’ve really shined through a bit more. For now, it’s a 3, with glimpses of a 4 for me, but too much inconsistency & a few too many “first minute”-y songs to get to that point. It is a recommended listen though; my “meh”s could be someone else’s “wow”s, and I guess that’s the beauty of a genre founded in noise as an instrument.
This album was already legendary before its release was even announced, as it took the band 22 years to follow-up their 1991 classic Loveless. After many many delays and rumours it finally saw the light of day and then its notoriety promptly faded rather quickly. Not that it is a bad album or anything, but it definitely did not live up to its legendary expectations. It's no Loveless, but it is enough to scratch that itch. Key tracks: She Found Now Who Sees You
Okay but quite easy to drift in and out of
até que tem o seu valor. Achei que não ia gostar, mas acho que ouviria de novo. Gostei de only tomorrow e in another way
Having heard a majority of Loveless at other times I’ve always been a sort of passive fan of MBV as a band. That being said I wasn’t expecting much from an album over 20 years removed from their much beloved masterpiece. I certainly didn’t expect them to push the level of atmosphere and distortion as much as they have on this album. This album excels in creating overwhelming, all encompassing atmosphere to the point where the songs almost become secondary to the soundscape they are creating. At times it’s glitchy and chaotic, and at others it’s coherent and beautiful. I think this albums perceived lack of focus is at once it’s greatest flaw and it’s greatest strength. The songs themselves are seldom stand outs or catchy but the ambience they create are unique and enveloping. The sounds on this album show a level of mastery in the way that they make something so precisely intentional sound so natural and accidental. As an experience the album pushes the boundaries of a ‘gaze’ album and the sounds that can be achieved which is commendable and if the right mood catches you, extremely enjoyable. However I find myself unable to recall any of my favourite moments or tracks as the songs lose their individuality and impact to the overall vision. Not something I would return to regularly but definitely a well made and interesting sound. 3.5/5
I can't help but compare it to Loveless. And it's entirely different from it. If Loveless was an anthemic cinematic banger, this is more a slow heady meditation in shoegaze. Abstract. It just washes over you in the first listen. It's only after 4-5 listens that the melodies start to condense from the thick smokes of hazy guitars. And just when you think you are getting it, the last two tracks completely throw you out again. Though an admirer of shoegaze, I can't pretend to 'get' them. Still, it's bold and fresh. Might really be a phenomenal experience listening to it while high.
21/1089 - Improved as it went on. Kind of reminded me of Eric Whitacre choral pieces, swap the voices with distorted guitar. Drumming is very simplistic/same-y. I don't get the appeal but I also don't dislike it.
Fine, but pretty non descript shoegaze. I don't really get why this is on this list. Wonder 2 was the only song that struck any sort of chord with me.
Never cared about this band. Have tried to listen over the years because on paper they sound like a band I would like. Maybe it’s my mood, but I am really digging the sounds on this album. “Only tomorrow” has really grabbed me. This is a really good ambient album.
I like the vibe of this album. There weren’t too many individual songs that stood out but it was pleasant listening. Fav tracks: in another way
Es un new wave post punk, muy low, muy melódico, experimental, empieza muy bueno y después se va cayendo, incluso en el ruido.
Sentään erilaista..
ok
my shoes have never looked so good
hm
3* Good project but nothing really jumped at me
psych slow satured and sometimes repetitive, bof par endroit et vraiment chouette à d'autre
The album sounds like something My Bloody Valentine might have produced in the early 90s.
es nice..
I don't know how to explain it, but this album did not really work for me. They're using this harsh sound to make really soft music, it dissonates in my head, I kind of like what I hear, but I'd like it to be something else entirely. A lot more brutal
Didn't really go anywhere, nothing really happens here. I imagine live this is a great experience but this isn't really for me. Listened to loveless after this based on Chris's recommendation and that was much better, again would be great love in a intimate venue or maybe as a headliner in the dark on a bigger stage. When it all boils down to it I'm too much of a basic bitch for all this.l, that's a me problem though. Low 3.
The opening track is rough and I wish it weren't there. I liked the rest quite a bit. Sure it drones on. But in a cool way.
3.5 stars. Noisy/distorted shoegaze with minimal singing and lyrics. Some of it is too repetitive and annoying ("nothing is") and some of it is catchy and enjoyable: standouts "new you" and "only tomorrow".
More ambient noise this week
Loveless was a revelation. It took the lessons of the Velvet Underground and descendants (Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, et hoc genus omnes) about the use of noise in rock and roll and took it to an extreme. It wasn't pure noise (a la Merzbow) -- there was still melody and a song in there -- but the presentation was so extreme that it threatened to break everything you knew about music. Everything was mixed upside down, bathed in distortion and reverb and other effects, with a woozy relationship to pitch and harmony. Vocals to the back! Drums almost inaudible! A genuinely groundbreaking record. And they were loud, by god! I saw them at the Sydney University Refectory in 1991, and the volume was staggering. A friend who was a massive MBV fan smuggled in a tape recorder to bootleg the show. But when we listened back to the tape, it was 90 minutes of white noise. The volume just blew out the poor little condenser mike in his walkman beyond what it could handle. So, given all that, I remember there was massive excitement when My Bloody Valentine finally announced the release of this album, after 22 years of "we're working on it, it'll be out real soon now, I promise". I signed up for a mail-order copy as soon as it was announced. But my reaction then (despite some of the hagiographic reviews) was somewhat underwhelmed. Yes, it is still clearly a My Bloody Valentine album, constructed from the same toolkit and aesthetic framework. Yes, there are a few good songs on it, and yes they have updated (slightly) some aspects of their approach. But it isn't that different, really, to Loveless, and in the intervening 22 years plenty of other bands and musicians had picked up the gauntlet of ideas from Loveless and taken them to more interesting places. I think audiences had a genuine desire for something that moved and surprised us in the same way that Loveless did when it was released. But we are in a different world now, a post-Loveless world. While this is an album by the same band (and a good album too), you can't recapture that spark and shock of hearing Loveless when it was still new and fresh. It's an unreasonable expectation that we had, but we had it all the same. I think we tried to fool ourselves into thinking that mbv has the same emotional impact as Loveless, but it doesn't, it can't, it couldn't possibly. It's an impossible task for any band; be the same enough to satisfy our nostalgia for the previous masterwork, but different enough to feed our need for novelty. Waiting 22 years to release really only exacerbated the tension. But is it any good to listen to? Well, that depends on whether you like to specific and somewhat extreme thing that My Bloody Valentine does. Personally, I like something that is noisy and difficult and loud (really loud!), but still has a good tune, and that it right in MBV's sweet spot. But, truth be told, this is only the second or third occasion I have played this in the past ten years since its release. It's better and more interesting than I remember, but it's not enough to make me want to play this instead of Loveless if I was in the mood for this sort of thing. This is a good (but not essential) album that fits to my specific taste, but I understand that many won't find it palatable at all.
Weird but not bad. I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. Atmospheric enough for me to enjoy it, but too distorted to really get into it 3/5
This is a hell of an oddity. I was expecting a 40-plus minute exercise of tedium. Nothing but ambient guitars and background noise, like what the reviews were saying. However, after listening to it, I’m torn. Some of the songs were ambient guitars and background noise, like the first track ‘she found now’. But the others… how do I explain this? See, I actually enjoyed the vibe of some of this songs. They feel weirdly nostalgic and for what it’s worth… it is good background music. But the songs don’t stick. Like after a song ends, my mind won’t absorb it. There’s nothing memorable. I wanted to like this. I was really getting into it. But an album that can’t stick with me is only ok. Favorite track: who sees you Other hits: the ones that sounded somewhat normal (is this and yes, in another way, new you) idk this one was hard
interesting but not for me
Good. I think a further listen could secure a 4.
My Bloody Valentine is one of those bands that I've heard the name get thrown around related to other bands that I like, but I've never actually listened to them. Consider this my introduction, and it's an interesting place to start. MBV released their first album in 1988, their second was a hit in 1991, and then they broke up and didn't release another album until 2013. This is the 2013 album. There seems to be a lot of debate about what exactly counts as shoegaze, but everyone seems to agree that MBV is definitely it. This particular album can basically be broken into thirds. The first three songs are classic shoegaze sound (apparently most similar to their early stuff), lots of soft vocals and fuzzy guitars. The middle third moves away from the guitar and is a bit more of an electronic sound, and then the last third picks it up just a bit and is almost more alt-rock-y. Frankly, I thought it was just ok. I really thought I might like it more than I did, it wasn't bad or anything but it definitely fell a bit flat on the whole. I do think this is the type of album that would grow on you over time, so I'm open to this being one that I revisit in the future (probably after I get Loveless on here). It seems like it might hit on a snowy night in the middle of the winter, maybe I'll try again on one of those. I think I also saw that this is one of the albums that was added to the book at one point, and then removed on a later update. It shows that it can be hard to assess these more recent albums. This seems to have gotten a ton of hype when it came out, which totally makes sense given it was an unexpected release that came after like 22 years of no new music. The hype seems to have faded over time though (though one thing I've learned listening to all these albums is that popular opinion about an album can definitely ebb and flow over time). Favorite song: only tomorrow Other: she found now, if i am, new you, in another way 11/16/24
Feels like a fan-made copy of Loveless
I feel this warrants a review in two halves as the album felt like that to me. First half: it’s not exactly Loveless, is it? Sounds like a load of half-finished ideas from those sessions that he’s reheated and churned out for the sake of getting them off his plate at last. 2 stars Second half: ‘new you’ feels like a statement, it’s time to drag MBV into the 21st century with more progressive beats, more defined sound and much more engaging pace to the songs. I will definitely be coming back to tracks 6-9. I’m almost tempted to buy the record and just never bother with side a. 4 stars. Thankfully pretty easy to give the average here. They also have an irritating habit of naming songs like they’re reading a scrabble board. Except it’s a game of scrabble being played by two robots who have only learned pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions. Is this and yes? In another way, nothing is.
I went into this album blind. Just based on the title, I thought it would be an emo band and I wouldnt enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised to learn it wasnt, instead hearing a more alt-rock style. MBV has a unique sound- ethereal in places and somewhat dream-like, but with heavy rock elements that sometimes border on dissonance. Their songs are pleasant enough though- good music for driving. Overall- solid album
Experimental, groovy, ethereal, industrial. It comes close to grinding my gears and me pulling my hair out, but it does so in quite the entertaining way. Though I will not find myself putting this on for fun, I do think I'd enjoy this very strangely, as long as it is infrequent enough.
Truly never heard any of their songs. Very interesting music. Just not my style. I definitely get it. Very artsy.
not my favorite type of music but i never felt myself wishing for it to be over!!
5/10 guy falls asleep on a distortion pedal or two and a wailing ghost tries to spook everyone by elongating vowels into a microphone. I'm sure this is what its like to listen to music on ether. Maybe ether will help, brb. 10-17-2024
My Bloody Valentine still sounds like a fever dream and/or that level on Yoshis Island where you eat the fuzz & shit gets wonky.
Lovely
It’s no loveless
When I was about 15, a couple of buddies and I had an "avant-garde rock" band called The Eternal Time Clock. None of us were particularly good musicians -- we just liked to mess around with noise and overtracking. If we'd kept at it, we could have aspired to be MBV. This album has two purposes: background music while you work (especially if you have ADHD) and doing drifty drugs. If you're a fan of Loveless, then you'll probably like this -- even though it's even more unfocused. Otherwise, I could see this being a really challenging listen for many.
2.5
Interesting, not usually my thing. Shoe gazing emo would fit for some nap time relaxation.
Very interesting. I feel like I need to listen to them more to really wrap my head around their style.
I enjoy MBV
An album that encapsulates just how perfect "Loveless" was: "Isn't Anything" was too much in the post-punk vein, where the band hadn't fully fleshed their sound out. This record is too fleshed-out. The tones on here are gorgeous, but in crafting beautiful tones, they forgot to have songs that weren't just noise. It's pretty noise, for certain, and I'm the type to take an edible and enjoy the floating sensation this record will give, but it does end up being just... noise. Favorite tracks: "Who Sees You", "New You"
A pleasant enough listen but nothing ground-breaking for me here.
why would they put a My Bloody Valentine album twenty years after their prime on this list
Recorded/released 2 decades after the peerless Loveless. Some of the tracks seem to be a homage of that album though there are some more interesting tracks near the end. Seems worthy but also irrelevant.
Is this the worst album of all time?
On one hand, if you make a wall of sound and you sing like that, no one's gonna hear it. On the other hand, if you sing like that, I don't even want to hear it. Same problem I had with the Jesus and Mary Chain the other day. But this is not as bad. At least it doesn't sound like it was recorded in a toilet. Some riffs are cool. Songs are too long. And as I said, the singing is awful. Favorite song: she found now
I really did enjoy listening to this but it was also almost totally background.
3.62 rym mi dispiace lo shoegaze non fa proprio per me però ci sono diverse cose che trovo interessanti e mi piacciono 3/5
3/4
3.5
So. My Bloody Valentine. M B V. m b v. Ah yes here we go. There it is. Droney, spacey, ambient, shoegazey -- hey, spell check, quit yelling at me, because I ain't listening. I can spell tociluzimab and Bill Sienkiewicz without questioning myself. If you know what it is from their older releases, don't be too shocked here. I'm at a bit of a loss as why this one in particular is on here instead of, say, Loveless, but I'm not the nerd that came up with this. I'm a nerd following along. The instrumentations flow like they were an extension of nature. The vocals, too. I honestly don't know what they're saying without looking at the lyrics, so it could be about the Armenian genocide or a recipe for Beef Wellington (do NOT let that shit go out raw!) but the presentation is less dependent on the words here. Since it is a bit spacey, I tried a little bit of playback at double speed. Not as amusing as playing something like Cursed - I or Ride the Lightning at 33 instead of 45. That, you ride out.
I love shoegaze but have never really enjoyed My Bloody Valentine. I don’t get it either 🤷♂️. Anyway, there’s some decent stuff here, particularly “if i am”, but not enough to say I liked it
omggg vibesssssssssss. pikkukirjaimilla kaikki tietää et albumi on niin low key mä!! siis niin MÄ!!! i adore them... ne vaan ymmärtää... onneksi näiltä söpiksiltä jo toinen albumi jeeeeejeeeeee ja varmaan lisää tulossa wohoooo en koskaan voisi saada tarpeeksi <3333333333.. !!! haluun vaan että tiedätte että tämä pelasti minut, olin tappamassa itseni mutta tämä musiikki pelasti elämäni. jos luet tätä viestiä niin en ole kuollut, koska kuuntelin tätä bändiä.. joten vähän tärkeämpää musiikkia minulle kun on sieluani koskettanut, parantanut elämääni. 3 tähteä. only tomorrow
I listened at bedtime which suited the music until the last two tracks ! Nonetheless I quite enjoyed the rest so 3*
Perhaps it was just the right album at the right time, but this one doesn't resonate quite as strongly as their 90s foray. The Standouts however are If I Am, and In Another Way for Butcher's vocals.
m b v is another album on this project that i have mixed feelings on. There are some songs on this album that are legitimately stellar even if they are seen as just \"noise\". I honestly feel that i have a bit more of a fondness for these \"noise albums\" than most other people do since i find that while they can sound annoying at first, once they sink their teeth into you, they actually can be quite the ear candy which is benefitted by the fact that here, the songs are long enough to really sink in. Unfortunately, not all the songs here are like this. The others are just kinda boring and, like the good tracks, are pretty long too in some cases. But kinda boring is the worst this album ever really got, I still quite like it. Best Song: who sees you Worst Song: is this and yes
This is my first My Bloody Valentine album to review, but not my first album of theirs to listen to. A while ago, I was looking for something off of the list to listen to, and settled on Loveless, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Fun fact: I'd heard the band's name mentioned several times before listening to Loveless, but I never knew they were shoegaze. I thought they were a 2000's emo band, but I think I got them mixed up with Bullet for My Valentine. Regardless, I've been looking forward to getting to review a My Bloody Valentine album, and I was excited to see this album come up for me today. Unfortunately though, this album didn't live up to my expectations. I found the first half of the album to be pretty boring. I don't mind fuzzy guitars and distortion, but there just wasn't much going on in terms the sound of the album, and it felt like these first several songs were just 'cut-and-paste shoegaze' without offering anything unique. I really didn't like the softer vocals on the first couple of songs either. Thankfully though, the album turned a corner for me with "new you." I really loved the echo of the guitar and the brighter sound of the overall melody. The drums were really great as well. "in another way" was probably my favorite song on the album. The pulsing guitar and the brighter tone that played underneath it were great. The songs after that were really good too; the pulsing drum on "nothing is" and the faster pace of "wonder 2" were really unique, and these songs gave the album more depth and a better overall feel. I certainly didn't hate this album, but if I were to listen to it again, I'd skip the first several tracks.
I do still enjoy this, but not as much as i used to. Findit a little boring at this stage
cool, beautiful, noisy sounds but most of the songs kind of wash over me. Loveless is a great album but I've never been as into it as many others and this one certainly pales in comparison to loveless. Great late night vibes but not something I see myself coming back to very often. ~6/10
Bra men har inte riktigt elden
3.5/5
not bad but moody
This is inoffensive. It's a nice listen but nothing popped me. Might not even be on the list anymore.
Really hard to look up if their stuff gets used in movie soundtracks when there are “My Bloody Valentine” movies
I now understand shoe gaze
Well wanted to hate it but then I kind of liked it? mixed feelings, was good to listen to in background. 3.5
I'm not as familiar with MBV - they were obvious early pioneers in shoegaze and I find this reunion album to be really interesting. Good background music while working/reading. I will definitely be going back through their older stuff now. 3/5
Cool
MBV don’t deserve 3 Clearly this list is too long.
I really want to like this band, but I just can't really get into them. It's fine as background music, but the vocals are so buried and there's so much droning that it kind of just hypnotizes me and puts me to sleep if I try to focus on it too hard. Maybe I'll give it a few more listens and see if it grows on me, but as of now it's pretty meh. I'll say that the drums were kind of fun on "Nothing Is." 3/5
This album requires very deep listening to “get it”. It’s very hypnotic, but the songs all kinda blend together and sound the similar
Starts well. The middle part drones. Ends OK. It gets a passing grade but nothing more.
Actually enjoyed this one. I had listened to an earlier MBV album as part of this project and apparently hated it. But this one was a weird listen but overall solid noise. Not exactly a genre I’m super into but I definitely vibed with a good portion of it. Not exactly a repeat listen, but glad I was reco’d this.
Je l'ai bien aimé, mais ça m'a moins marqué que Loveless. Malheureusement aussi je pense que je n'étais pas dans le bon headspace pour l'apprécier à s ajuste à valeur. Définitivement à réessayer. 7/10
Kinda like it
The album has a noisy-guitar sound that reminds me of Catherine Wheel. It has understated melancholy vocals. It's the kind of sound I would have really gotten into years ago. There was only one track that I really got into, the popular one: "Only Tomorrow". Conversely, I really hated "Nothing Is" - that's basically unplayable. The rest of the album is fine.
I love "Loveless" so surprised that I loved this less. It's all the same elements, but they just don't feel like they hang together right. Feels like a B-sides and outtakes album.
Dreamy fuzzy wall of noise reminiscent of a softer Sonic Youth, a more rocking Stereolab - or even some of the songs from Dave Grohl's first solo album ('Exhausted' in particular comes to mind.) A little bit of sameness as the album wore on, but largely enjoyed it until they tried to mix it up with the last two industrial garbage songs.
Good shimmery shoegaze, but not their best, imo.
Oof these reviews are harsh. Far from Loveless but still found it to be very enjoyable. Nice noise 🤌🏼
Good
Interesting sonic textures, wild sounds, and a surprising amount of feel to it. 3.5/5
Some highlights but quite a droney throbby album in the most part.
Since the first time I got MBV on this list, I have come to really enjoy shoegaze. However did this really need to be on here? It's fine but nothing amazing.
A really good album, I liked the style of music.
OK, nothing special.
Low and slow
Not heard this before. Nice bit of shoe gazing
After a long hiatus, MBV released this later period album. Is this an improvement upon earlier works on this list, Loveless and Isn't Anything? Sadly not. Feels like a re-tread or parody and just doesn't carry the same spark their earlier work did.
Should have stopped at Loveless.
- Kannte keinen einzigen Song von My Bloody Valentine - sehr moody - sehr eigener Sound - sehr cool und anders - only tomorrow ist extrem nice - die letzten beiden Tracks brauchts nicht - Ich mochte das größtenteils echt, war aber nicht 100% im richtigen Modus zum Hören, glaube an anderen Tagen hätte ich auch noch mehr Punkte vergeben Rating: 3,5/5
Not really the most accessible album, but it made for pretty good background noise while I worked.
Good album, but not my style.
Entertaining
Dream synth
Does this belong on the list? Probably not, but I preferred it to their debut album - there are some good atmospheric tracks to get lost in, and even though they don’t all hit the spot it’s fairly listenable throughout. The second half was more interesting; the dreamy track 6 and industrial track 7 were standouts for me. 3 / 3.5
I'm torn on this one. I think it doesn't make sense without knowing and appreciating Loveless. The first three tracks seem a continuation in the mould, a slightly worse version in my opinion, but still quite good. They then seemed to put a halt to that (quite literally with the ending who sees you). They then appear to showcase new stuff they're trying out in two further sections. I prefer the middle 3 to the last 3, but I honestly don't think it deserves the acclaim it gets. If this is on the list over Loveless then that's an absolute crime against humanity. Good but not great.
meh
2.9 because this really isn’t my taste and I skipped through every song.
This one was a wild journey. At first I hated it, then slowly it started to grow on me. The last couple tracks were actually kind of enjoyable, even.
I really love the album Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, so I was excited for this album after a long time of the band not releasing music. Unfortunately, I find this album just alright though. For a relatively short album it feels very repetitive, it makes me wonder why they felt that they had to put out this specific album at the time after such an extended period of silence. I don't dislike it necessarily, I just find it kind of underwhelming. Standout Tracks: only tomorrow, who sees you, new you
Was pretty into it until those last two or three songs. Christ almighty what a bunch of noise at the end of an album I otherwise kind of liked
After the last MBV album I thought they'd grow on me with a few listens but I feel the same about this one as I previously did, don't think I'm going to become a proper fan. There's some quite good tunes here and I generally like overdriven guitars with loads of feedback but the vocals and general feel of it is just a bit too spacey for me to be really interested. It's not a bad album, they aren't a bad band, but I'm not converted.
Nothing here I particularly dislike but at the same time nothing is grabbing me. All a bit wishy washy but maybe that's what shoegaze is I think the previous album of theirs was better and I have that a 3 so 2.5 here
3.5, i see the influence of most of my favorite albums but it's just a bit boring at times at face value
3/5. It starts off the same, front and center distorted guitar with no lyrics, just ineligible words and I was afraid it was going to be a whole album of that. Thankfully, halfway through, we are introduced to a front and center bass and drums and synthesizer. Still ineligible and frustrating lyrics but at least the emotion entered and it felt like an enjoyable album to listen to, even beautiful at times.
December 20, 2023 HL: “who sees you”, “new you”, "in another way" Sad that 1001 Albums forgot about this, the entry for Loveless in the newest edition says they haven’t released an album since then -__- So probably not essential for any non-MBV fans, but I found this pretty enjoyable. How’s 21st-century My Bloody Valentine? Kinda similar to 90’s MBV but a bit more danceable 🕺 3.5
torn between liking it and hating it first of all, this is not My Chemical Romance -- turns out I have been confusing them this whole time this album has a very distinct sound that was somewhat popular at the time, with a lot of distortion and detune sometimes it sounds great, like this emotional wall of sound sometimes it seems the song does not where it is going and just piling on sound on top of another
hum that was something
I suppose if you were a MBV fan and waited 20+ years for a follow-up to their best work, hearing this album would feel gratifying. To me, it felt as though they are a one-trick-pony. Having said that, they do the trick well, and there are some tracks I will listen to again. But overall, I find them too sound mostly like pointy background music. And frankly, I hated the airplane experience of the last track.
Has a nice experimental rock vibe, but there's too much of one thing through the album: super filtered distorted guitar. It's fine for a couple tracks. A full album of it was a bit much.
last 2 tracks were kinda cool, i'm just not a big mbv fan.
It was on track for a light four, because I quite liked the feeling the album was creating, but it got fumbled in the end, so only a 3. But, I expected to not like this one very much, so I guess it did slightly better than I expected. My favourite song was Who Sees You, I think. I have trouble telling them apart from memory.
Well this is a strange one. My immediate thought was WTAF is this? And I kept on thinking that until I got to 'New You' which absolutely blew me away. I've played it time & time & honestly it's hypnotic. But then the rest of the album reverted to being a horrendous, discordant mess. So then I've thought that it needs a couple more plays to see if it will grow on me, but it's still one superlative, entrancing track on an album that's otherwise the most gad-awful insult to my eardrums. So how to rate this? 5 stars for the one brilliant track, minus stars for the rest if I could so I'll have to settle in the middle.
Didn't expect something as conceptual, sparse and quiet from a band called My Bloody Valentine, but it was nice. This album was a bit of a block for me b/c I didn't really have much to say, so I guess this is my review to just get to the next album.
This is kind of a weird one for me in terms of how I feel about it. There are definitely things that I like. I think that the instrumentation, while a bit noisy at times, is well-made and I can tell that the people at My Bloody Valentine have a talent for making music. Everything else about this album just doesn't click for me though. The singing, if you can call it that, is weird and slow and I don't think I like it much. I don't exactly know what this album is supposed to be about. Obviously, not every album needs to be high concept, but I'm just not sure what they were going for. I'm not the biggest fan of the whole feel of the album, but I can see why others like it. I just don't really "get it". It's well made and I can appreciate the work that went into it, especially with how long it took to get this thing to finally come out, but I just don't think it's for me. I'm definitely willing to give this band another try later for some of their other albums that are also on this list, but I don't really see why this one specifically needs to be on here. Low 3/5.
“Loveless” and “m b v” came out 22 years apart. For my bloody valentine’s 10 year breakup and subsequent reunion to be bookended by two such acclaimed albums is pretty remarkable. It’s rare for a band to maintain success and/or critical acclaim over three decades, much less return to those heights after such a hiatus. As of this writing, shoe gaze is still listed in my summary as one of my least favorite genres. But I gave “Loveless” a three, and I enjoyed “m b v” at least as much if not more.
I listened to this last week and had a decent angle for a review. I completely forgot what it was. I heavily skimmed the album again and all I remember is a soupy fog of sustained, somewhat distorted guitar.
Quite enjoyed it, very different to my usual
A little flat at times but glimmers of intrigue.
Love the vibes, but can get tiring after awhile. 3/5
Had not heard of this band or heard any of their music before. Overall, I like this album. I get a little tired of heavily distorted guitars at times, but I can't tell if that's because rock music for decades has been so saturated in distortion that maybe my ears are a little tired of it, or if it's more about what I'm hearing here. Either way, it's a minor thing, and the music this group writes and performs is quite good. I particularly liked "is this and yes". It has an ethereal quality to it, as do many of the tracks on this album. "if I am" is another one that stood out for me.
5.22.25 going back through to listen to previous albums and look, shoegaze and this sort of crunchy sound is good cleaning music (what i was doing) or background music, but it's not my fave to just listen to outright.
I did not dislike it as much as their debut album. And I kind of like their second album, which will likely also be on this list since it's the best and this list likes to get carried away with certain artists and declare all their albums brilliant. If you like this album, check out Hum's return (Inlet in 2020) after a couple decades of nothing. Like that one, this album brings back shoegaze with a lot of droning/humming, fuzzy sounds but avoids the screechy sounds that really made 80's and 90's shoegaze irritating. And that makes for passable, almost entrancing background music. Best songs were she found now, new you, and nothing is; maybe only tomorrow too.
Surprisingly caught me off guard - enjoyed it more it went on- melodic, trance-like music. Decent as background Music or with noise cancelling headphones
inte MBV's bästa
I haven't listened to MBV before, and I assumed they were a completely different kind of music. This album is a hazy, fuzzy compilation of songs that succeed in creating a specific feel, but there are some drawbacks. The first 2/3rds of the album all sound the same, to the point where they basically sound like the same song. By the time any variety at all appeared on the album, I was already checking the track list to see how much longer I had to listen to this album. It's a bit exhausting, and the final few songs are unique but nothing stands out altogether.
I have Loveless on vinyl, and it will be getting a 5 when it comes up. I don't feel the same way about this one, but perhaps because I've come to it lately?
This is the second MBV album in this project, and it seems to have been a long wait between albums. This one also features ethereal voices over "sounds." My complaint of the previous album was its repetetiveness. I was going to note that at least this one didn't feel that way...then we got to listen to "nothing is" which was nothing but. "who sees you" made me almost drive off the road, making me feel somewhat badly altered, sounding like when you played a 45 on a record player without the spindle adapter, so it got all wobbly (I used to try really hard to get that thing centered properly but it never worked). But those are the lowlights. I still didn't love much, but there was some variety and interest in it as a whole.
I felt like I had left this album in a hot car and was trying to play it… there is a decidedly warped feel to a lot of this album. I can’t say I loved this, but I can’t say that I hated it. And a few songs (like ‘new you’) I quite liked.
Kind of a difficult one to enjoy. It is interesting. It is music that really kind of either puts you in a trance or bores you to tears. 3/5
Un gran álbum de los exponentes más importantes del microgénero “Shoegaze”. Sin embargo, el retorno de una de las bandas más interesantes de los ‘90s no logra concretar las expectativas, quedándose chico al lado de su obra maestra “Noveles”. Aún así, es una buena actualización del género, mezclándolo con las tendencias electrónicas que surgieron a lo largo de los 2000.
There's better shoegaze out there. Much better. This is fine, but it's by no means great.
Þetta er lágværara en mig minnti. Voða dreamy. Ekki McDreamy.
My second favourite MBV album
Boring in a way that I kind of liked but man I'm never listening to this again.
didnt really catch me but on a rainy day this will definetly hit
Meh
3/5
Dissonant, moody, dark and dreamy. A frequently lovely sound, but a little goes a long way. Fave Songs: if i am, only tomorrow, she found now, wonder 2, new you
ambient, ethereal music buried under distorted guitars for most of the songs. it was an interesting listen, to be sure.
Not bad.
The music was excellent but it would have been nice to hear the lyrics.
Often too much distortion, would be nice to hear some alternation with crisp and clear parts. 'new you' is nice.
Interessant experiment om als band je plaat op te nemen net naast de startbaan van een vliegveld terwijl de Boeings voorbij komen razen.
Nothing to say about this. It just sort of exists.
I'm torn. Their first two albums were life changing for me but this one, whilst decent enough just isn't. Some decent swirling guitars and droney melodies but nothing close to the unbridled chaos of Loveless.
Can't be faulted for enthusiasm. Actually, I'd love to meet the person who thinks that I should like this. And then form him/her to explain why.
More of the same.
This might be a really great listen under certain circumstances but this was not working for me at work.
süpürge sesi who başım ağrıyo şarkıların ne zaman değiştiğini anlayamıyorum ilk 5 şarkı aynı gibi ama new you iyi gibi çok da kötü değildi arkada aç çalsın ama bilmiyorum baş ağrıtıyo
Shoe Gays two decades in the making. You forget you're listening to anything most of the runtime, but it sometimes gets a little wild.
Helt okej.
Not quite loveless
Really a 3.5. I enjoyed the sound of this but not enough to add anything to the regular rotation.
Spacey at times, and other times noisy. I though parts of this were good, and other parts were average.
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what I don’t really have anything to say about this album mainly because there isn’t much to comment on. I think there’s a fine line between experimental and just some noise and I’m really struggling to decide which side this album fits in to. Firstly, I’ll say that this album seems to be split into 3 tracks of 3, not sure if that was intentional but it feels like it. The 3 tracks in the middle are actually quite nice in a way, almost giving off beach house sounds at points but with a bit more rock essence to them. The reason I like these certain tracks is that you can actually hear the vocals, unlike the rest of the album. The first track sounds shoegaze-esque with this constant dreary guitar groaning in the back which isn’t too bad. The following 2 tracks on the other hand gave me a headache just because of how intense they are. This goes for the last 3 tracks too as I’m not sure what’s really going on in them either. I’ll give the band props because to some extent all these tracks are unique in their own way yet fit to the style of the record well. However, I don’t enjoy this album at all, it was honestly too much to get through and I kept asking myself when was the next song was going to play. I appreciate the sound they’re going for but with a bit more variety in the tracks then I would probably enjoy it, I just find it hard when there’s 5, 6 minute long tracks that are filled with loud dreary guitar, it just doesn’t get me excited for the next track. I give this an uhhhhhh so much noise/5
decent but not really memorable
Not as great as I wanted it to be
This album feels like huge waves of guitar slowly engulfing me. There's a certain beauty in this genre, and while I'm starting to get into it and appreciate it more, I'm still not blown away by it. I imagine this album being huge for fans alike back when it came out. So, all in all, not great, not terrible, but it's a nice record to listen and further dive into shoegaze, the sounds and atmosphere are truly something else though. Key tracks: She Found Now, Only Tomorrow, New You 5 out of 10
Not what I expected and a pleasant surprise. It might be higher on a second listen in all honesty.
good background music
It was better than I thought it would be
Better than the other one in the list
Very chill album, like their older stuff more
Grumbling anxiety fuzz, kinda cool, kinda backgroundy, kinda terrible in places. It feels unstructured and loose. Makes you lose track of time in a overstimulating kinda way, like getting lost in Selfridge's or Cyberdog in Camden, or both simultaneously.
Good album but I wasn’t in the mood for it today.
A boring shoegazing album a sure thing to cure insomnia.
я видимо их не слушала, но представляла по-другому. в принципе не запомнились, но и не взбесили)
Good
I enjoyed it but mostly forgettable except the 2nd track.
Atmospheric and experimental, this album is less intimidating than the band name would suggest. m b v does an excellent job of blending art rock and darker tones of an EMO and Goth genre.
I can hear the influence this had on other things I listen to. I hear some Soccer Mommy, Japanese Breakfast, Melody’s Echo Chamber, etc. it’s not something I’d seek out, but it would be good background music. I like In another way best.
great reading music
Much better than the other albums by mbv that I've listened to, quite a chill experience
Didn't know what to expect, but I kind of expected more. Most songs are decent but they could probably sound better without so much distortion, especially in the first half of the album. It was good background music, though. Also, cool band name. Fave track(s): new you, in another way, nothing is
Liked the vocals, didn't like the instrumentals that much.
So... That's the entire MBV discography, huh? That was quick. After 22 years of album silence from My Bloody Valentine they returned with a self-titled album that somewhat honored the legendary Loveless and somewhat went in an entirely new direction. Shields is still masterful at creating beauty in noise and the first three tracks really blows me back. The following "Is This and Yes" and "If I Am" then suddenly stops the freight train of sound that was set in motion by the opening songs. And although the rest of the album is in no way bad or boring, I don't feel like we're moving at full speed again until the closing "Wonder 2".
Rating: 6/10
It's not loveless and that burdens it for me. Still some really great songs on it.
Ha, mbv two days in a row! Y'all must really want me depressed. I thought this record was decent, but it felt like they got lost in their own experimentation this time. The album was much longer and meandered in certain pockets a little too much. Some of the experimentation was really gorgeous though, which really makes up for some of the pacing issues. Probably my least favorite mbv record but still highly enjoyable.
Un peu monocorde pour mes goûts, par contre je reconnais la qualité des pièces. Je suis contente d'avoir essayé ce groupe et je compte me familiariser davantage pour l'apprécier encore plus.
was excited to hear this, unfortunately it's nothing special. Sounds unfinished in parts, as the mix goes in and out. Shame, I really try to like MBV as Kevin Shields is such a good dude, but they always disappoint me somewhat
“Shoegaze”, eh? The second half starts doing some interesting stuff, but the first few tracks don’t have enough stuff going on with the synth loops to hold my attention
Is this what they call shoegaze music? Because I did find myself gazing down at my shoes. I noticed that my laces were slightly uneven and fraying a bit at the ends. Also, the tops of my shoes were starting to look a bit faded and scuffed up in a couple of places. Still comfortable and taking me where I want to go though. As far as the music goes, it's okay. I don't mind it, but I don't really love it either. It all sort of washes over you and sounds the same in the end. Strangely, I was listening to the album while I was driving through a thick fog to Wendy's for a breakfast sandwich, and that seemed fitting for the music. 3 stars.
I've liked previous My Bloody Valentine albums but I found this a bit boring.
very low-key techno beats some garage guitar mixed in too
Quite nice actually, beautifully trippy.
Atmospheric in the first half, comes to life in the second half. Not sure it's essential though.
solid album, it made me feel really relaxed, almost trancelike. listening while in the shower was like a dream.
This album was a 3, I looked up loveless per some reviews and that album is a 4, did some research into the genre shoegaze (indie/alt rock/psychedelic rock blend) and this genre deserves a 5. If you like dream pop and also like the genres I listed above, do some digging it’s worth your time.
I think Loveless is amazing (hence the 5 I gave it) their early work is good too. Somehow this album just doesn't do that much for me. I didn't love it when it came out and I still don't. It's good music to mope to, but it's hardly a fun listen for me. I honestly don't think it needed to make this list. Overall not a bad album, but not anything I'd deem essential listening.
okay i guess
Moni kaveri tästäkin bändistä tykkää mutta ei oo kyl koskaan mua se kärpänen purassut. Jotenki vaan liian suhinaa ja debistä. Loppua kohden kyllä paranee jotenkin painostavamman kuuloiseksi. Hmmm... Mitähän tästä olis mieltä oikeestaan. Kyl mä tälle annan sellasen 2,5 pongoo joten kolmeen tää pyöristyy. Heikko kolmonen!
Oli kyllä yllätävän heikko. Toki muutama oikein makea biisi ja sinänsä fiilaan tunnelmaa. 2,5/5 ja annetaan nyt täpärä 3.
great, anachronistic, fuccking long and amazingly a record only 9 years old. If I was a MBV fan back then I would have been very happy with this.
Quite liked some of the wafty moments. Otherwise a bit noisy
MBV is a bit difficult for me to listen along to, but I'd ay I liked this. My fave tracks are "in another way," "only tomorrow," and "wonder 2".
Ça faisait longtemps que Robert nous avait pas glissé un album de Post-Erasmus-Indie. Je voudrais d'ailleurs rappeler que toute personne qui souhaiterait appeler Robert par le surnom rob aura affaire à moi puisque c'est moi rob, même si vous me connaissez davantage sous le nom de robfourmilière.
listened to before didn't love it
If I hadn’t been streaming this, during significant portions of it I would have assumed something was wrong with either the media or my equipment. Apparently this was considered some sort of guitar innovation. A lot of juxtaposition of mumbly incomprehensible lyrics and grating noise. Didn’t care for most it if that’s not obvious.
not exciting shoegaze
This album was lying underground for more than two decades. Unearthed. Then released. This intimidating wine blew my head into pieces then threw it in a hazy hyperspace. What a freaking punch. Shoegaze is something else.
decent
A bit disappointed that they really haven't changed much since the 90s. Would have been nice to see a greater evolution in their sound
I have found i just don't love shoegaze music. I appreciate the musicality of it, but it isn't for me.
I would say the kicker to this modern art picture show of clouds drifting is how deceptively they take you somewhere tangibly different to where they started, but I'm a clod, so I doubt how deceptive the movement was solely dint of the fact that I noticed it. Whatever. It made me feel something decidedly untangible. Which is the point. Delicious.
Loved both "Isn't Anything" and "Loveless" but this one really didn't click with me sadly. 5-6/10
Not as ground breaking as their 1991 album. Enjoyed in places.
Dreamy
Meh
Decent album. I liked the 3-part concept of the album, which gave it enough variety to keep it interesting. It’s hard to explain what I enjoyed about it since it’s so simple, but somehow it ends up being good. 6/10
Meanders - not unexpectedly. Dense sounds, I think I'll need to give it a few more tries.
Pas trop vertain de quoi en penser. J'ai aime qhan meme 3.25
3.5
I enjoy MBV but I'm not sure there was a single song that I would say was exceptional on this album.
I wasn't sure at the start, but it got really good in the second half. Sadly, I can't say that I don't like My Bloody Valentine anymore, thanks to you...
It’s shoegazey. But of course it is. It’s also a return to form. One that I didn’t think I’d be into. What I got was something that explores the sonic in such a way that I’d hadn’t though before.
Weirder than I was expecting. But didn't really catch me.
There wasn't anything i didn't like, though wonder 2 was a bit strange. For me they miss the mark of actually being interesting... lacking a bit of melody/tone or not varying the intensity. Who sees you is probably the closests, where the normal droning gives way to perks of intensity and then fades away. Nothing in has intensity and a vibe but nothing interesting happens. Overall, a challenging and interesting listen.
I rated "Loveless" a 3 a couple of months back, so while seeing the next My Bloody Valentine album appear didn't quite make me throw my headphones out of the window, I wasn't especially excited to hear it. Much like Aardman's upcoming "Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget" (get hyped) "m b v" is a sequel 22 years in the making. Shoegaze's answer to "Smile", it sat in stilted development for many years, with a notorious perfectionist at the helm, anticipation building with every passing year. Now he knew that that all the time he spent on "Loveless" paid off, what the hell would Kevin Shields do next? The very act of its release must have been a landmark moment: Shields' affirmation that it was perfect, and anybody who didn't get it just wasn't ready. It was lapped up by a succession of nostalgic critics who most likely grew up with the original. So it seems the album's success is a product of its mythology. The songs themselves? There's a lot to like, but it is very hit and miss. Three tracks in, as I was pounded by onslaught after onslaught of walls of guitar, whirling tremolo and indecipherable vocals, I was convinced I was sitting through "Loveless" lite. As the album unfolded, I was struck by its greater penchant for variety, its tendency to explore outside of the band's long established sound. Sometimes it works: "is this and yes" is a lush, organ ballad that drifts by delicately and graciously. There are no guitars, and just a funereal tom beat: it's all dream and all pop, sitting right at home alongside new blood like Beach House. "new you" is catchy and accessible, with bouncy fuzz bass, light tremolo effects, and even some wordless "doo doo" vocals. I hate to throw genre names around, but is this My Bloody Valentine leaning into chillwave? Elsewhere, the experimentation doesn't land with me. "nothing is" is just horrendous, a three minute looped drum-fill and one-note riff that made me feel like I'd been eaten by a broken printer. By the end of the album, "wonder 2", the cacophonous buzzing and droning has taken the form of a jet plane engine: together with the frenzied drum and bass influenced beat, it gives the impression that rather than coming in to land, My Bloody Valentine are taking off. They weren't resting on their laurels with this album, and that's surely worth commending. On the whole though, "m b v" is no better than Loveless- perhaps more interesting highs, but also much more challenging lows. By far and away, the middle three songs are my favourite stretch of the album and really hint at another side of the band: mellow, subdued, content. Altogether, the set leaves us wondering where My Bloody Valentine could go next and which direction they might push. We probably only have until 2035 to wait.
Probably my favorite of theirs
Man, this sure ain't Loveless.
I adore Loveless as a record, so I had high hopes for this, but I just couldn’t get into it, felt very drawn out and at times self-indulgent. Nothing I’d be drawn back to.
Niet echt voor mij
Music for sad teenagers. 2/5
Music to clean the dungeon to…
Tää oli todellakin noise-poppia. Ei jäänyt muuta mieleen kuin ärsyttävät kitarajuoksutukset, tai mitä se nyt onkaan. En tykännyt liian alas miksatusta laulustakaan.
I dont get it
I always get these guys mixed up with Bullet For My Valentine. Anyway, this is some fuzzy dream rock stuff, it's fine but every track sounds the same (he says confidently, nearing the end of the second track). The tracks just kind of meander around and repeat themselves, they seem short on ideas. Turns out I had already listened to Isn't Anything from My Bloody Valentine before, which I called "Just the biggest load of nothing I can remember hearing. Fuzzy recordings of what sounds like a garage band, inaudible lyrics, no tunes or sometimes even rhythms to speak of. There's nothing to get a grip on, it's like trying to grab fog. At times maybe it's noise rock, but it mostly sounds like literally nothing is happening, but loudly - typical shoegaze." This is more of the same, even to the extent that the final couple of tracks were the most interesting, with actual beats. Did we need to include both albums?
All the droniest parts of The Deftones with none of the excitement. Even when the tempo picks up it's repetitive enough that it kills the energy. Not my jam.
Is this the same song for 55 minutes, or just 9 songs that sound the same? You decide. 2/5
A t m o s p h e r i c as fuck.
I really am not a fan of this genre.
I think I understand a little better why they call this style, “shoegaze.” Because I feel like I need to go stare at my feet for a while and figure out what I just listened to.
What a plummet, starting off well enough, but quickly moving to background music, with a long ending in the annoying range. Influences of the most experimental music from the Beatle and Beach Boys did nothing to make this worth listening to again.
I don’t get who and why decided to make My Bloody Valentine an exemplary shoegaze and not someone more deserving. Seriously, there’s freaking 3 MBV albums on this list, and only one Ride album, and 0 Slowdive. WTF? And if Loveless at least has its quirks, though not many, this album is total crap.
There are many other albums better than this one
Shoegaze is Lo-fi for perfomative people