Isn't Anything

A very experimental record, it's very early noise pop. It feels innovative, while also a bit rough and disorganized at times. It feels like the soundtrack to a very weird dream. On the good side, I feel like they definitely were able to capture a clear and unique vibe and sound here. The bad side is that the performances feel all over the place at times, barely synchronized with each other. I think that this album's redeeming quality are the overall tone and feeling it evoques, much more so than the instrumental performances. They're very much aided by the production, adding effects and feedback that make for much richer textures. The tracks sort of blend together a lot, but I think that the best is "Lose My Breath", with that catchy vocal melody. "Cupid Come" was also good.

It's cool for the time period in which it released, it's also very interesting and very well stylized. But it's still not for me. Cool, unique, and then just a little too emo for me.

I know this is heresy but I wish the vocals were mixed higher.

The washiness of the vocals does not inspire, but I enjoy the heavy textures.

Mbv is a strange band but you can’t help but like the songs.

I think there is only one appropriate review for this album. Thanks, I hate it. For all the right reasons. For some reason it's obscure enough that sooner if the songs can only be found as reuploads on Youtube. The mix is so uncanny that I'm not sure what I spent 40 minutes listening to. One thing is for sure, I'm not listening to it again.

I would love to give this another chance. I really liked some of the songs and as the album went on it got better. They definitely experimented with this album and I respect it and enjoyed a lot of it. My biggest gripe is the vocals that are barely discernible. Maybe if this album was on YouTube Music or Spotify, it would sound better. There were things that I liked and things that I didn't like. Again, I would love to come back later and hopefully up my rating

Much less focused than Loveless, harder to vibe with. Probably sounds better without youtube compression 🫠

A weird gender of music iam hopeful to keep exploring. With a nice ambience to listen to with headphones at your home with no other noice. 6.5/10

6/10 This is a bit of an ‘almost’ album for me. While some of the tracks have got real drive and that massive collapsing wall of sound that My Bloody Valentine are known for, there are also areas where that is a bit lacking. I also think that extends to the mix, where the focus of the sound is a bit jumbled through the album, where sometimes the noisiness of things overwhelms, and some where it is a little too in the background, but there’s not a satisfying flow as to how that happens across the record. It’s just a little bit uneven. The band’s sound became far more established and refined on Loveless that this just doesn’t quite scratch the itch in the same way. This is obviously an important record that inspired a lot of music that would follow, in both good and bad ways. Funnily enough, I feel like there are a lot of 90s bands that listened to this and then picked the least interesting bits as inspiration. With all that being said, when it gets things right, this album is massive and magnificent. It can be quite oppressive and tiring to listen to, but at its peak it’s a noisy, dirty spectacle of a record and a stepping stone to better things down the road. Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside) - It’s an interesting start to an album, for sure. It’s quite dissonant. It’s also quite one-dimensional, particularly the flatness of the snare drum, but the wall of sound is quite satisfying in some respects. Could do with more variety, but at least it sounds different, which is something. Lose My Breath - This is another interesting one, it’s kind of like a fairly run of the mill song idea that’s peering out of the mist and edged with chord choices that make it feel quite dissonant again and edged with anxiety and threat. Cupid Come - This is a more traditional song and feels like the kind of thing that saturated mainstream pop rock for the next decade, but there’s enough grit to it to elevate it above that, especially the haze of fuzz and noise at the end. (When You Wake) You’re Still In A Dream - This is a more like it. Really good pace. Again, it’s got a very 90s sound, particularly the backing vocals, but there’s so much grime and drive to it that it really kicks. It doesn’t do anything particularly interesting in terms of variation or dynamic change, but it’s a really decent song. No More Sorry - The shimmering, rumbling noise of this is cool, and the way it drops out is a great effect. But there’s not a great deal to it. It feels like a slightly underdeveloped idea. All I Need - Again, this feels like there’s a song under there trying to get out, but the stylistic wash of it all just swamps it. It’s all a bit too trebley for me unfortunately, even though I appreciate the sonic adventure of it all. There’s just not enough tonal variation for my tastes. Feed Me With Your Kiss - Back to something more driving. When it kicks, it really kicks. They certainly don’t go for the obvious mixing choices and the subtleness of the vocal, combined with its position in the mix is an interesting tone against the heavy, driving thrust of the rest of the song. I can imagine this is beastly live. Sueisfine - This combines some of the best elements from the album so far. There’s a bit more going on compositionally, the heavy noise and calm vocals work really well here. It’s frantic and noisy, heavy and driving. Great stuff. Several Girls Galore - This is back to more of a noisy wash, with elements of dissonance, but it has its moments where everything gets brought together really nicely. It’s got good drive to it and some of those distorted tones just cut through in such a nasty way. The vocal does feel a bit disconnected from the rest of the track in the mix though, which is a shame. You Never Should - Another more traditional song, but so noisy and gritty. They’re determined to be as noisy and in your face as possible, without ever being vocally aggressive. This is one of the more satisfying songs on the album, where everything is pulling in the same direction, without compromising on the massive driving wash of sound that they’re always striving towards. Nothing Much To Lose - Again, this feels more coherent, without any compromise to the overall sound. There’s a bit more structure, but the vast wash of noise and distortion still dominates and creates an epic soundscape for the song to live in and peak through from. Great stuff. I Can See It (But I Can’t Feel It) - This is a bit more pedestrian. There’s still a wash of noise, but it’s less overwhelming than on other tracks and I can’t really work out if that’s good or not. It feels a bit more straightforward and generally a bit less interesting as a result. Overall, not really the most interesting track on the album, but has some nice elements.

This was a really cool record. I like the wall of noise and the refusal to give into their pop sensibilities (which are always lurking). I'd call this a noise-pop The Go-Betweens album if MBV weren't so doggedly themselves. Hugely influential, but the best was yet to come. Choice tracks: Cupid Come, Sueisfine, and Feed Me With Your Kiss.

I like MBV but I found this one a bit underwhelming. Songs all sound very similar and the fuzz can get a bit overwhelming. There aren't really any standouts like there are on Loveless. You Never Should was my favourite. 3

Dýpra á snilldina. hljóblöndun einkennileg eins og oft áður en vantar eitthvað. allt í lagi ekki gott.

Pretty cool for 1988, but didn't leave much of an impression--even twice through. Probably a 2.5 for me, but bumping

Doesn’t seem to have the magic of mbv’s other albums

Quite familiar with Loveless, hadn't heard this though. Loveless is fantastic - this has all the ingredients but not as well put together. Opening track is probably the weakest link, and perhaps a poor choice as an opener.

7/30/25. Really dig the shoegaze sound and all the layering. I do think a lot of the songs blend together, but it's a unique sound. Might require a few more listens for me to see if I really grasp it.

Let me start by saying I think Loveless is a masterpiece. I think this is also a remarkable piece of music but during and after I realized I didn’t really enjoy. Loveless took me several listens to appreciate so I will probably go back and revisit this one.

Very much a roulette record - every song is either really solid or uninteligible garble. The distortion and sound balancing is very off in the first half, but the second half has some very strong hidden gems. Would've been a much stronger EP. Top tracks: Feed Me With Your Kiss, Sueisfine, Nothing Much To Lose

Could only listen to one song on Spotify. Was eh but can definitely tell it was influential for grunge and alt rock.

Enjoyed immensely.

Maybe I could have given it a better chance. What I heard was OK.

I couldn't find a full version of this record to listen to, so N/A

despite their importance to shoegaze (pronounced like Fugazi) as a genre, the only MBV i've heard is Loveless. that album sets the shoegaze bar wayy too high i think. but this is a different album. a scrappier one. less like the warm enveloping avalanche of Loveless and more like a rough and tumble slacker indie album from its time. it gives The Microphones and sludge metal at points. not super electrifying but i enjoyed my time well enough deserves to be one of the 1001? i lean yes but i don't have super strong feelings

Couldn't find this on Spotify, but listened to their other popular songs. Some are better than others. Some are unlistenable noise, but most were edgy alternative rock, a bit on the harder side.

Some decent songs, nothing spectacular

Not on Spotify.

very dusty/airy mixing on here. a respectable debut

Loveless is much better but this still sets the stage for shoegaze. Decent album, really unique and interesting production for the time but I won’t rush back to listen again

cudan listen na prvu malo su mi pomjesani osjecaji ali svida mi se neka doza eksperimentacije koju osjetim

See ratings - good and pretty hard rock 6.0 1-2 crap 2-3 crap but I get why it’s on the list 3-4 close to music 4-5 good enough to get through without getting mad 5-6 hey it’s palatable 6-7 that was fun 7-8 well deserved to be listened to 8-9 classic, amazing 9-10 all bangers, perfection

All right, I'm liking the emo feel here. Still a background-listening one, but a nice variation.

It's on YouTube

Sidste album med dem var en del mere memorable

The first song was absolutely horrible! The album progresses into the noise and the sound I love.. That side of the album is written by Shields.

Nice punk album with jangly The Church feelings and such. I liked it.

Unable to really listen due to copyright

Interesting one, you can feel the pieces really clicking and coming together for some uncharted territory. Loveless is a singular record imo, and this does not reach those heights but still very cool sounds, unique compositions of grain and noise.

Many tell me to listen to this band. Just okay for me

3.0 - Ok

Found through this project that I am not really a big fan of Shoegaze. This album is okay. The moody, ethereal-sounding stuff doesn't really do it for me, but the post-punkish songs midway through the album are decent. Feed Me With Your Kiss is probably my favorite on the album, which I think in isolation would give you the wrong idea about MBV's overall sound. Much of the back-end of the album sounds like a less sonically experimental and more production-polished Sonic Youth record. Clearly contemporaries in sound if not heading in the same direction. Overall, it is a decent album that I'm probably not going to go out of my way to hear again. Having recently listened to m b v for the project, I can safely say I like this album more. I'm assuming Loveless will be coming at some point as well, since it seems to be the most well-regarded of their albums.

liked songs: several Very dark, dissonant, shoegazey. I liked it for the most part. 3.5

Dug it. Probably would've rated higher after a few listens, I feel like MBV deserves it to get into their albums more.

I don't know whether this is early emo, crossover punk or what. I can see why it would end up on this list as it's fairly experimental. Definitely seems to have made a lot of influence on 2000s rock bands. "You're still in a dream" seems to anticipate the Foo Fighters. All that being said, it isn't something super easy to listen to. Kind of grating at some points. Like the first track, where the weird noise seems off beat. "No More Sorry" and the next track after are like tripped out noise, Velvet Undergroundish. "Several Girls Galore" is a cool-sounding track. "You Never Should" is decent as well, also reminiscent of Foo Fighters--Dave Groll must have been a fan. So I guess this is shoegaze music? Just learned about the existence of this trend. I don't really feel like I missed much there. That being said, it's a decent album. Better than some of the indie rock it seems to have inspired in the 2000s. It has a lot of energy at some points, and I guess that's something. 3/5

I bought this one soon after buying Loveless on a whim (circa 2000) and was really quite underwhelmed. I'm glad it laid the groundworks or whatever for the follow-up, which instantly grabbed me and became a favourite, but while I find the noise and production strangely soothing, I don't ever find myself reaching for this one with much enthusiasm.

Not available on Apple Music

Could grow on me but it's not loveless. I might be leaning negative because I found out that ALL 3 MBV ALBUMS are on this list and I think that's ridiculous.

Nowhere near the brilliance of Loveless

Some great stuff and some stuff that was really grating.

Really wish I liked this more, considering that I view both Loveless and the more contemporaneous You Make Me Realise EP as masterpieces. But it feels shapeless in a way that those two releases don't. I can still appreciate the fuzz, and it's certainly better when turned up loud. A good record that is more important than it is great.

There are no actual songs here, and I'm a big fan of songs, but there's a vocal here and a guitar there that appealed to me (the mix was really odd throughout--I have no idea what I was supposed to be hearing). I replaced my Bluetooth speaker while listening to it (one tiny channel wasn't working, which I discovered on Sgt Pepper day, because When I'm 64 had no vocal track) and frankly I liked it better on the busted speaker. Giving it a 3 because I'm told they get better.

I like this a lot more than I thought I would. It felt a bit dirge-like at the start but it almost took on a hypnotic element.

5/10 I feel I should like this more than I do. It's so flippin noisy though. And discordant.i can appreciate it.

It was pretty good, nothing spectacular but I understand the influence it had on the shoegaze genre. I'm between 3 and 4 on this one but giving it a 3.

3.5

I love their album Loveless. This is not that. I suppose this was sort of "historical" since it's their debut album, but they had EPs before this, so it's not like they exploded onto the scene with this.

Couldn’t access the album on Spotify

Second half of the album was great, kind of like if the cure took more drugs - shame that the first half of the album had about 3 reverbs on the master channel

“I Can See It” my favorite track. Always liked that one, and have recently warmed a bit to Loveless as well. I still don’t love it, nor do I love this album, mostly because I really, really don’t enjoy Butcher as a vocalist. Stalling at 3 stars for now, but the strength of the badass guitar work could elevate it one day. 3/5

There's a certain ominous weight to Lose My Breath that's appealing. Much of the rest is vaguely unsettling, if you're into that. The guitar tone is good and the vocals are cold and monotone. You can hear the beginnings of what's to come next, but the band needs time to mature in the songwriting department.

Boring. That about sums it up. Not bad. Just boring. I guess this is an influence on emo stuff? I will say I have a hankering to listen to some my chemical romance now.

En trea, lite för mycket oljud. Men behöver egentligen lyssna mer

Wild hearing the birth of shoegaze emo like this

Lose my breath is so far my fav. Ahead of its time.

Un peu bordélique, un peu bruyant, un peu sympa.

Bit emo

I can appreciate the weirdness here. Some ups and downs and a variety of music on this.

I have had an irrational aversion to MBV. This album helped change that.

This album makes me think of that time I was at the Foxfire Room on Magnolia Blvd. with Mr. Wombat. There were only about 10-12 people there, it was dark and quiet. If you've seen the film Magnolia it's the bar that Adult Quiz Kid Donny Smith falls in love with the bartender. Anyway, in the corner booth was Greg Edwards with some girl. Mr. Wombat went over to say hello. "The guy from Autolux ... " he said. So, my point is that in general terms I like MBV, but I'd rather be listening to any Autolux album than this one.

If it "Isn't Anything," then is it nothing? I'm pretty sure it was something, because I just listened to it. Or is mbv saying that it is a very specific thing, and not just some random infinite anything? It actually was a specific thing - it was 37 minutes of mediocre shoegaze. It's not nothing, but it isn't anything I would return to.

Now this is what I call Shoegazing.....

I do really like this. Not as much as their other albums but this is a great vibe. I just think as of now it doesn’t totally stick with me

One of the worst things about being so far into this project is that I keep getting the final album by a lot of artists, and today is no exception, with the final My Bloody Valentine album on this list. I wound up going in reverse chronological order with these folks, giving three stars to MBV, and five stars to Loveless (an album that I had a profound love for before starting this project). I’ve never listened to this album before, but I have really high hopes for it! Well, I was certainly underwhelmed by Isn’t Anything. I try to treat each album by an artist as its own entity, and not judge it by the artist’s other work, but I’m human and not a music critic, so it was really tough to do that on this album. While I listened to this, I found myself just yearning for Loveless, and its packed-to-the-gills sound. Don’t get me wrong, “Isn’t Anything” isn’t a bad album, and it’s definitely influential, but I couldn’t help but want more while listening to it. I thought it had a great atmosphere that permeated all of the songs, but there wasn’t really much about this album that stood out to me and grabbed me. I didn’t care for the vocals very much, and I thought their elevated presence on this album compared to Loveless did some disservice to the sound. As far as highlights go, “Lose My Breath,” “You’re Still in a Dream,” and “No More Sorry” were my favorite songs on the album, due to the guitar playing. Overall, this album is fine, and it wasn’t a bad experience, but I certainly… love it less… than the other My Bloody Valentine albums. I’ll see myself out.

You can tell they didn’t quite get a grip on their sound. Still enjoyable, but weaker than Loveless.

After a few listens, realised that I like almost all the tracks but don't love any of them. Tails off a little at the end but that might be fatigue from the production. Good album as a whole, but looking forward to Loveless now. 3.5.

All sort of blended together as one

Pretty middle of the road!

Didn't really hold my interest, but I didn't hate it.

Not bad but nowhere near as good as Loveless.

the sound was rather confusing, at points it sounded like the vocals and track were completely different, nothing was accentuating anything and it felt very confusing, there were some points that sounded cohesive but in general the album felt very directionless now for my personal first two tracks sounded well enough to me, afterwards the general course of the album was moving rather negatively and i can’t really say this is something i necessarily like well enough for a 3 star, but i still decided to give it the 3 for kickstarting the shoegaze/dreampop genre that is even now still active, innovation is always great after all! x

Dragging guitars and rhythm - I would classify it as a good garage sound. Can definitely be heard.

I feel like I should like this band more than I do. Just never really clicked for me. Follow up album is definitely better than this one

On paper I feel like I should be appreciating this more than I do, but most of this is just fine. I've enjoyed what I've heard of Loveless, and I find it confusing when people rate these records equally, as Loveless is an obvious step forward and all-around is a huger revelation of a listen. The band sounds very green and uneasy in their debut, but with clear potential.

Pretty melancholy

Wasn't sure at the start but got into it more as it went along

better than I expected tbh 3-3.5

Isn’t anything impressing me on this album, but it’s not bad. Very middle of the road.

I'd say it's an overall okay album. Not quite as dramatic as Loveless, but still can't really say it 'stripped-back'. I think these shoegaze records really require many listens to find the rifts and melodies in the chaos but I don't really have time for that... 6/10

Prefer more modern shoegaze but I see where the inspiration came from

Some solid rock, again, pretty advanced for its time. Not really in a music mood today so forgive me that this is dry. Solid 3/5.

Pretty shoe gazey. This was okay but sort of monotonous.

Not nearly as distinctively beautiful as Loveless. You can hear them laying down the groundwork but it is a bit weak on vocals second half of the album is where it gets interesting.

There’s some stuff that’s very good, and other stuff that’s just too much noise. It has its merits. But it’s just alright for me.

This one had some interesting sounds. Not enough to bump it to a 4 but I’m interested in the next album, which is the bigger one and I assume on this list at some point.

I think My Bloody Valentine is basically a definition of the band that marries some terrible sounds with an absolute genius ones. This debut album of their is the perfect example, it is sometimes visible in single songs. In general I'm a fan of a good shoegaze sound, but in a more rock/metal environment, whereas here MBV resembles a more experimenting The Cure. Still an okay album, but far from my favourite one.

68/100. The album was okay but felt messy and unpolished. It’s not something I’d feel compelled to revisit.

It’s ok

I don't know why they picked this album instead of the classic.

I prefer Loveless, especially because of the vocals on this one.

Playing catch up so listening to all 3 MBV albums together. I'm partial to a bit of shoe gaze/ noise distortion and feedback. Gold standard for me is J&MC as they deliver the above along with great tunes and vocals that capture the emotion of the songs. Whilst MBV have some good tunes they are vocally pretty weak - with the vocals washed out and placed low in the mix and as a result I struggle to form connection with the songs. MBV is the worst offender and is by far the weakest of the 3 albums with no notable tracks so scores a 2. Isn't Anything the debut is bit more punkier/rougher and I think would have been fun to see live - scores a 3. Loveless is the best of the lot - with the most polished and accessible songs and strongest vocals.

I don't love it, but straight away it's kinda weird. Frontloading the least steady song was a good idea. I get the appeal of this more than the wall of guitar on Loveless. It's very possible that I've never turned MBV up loud enough to get it. At any volume it does sound like a band that means the whole world to that band, and I'm tempted to go up to 4 stars just for that.

First time listen for me, despite being a big fan of Loveless. Interesting to hear them with less time and budget. Same band, but a bit less effective. Really liked You Never Should. Like a pop punk song in structure and melody, but with the psycho drums of MBV.

Contextually, this is an important album. It's a transition from 80s British punk to 90s emo/grunge. You can hear how this influenced a lot of the great bands of the 90s. All that to say, I'm not sure I really like it. :)

Shoegaze always starts off interesting and different ... but by the third song, you want to actually hear the lyrics over the distortion.

Not as good as the other one. It's got its own sound for sure, but just not good enough or exciting enough for the trouble.

As an earlier emo band I can see how people would be ride or die for this band, especially in 88. It has a little bit of that industrial kind of tone that is a bit harsh but is also kind of the point. Some of the melodies are pleasantly haunting and I feel like they both make music for others but also for themselves. I love a rhythm guitar that feels effortless, even if the riff is just hitting the same chord 16 times because even though it’s not perfect, it’s less wrong than the others, and you’re getting closer to what it is you feel. Overall it’s solid enough that I would go around again as an album. I wasn’t blown away really but enjoyed the ride.

I’ve listened to Loveless before and really liked it, but this just didn’t hit me. I don’t know what it is about the album, but it just feels lesser.

Noisy 80s indie rock. Not bad. Kind of like Sonic Youth.

Went from rock to experimental in the blink of an eye. I liked No More Sorry, but not All I Need. Then right back to the regularly scheduled program of (garage?) rock songs.

Kind of a slower, more mellow variant of Sonic Youth. I liked what I heard from these guys but can't call it love.

Hints of loveless but just does not quite reach those dizzy heights

5.5/10

I think it's pretty good and it definitely influenced some things I like, but I don't really enjoy the songs as much as their contemporaries, like the Jesus and Mary Chain or Pixies or even Sonic Youth. "Lose My Breath" is probably the highlight for me here. 3.5

3.5

76% Best: Cupid Come; (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream; Feed Me with Your Kiss; You Never Should; Nothing Much to Do Must-Hear? Not quite

There’s no need for this when Loveless is already on the list. The sound is similar but they hadn’t peaked yet. High 3.

Loveless is better, but interesting ideas.

For such a big fan of "indie rock", and those building blocks which contribute to noise-rock or shoegaze, I've never quite been on the same wavelength as My Bloody Valentine. I was a little puzzled by what made "Loveless" such an inarguable classic of its genre. I was even more puzzled by what made "mbv" such a worthy comeback after twenty-three years. And now, I must confess to feeling equally puzzled as to what makes "Isn't Anything" such a promising debut. Soundscaper first and songwriter second, Kevin Shields famously spent many hours painstakingly crafting songs for the band, with tremolo bar and guitar manipulation galore. But those hallmarks of My Bloody Valentine's sound (and indeed, shoegaze in general) still need some refining here. The opening, "Soft as Snow (and Warm Inside)", has taken a long time to grow on me with its abrasive guitar riff, fiddly bass sequences and crisp titanic drums. Then, songs like "Cupid Come", "Sueisfine" and "You Never Should" feel much more like conventional rock songs than anything else I've heard by the band, while "Feed Me With Your Kiss" dials up the distortion into a frenzy for a barnstorming freak-out. My reservation with "Loveless" was the feeling that, without the gimmicks and innovation, the songs wouldn't really be able to stand up on their own. I feel the same is true of "Isn't Anything", perhaps to an even greater extent. The studio experimentation is burgeoning, but it isn't enough to totally obscure vocals or bury the listener in an avalanche of sound. While Bilinda Butcher's vocals in "Lose My Breath" are suitably mysterious and ethereal, Kevin Shields' are lacking for me throughout. The album holds some interesting ideas, and tracks I'd happily hear again include "Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)", "Feed Me With Your Kiss", "Lose My Breath" and especially "You Never Should". But as an album experience, it misses the mark more than "Loveless" or "mbv" did.

Luv shoegaze me Ngl I think I prefer the vocals more reverby bc they grated on me on some tracks sorry!!!! Loveless is one of my fav albums ever and this does not live up Favs: lose my breath, Cupid come, feed me with your kiss and you never should

Figures its situation out in the back half

Nada más empezar la sensación es de que ha envejecido fatal. Al final mejora bastante "Sueisfine" tiene ritmo y "You never should" y "Nothing much to lose" también interesantes, pero el resto es puro noise por no decir ruido (qué chistoso soy). Iba para dos estrellas, pero con la remontada final se va a ir a 3.

I honestly hated this album the first time I listened to it. I'm not sure if it was my mood, or what, but this second time listening through was SO much better.The dissonance just felt and sounded better the second time around. This isn't as good as Loveless, but I didn't hate it. Best Songs: Lose My Breath, You Never Should, I Can See It Worst Songs: Soft as Snow, No More Sorry,

I'm the 90s I had a shitty strat, a Zoom 505 multi effects pedal and carpeted 10 inch practice amp. I would sit on the edge of my bed and wonder what it was like to be high while making noises just like this album.

Alright

I didn't become aware with MBV until a decade after this album dropped. It must have been crazy for the time. I like some of the music in the heavier songs, but those vocals are hard to ignore and just plain get in the way. I wish it all sounded like (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream. Several Girls Galore is OK too. Not too big on the rest of the album myself though.

So many of my friends in college loved this post punk mid 80s late 80s raw sound. I guess I prefer a bit more refinement and still due to this day.

I like this one. It’s weird, it’s loud, it’s not like anything on the radio but in familiar ways. Keep an open mind or do some drugs before this one.

Didn’t set my world on fire.

It's fine. I found it very hard to listen to this album while driving on the highway -- all the white noise from the road blended with the white noise from the album. I had to have a quiet setting to listen to the noise :-) When I did, the music was OK but didn't really stand out.

I can see the elements that I enjoyed about Loveless, but they just don't coalese in the same way.

There were a couple of tracks I really enjoyed. But ultimately the album turned into something that was aurally uninteresting to me. 3/5

Not bad. But they’d go on to do better.

I've tried so many times with this band, and have come to appreciate the impossibly dense and unforgiving sound of Loveless, but this album just feels like a step along the way rather than essential listening. They're a jangly chamber-pop band with the reverb dialed up high going into the pre-amp to create a load of washed out overdrive that's a gossamer sheen over the songs, but they haven't really reached their final form yet, the maximalist take it to its logical conclusion pure barrage over overlayed fuzz and reverb and phaser and tremelo they'd get to a couple of years later. That said, there are a couple of pretty great songs on here that have incorporate the bright clean jangle to drive the scuzzy sounds along and even some pretty vocal melodies emerging from the fog. Favorites: All I need, You Should Never, Sueisfine

Holy hell this was unique. Took me a minute to pick up what they were putting down but overall I'd say that was a positive experience

Not bad

they weren’t lying this auditory processing disorder can disorderedly process audio

Interesting listen.

Wat een toeval? Bestaat niet! Na Loveless meteen Isn't Anything erachteraan. Gister goed ingelezen over mbv dus kan 'm mooi plaatsen. Loveless is echt wel de Magnum opus. Mooi om te horen hoe op Isn't Anything het genre wordt ontwikkeld. hierop nog niet het unieke noise geluid. Dus ook een wat minder beoordeling. Maar vanwege de cult status en het belang voor toch een fantastisch genre, toch een mooie score. 7/10 Highlights Soft as Snow Ze gebruikten op deze plaat gewoon nog hoofdletters joh!

Isn’t Anything I’ve listened to Loveless a few times, but don’t think I’ve listened to this before. It has the elements you would expect, vaguely motorik drum patterns, lots of layers of noise and guitar and wonky vocals with barely discernible words. It’s also, as you would expect, one of those albums that makes sense the more you listen to it. Although the sounds and songs are broadly similar it's only after repeat listens that songs and nuances start to emerge, even if it never quite catches fire fully for me. Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside), I like the drums and bass and the slightly disconcerting inhalation/exhalation noise. Vocals aren’t necessarily his strong point, and there are some wonky edits, but I do like it, a bit of a wonky grower. Lose my Breath has a quite lovely dreamy feel, very atmospheric and a great track. Cupid Come Cupid Come is fine if a bit forgettable while (When You Wake) You’re Still in a Dream is good bit of noisy rock, the best of the uptempo more aggressive tracks. No More Sorry, the shimmeryness punctuated with the guitar back in the mix and the vocal, is very atmospheric and intriguing. Almost feels like it might turn into The Next Episode by Dre. All I Need I like for its layered atmosphere, and sense of melancholy hopelessness, it's a good one. Feed My Kiss and Sueisfine are quite Jesus and Mary Chain, with Sueisfine being a decent droning slightly bubblegum pop track and Feed My Kiss being a fun bit of thashy noise. Several Girls Galore, although I like the vocal and the buzzsaw guitar, the whole thing doesn’t quite come together like some other songs on here. You Never Should, I like this one, has a nice lo-fi pop vibe, almost feels like Ash, but with a guide vocal track. I quite like Nothing Much to Lose, it has a Teenage Fanclub vibe and the backing vocals are nice. I Can See it (But I Can’t Feel it) is nice, again one of the more atmospheric and dreamy feeling ones, but also not a great vocal. I think the more dreamy, slower tempo, more atmospheric songs like No More Sorry, Lose My Breath and All I Need work better than the faster noisier ones like Feed My Kiss and Sueisfine. As a full album does get better with more listens, and while I like a few of the songs and a lot of the atmospheres and noises, and in the right mood I’d listen again, it doesn’t quite fully grab me in the way Loveless does, which puts this solidly in the 3s ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 Playlist submission: Lose My Breath

An alright album. 6-7/10

So much random noise. Would have enjoyed it more with some additional editing.

Out of their albums, why is this one on the list?

Favourite song - (When you wake) You're still in a dream

It’s not bad, would listen again

Average shoegaze "what the fuck"

A stepping stone, more than anything. There are shades of what MBV would become, but it can't shake the post-punk roots of shoegaze and fully become its own thing quite yet. Favorite track: "Lose My Breath"

I liked this one, but didn't love it. There's enough to keep me interested, but fades away after a little bit. Guess that's shoegazing tho, huh?

I'm aware of this band's status as a paragon to indie rock nerds; however, the wider listening public seems to give mixed reviews. It wasn't as abrasive as I thought it would be. Do you get an extra star for that? Nah. Luckily it is short, concise, and to the point.

Shoegazy psychedelic indie pop. Not my usual thing but didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it either so middle of the road.

It's a good album to listen to, but I don't really get the oomph that I would have expected. Nothing really stands out.

A bit loud buzzy and blurry. Definitely the wall of sound for the most part with less musical definition and some softer generally incomprehensible lyrics. I think i'd be more into it with it getting into a more specific mood/vibe and then driving with that. The general sound is okay, but a bit boring. Cupid Come is the closest to traditional and what stands out for me.

In the past I've had the feeling I'm missing part of the MBV jigsaw. Like, I know they're doing something clever and worthy but I just don't quite understand it. Re-listening to this now goes a long way towards making me reassess that. I'm hearing the melodies more. Enjoying it more. I'm 30-odd years late to the party but feel like maybe I've almost cracked their code.

This is why this is a great project. Of course I'm "aware" of My Bloody Valentine, hugely influential cult band that help drive the shoegaze / baggy era of the late80s/early90s. However, I'd never really listened to them before. Is the experimental rock / post-punk my favourite genre? No. Did I still enjoy this? Yes. Will I be able to nod along more intelligently when my more hipster music friends wax lyrical about MBV? 100%.

Я естественно слышал про эту группу. Но слушаю впервые. Шумный бэкграунд, размытый вокал. Не знаю что тут и сказать, мех мех мех

Algumas músicas boas, outras não. Vale a pena ouvir

This often reminded me of that moment in a '70s TV drama when the detective, going undercover in a gritty hard rock club, realizes she's been slipped a mickey in her drink and is going to wake up after the commercial break tied to a chair in the bad guy's office. We realize it because the music goes distorted and wonky. This goes along with my experiences with the previous two ([why?]) my bloody valentine albums: that they are masters of creating a disconcerting, uncomfortable vibe with their music. Beyond that I never really was amazed by it.

I'm so glad our first mbv album was Loveless. I loved Loveless, actually found a lot of it quite pretty. Isn't Anything wasn't anything I could latch onto. Disappointed.

Just couldn't really get it

When I think of what they achieved later, this is not a good start at all!

Standard shoeless. I have heard better and I have heard worse. Not as impressive as Loveless

I'm being gnerous here but to be honest I'm a bit over meandering Gen X indie stuff from the 80s that the 1001 moderators obviously have a penchant for.

Hard to hear

Schrille Gitarrengriffe, verzerrende Stimmen und extrem lauter und harter Grunch prägen dieses Album, das als Ausgangspunkt des Subgenres Shoegazing angesehen wird. Mir ist es alles zu viel und zu unruhig um mich dem Bandstil oder der Genre der End 80er anzunähern.

I know I'm supposed to love everything about this but honestly it is completely mid. I even listened twice. Cupid Come and Several Girls Galore are cute but everything is OK. Good for mbv for making exploring new sounds and having the courage to go even further afield to define a completely new genre on the next record.

Not a massive shoe gazer so this was only okay for me. Second and louder half of the album was definitely better

Lovely album, and great to know what this band would later become.

Rating: 6/10

I'm a little familiar with MBV's next album after this one, so listening to this was a bit interesting. It's funny seeing all of the genres that Wikipedia classifies this album as, I think I would classify it as quiet, yet loud-post punk rock. Seriously, everything just kinda sounded subdued and suppressed throughout the album? Especially the vocals, but it didn't help that Spotify didn't have lyrics available during my time of listening. I guess I'm learning about "shoegazing" in real time. Not a terrible listen by any means just, a little unusual from what I'm used to.

Decent foundational emo shoegaze album. Their next one, Loveless, is the band's masterpiece. MBV is also a stronger album than this one. Nothing stands out here, but it is an early representative of the shoegaze subgenre.

A bit sad I missed out on these guys at the time but I was into the Cocteaus and other stuff. I really like loveless and feel this is leading up to it. Don't get me wrong, it's still good if you like the genre but there are better examples.

Vibey

I vividly remember this bands name, but the songs themselves are not that very memorable.

it’s funny when you can HEAR the year in a record. idk if it’s the particular style at the time or the production quality at the time, but this particular sound zeros me right onto a particular range of years

It’s crazy that Beyoncé really ended up being Destiny’s child after all.

Kind of a quiet album. I liked it though

I find it super bizarre that this album is lauded for its production. I could barely hear the singer, let alone discern the lyrics. It reminded me a lot of Sonic Youth. I'm not super into grunge or shoegaze so this album didn't do much for me.

Decent but not great

bit noisy but its alright

First listen Saved 6/12 Top track: Feed Me with Your Kiss

I don't really have much to say about this one. It's not bad. Not particularly great either though. I get that it was sort of an early pioneer of the shoegaze genre and I can definitely see how a lot of what came after followed suit. I like it, I wouldn't necessarily seek out anything else from them based on this record. It's simple enough to sort of fade into the backgroud if you're doing something else. But some great guitar sounds, solid musicianship, vocals are just kind of ok and tend to get lost in the mix. 3/5

This is my second My Bloody Valentine appearance in the 1001 albums challenge and my first time listening to this album. I loved "Loveless" and am excited to dig into this today. This is like if you used several rounds of paint stripper to peel off all of the additional layers of fuzz and distortion and feedback off of Loveless. There are actual discernible words and instruments here that layout some (still very loud and distorted) pop punk tunes. It's cool, but not as engrossing as the sonic tidal wave of Loveless.

Meh.

It took me a few lessons, but once I softened to the sound/noise I started to enjoy it

It had very good moments

my bloody valentine is a band I always confuse with My Chemical Romance. I am aware the two bands are nothing alike. I'm not really into shoegaze, but I could appreciate the guitar work on this album.

Must be amazing to listen to this while high on heavy drugs.

Pretty good, just not quite as good as Loveless

Pretty good. Moody and kind of dissonant. I feel like this was probably out of place in 1988. I'd give it 2.5 if I could, 3 will suffice.

Just some mid alt-rock with lots of reverb.

sounds kinda like you had to be there

Very moody

Very noisy, but surprisingly easy to listen, at least to single tracks.

Thoughts before listening: I know Loveless but have never heard anything else from MBV. Assuming they didn't have a major change in sound prior to that album, this should be alt rock with heavily distorted guitars that create a noisy, droney soundscape. MBV are known as originators of shoegaze so that's what I'm expecting here. Review: This album is okay, which is basically how I feel about Loveless as well. I really like some of their songs, but others just don't work for me. These guys are best when they crank the pace up and rock out. Otherwise the wall of distorted guitar sound just becomes an irritating drone. The best songs on this album are "Lose My Breath", "When You Wake You're Still in a Dream", "Feed Me With Your Kiss", "Sueisfine", "You Never Should", and "Nothing Much to Lose". All of these songs are fast paced, fully formed songs that remind me of Dinosaur Jr with fewer guitar solos. The rest of the songs on this album sound like noisy demos in need of major editing and production work. This album gets a 3 from me.

Good and noisy. I will check out again!

I dig it! Unfortunately I don’t have much else to say on it.

Good!

I listened to this album on a day where it really wasn't vibing with me. I would actually be interested in revisiting it when I'm in a different mood. The first few songs weirded me out with the lyrics.

C+ Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) 3 Lose My Breath 4 Cupid Come 3 (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream 2 No More Sorry 3 All I Need 2 Feed Me with Your Kiss 2 Sueisfine 2 Several Girls Galore 3 You Never Should 3 Nothing Much to Lose 3 I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It) 2 This skated the line between 2 and 3, but I actually really enjoyed it.

buen discardo. ruido ruido lindo lindo

3.4 one of their worst icl, still decent but they definitely did good steering a bit to a slower sound fave songs: cupid come, lose my breath, sueisfine

Not what I expected. Tracks blended together and provided a sort of reluctant melody that wasn't quite enough to get me humming along but was enough to keep me interested.

Isn't Anything is the debut album by Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine. They helped pioneer the indie and alternative rock genre shoegaze with this album's innovative guitars. This album was critically acclaimed at release and has unique guitar work on its songs. Isn't Anything is an important album for music history. It established shoegaze as a dreamy, loud/overwhelming, and guitar effect-laden genre. I liked this type of indie rock and thought this was a cool album. It's nice when a band tries something new instead of sticking to the same old grooves.

Cupid Come

- A much cleaner sound than the other album - Still takes me like 20 listens to actually get these guys - Some songs the guitar is like mildly Nirvana-esque, sorta cool

- OG shoegaze album!? - solid but nothing exciting

3.1/5

Bit alright

A few tracks were ok, the droning reverb got to be a bit much. Round up to 3

You definitely need to be in the mood for shoe gaze but apparently I was. Nothing stood out but it seemed to fit the feelings I was having at the time.

Beim ersten Hören hat es mich überhaupt nicht erreicht. Beim zweiten Durchgang allerdings war es schon deutlich zugänglicher, nachdem ich wusste worauf ich mich einlasse. Und wer weiß, wenn ich es in ein paar Wochen, Monaten, Jahren höre, würde ich ihm vielleicht sogar 4 oder 5 Sterne geben, zunächst bleibe ich aber bei 3.

3.4/5 Decent Best track: No More Sorry

New one again for me. Not bad.

It’s ok. Reminds me a bit of Sonic Youth. I’m not super into the noise thing though. 3 stars.

Já já, þetta er ágætt.

Because of their in-studio technical prowess and experimentation, My Bloody Valentine tends to get a pass on their songwriting abilities. As a result, their records often feel like dissertations, rather than actual enjoyable album experiences. Isn’t Anything is made a little more enjoyable by the fact that they were pretty clearly trying to be Dinosaur Jr and/or Sonic Youth on a few tracks. Ultimately, that makes for a lopsided album: The more “traditional” songs end up interspersed with sonic experiments that succeed in varying degrees.

Есть ощущение твердо стоящего на ногах альбома. Есть эксперименты, но это не выходит в шизоавангард и держится в рамках. Но слушать через колонки кринж, быстро переключился на плеер. Лично меня не зацепил, но при этом не невзрачная тройка

3. I didn't mind it but I prefer their other works.

MBV were doing more interesting stuff than other Indie bands at the time but this album isnt the optimal example of that

pas mauvais.. shoegazin j'ai deja enetendu parler mais jamais vraimenta ccroché. Ca sonne comme une autre époque. Comme mon adolescence. 3.10

It worked pretty well as background music but I don't see much potential otherwise.

Miellyttävä. Parempi kun mbv mutta huonompi lun Loveless. 3/5

Vaikeasti arvioitava, kun raidat 2-4 ovat varmaan parasta mbv:tä, jopa parempaa kuin Loveless imo. Mutta sitten loput levystä on mitäänsanomatonta filleriä. Kai se on sitten 3/5.

Ihan hyvä, ei huonoin eikä paras MBV. 3/5

Listened Before? N Pretty cool. Reminds me of music that appeared 3-5 years later in the US. Indie rock that paralleled grunge like Dinosaur Jr. Not quite as catchy as some of their American counterparts but I enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Cupid Come

Fav: Lose My Breath

Pretty good, but nothing that really hooks me into coming back to it.

A very nice debut album for the legend My Bloody Valentine, but the best was yet to come with Loveless.

An ok album by My Bloody Valentine full of fuzz rock guitar and lo-fi vibes, with probably one of the first albums in the Shoegaze sub-genre. The sound of the album checks out with the whole band sleeping together in one house and recording off of a couple of hours sleep. However that surprisingly isn't a detriment to the overall ethereal and spectral quality of the album. Best: Lose My Breath Worst: Nothing Much To Lose

Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)- 1.1/5 Lose My Breath- 3.6/5 Cupid Come- 3.7/5 (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream- 4.2/5 No More Sorry- 4/5 All I Need- 3.2/5 Feed Me With Your Kiss- 3.4/5 Sueisfine- 3.5/5 Several Girls Galore- 3.6/5 You Never Should- 3.8/5 Nothing Much to Lose- 4/5 I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)- 5/5 Total- 3.6/5

This is pretty messy but I enjoyed it enough. 2.5/5

Helt ok 3.5

they’ve got that one idea, the whoa-whoa guitar thing, but they can’t write a tune or carry one

I think I just like one song by My Bloody Valentine!

No huge standouts for me, but generally ok. I understand that they're a defining noise artist, but a little too much noise for me.

I've given My Bloody Valentine a listen previously as on paper shoegaze should be my thing. I hear their influence on lots of great bands but I don't think I'm quite on board yet, though this was better than last time. Preferred the heavier, more overdriven stuff, some of the poppier songs passed me by. Will probably be a fan in 2-5 album plays, for now it's okay.

Absolutely fine, preferred the tracks with the majority male vocals, can't remember anything else about it. I thought they were an emo/screamo band, so I was surprised listening to this not-far-removed lift music.

Never listened to these before. Until engagingly recently I assumed they were some circa 2000 emo band..... Hmm... On the face of it I feel like I should like it more than I did. The guitars and drums are often great, but so much distortion that I can't understand the vocals....Is that shoegaze? Not convinced. I thought it got better towards the end of the album. "You never should" and "nothing much to lose" were the best tracks. This was interesting enough that I might be back, but not sold

I don't know if I have ever listened to them. They sound like if Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins merged. The way that they play guitar and drums make it seem like every one of these songs could be in Rock Band the video game. The more that the album goes on the less I like it to be honest. I can't really tell a difference in any of the songs and the singer just doesn't seem to fit in with the style of heavy rock. The drumming on Nothing Much to Lose is pretty hardcore though I must say. Good not great album. Feels like a 2.5 but i'll give it a roundup

Was scared to see "noise" be part of the genre after that one abomination, but this does it some justice! Love some of the feedback on this album. Just incredibly dissonant in a great way. Nothing really stuck out too crazy for me, but it was enjoyable and made me want to listen to Loveless again.

Better than the other My Bloody Valentine album (which coincidentally came up just yesterday!) I could actually understand some of the lyrics on this one, and the music seemed to be a bit punchier. Still not a big fan though.

Mörkt och coolt. Men ganska gymnasial edgy emo core. Det behöver inte ta så mycket från musiken, som är liksom omslutande, långa distade gitarrtoner som får hela skallen att vibrera. Jävligt punkigt och rockigt kan det också vara, som i t.ex. '(When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream' eller 'Feed Me With Your Kiss' (som blir en ganska kinky låttitel på svengelska). Emo-kåtheten blir aldrig så tydlig som i 'Sueisfine', där refrängen "behandlar" självmord - "Sue is fine / Sue is fine / Suicide / Suicide" - medan verserna beskriver sexuell åtrå - "Give me / Fuck / Come / Now you'll taste so good". Lite skruvat, men också precis så man vill ha sin deprimerade emo-rock. Kommer säkert återvända mer till mbv, men efter 2-3 lyssningar är det ändå någon slags tydlighet i låtarna som saknas, därför når det inte de riktigt höga betygen. Det kanske är svårt att få denna "tydlighet" då shoegaze och drömpop mer handlar om det mjuka, sammansmältande, men men. Bästa låt: You Never Should.

Starts a bit dull but picks up. Not my kind of music, a bit dreary but OK to listen to

-okay this is so interesting so far -that noise in the background is so ominous -its definitely a darker intense sound which i enjoy -i definitely like these songs but idk if i would listen to them again on my own -favorites: all i need, sueisfine -overall this album is really cool

Shoegaze banger

Amazing album but it actually frazzled my brain while listening.

I think this is one of those albums you probably would have appreciated more if you'd heard it right when it came out. Years later, it reminds me of bands like Hüsker Du and Dinosaur Jr but probably got there first. They also have their own later all-time great album that came to overshadow this one. Still, a good listen. Agree with some comments that it's nice to hear the bass and drums come out more on this album than in their later work.

I'll start by saying that Shoegaze isn't my go to genre. I understand Bloody Valentine put this genre on the map. The album is far more enjoyable than a lot of the followers. It has a certain rawness and unlike many followers, it's not over-produced.

This sounds seems more raw and a bit less developed than the last MBV LP we received, which makes sense since it came out a few years earlier. Reminiscent of Sonic Youth, with some shorter less noise-oriented songs and some more textured ambient sounds that helped them earn the label of the "shoegaze blueprint".

These songs make my head fuzzy. I don’t doubt their originality, but I will be doubting their range and innovation. Enjoyed most songs, although, they’re mainly the same. 3/5

soft soothing vocals over noisy guitars with oodles of feedback (in a good way) and driving drums. catchy bass lines. there were a few clunkers, but overall, not a bad listening experience. highlights: “soft as snow (but warm inside)”, “cupid come”, “feed me with your kiss”.

I'm very familiar with "Loveless" but never checked out the other albums by this band. This is their first one and it just kind of sounds like a bootleg Sonic Youth. Still good, but overshadowed into the nightmare dimension by their next album. I think it's pretty clear that they were still honing their craft here.

It's alright. Considering it was followed by Loveless which is so much better, it's hard to find reasons to listen to this one much

Kinda neat, mix sounds like shit though

Insane. Haunting. The first four tracks were a like. As it continued it started making me nervous. Too intentionally twisted. It's a yes/no vote.

i guess i see why others like it but not for me

Hadn't given this one much listening before, but has some great tracks. 3 stars

I like them. I like the other album better, but there are several pretty good songs on here. Nothing I added but still a good listen.

I thought this one was okay. A little above neutral all around, it made for solid background music. I like the singer but didn't care much for the guitar overall. I feel like they'd probably be a lot better at a live venue. No favorites, but no real dislikes. Nothing added to the list. I don't see myself seeking this out to listen again, but I wouldn't change it if it was already on. 5.8/10

I liked it, but I wish you could actually hear the vocals on half of these songs. Fav track: Nothing Much To Lose Worst track: All I Need

I’ve never listened to a full album by this lot and it was really good. Felt like the building blocks to a lot of later music I have loved. Some songs were stronger than others but the grungy feel was just right for me

A couple of great songs, in particular (When you wake) You're still in a dream got me excited. Unfortunately too far drowned in sound elsewhere.

It’s fine

It's funny how your tastes can change as you get older, I used to have loveless and I swear I used to enjoy listening to it. I can still understand why people enjoy it. But to be honest, I don't think it's dated that well. Just sounds like noise now.

I like this but it just seems like a underpowered rehearsal for Loveless which I think is a 5 star masterpiece. This is the birth of shoegaze. So it may be a bit unfair to compare but hey!

I actually liked this a lot. However, a big part of why I liked it is seeing an in-utero glimpse at the sounds that were fully birthed on Loveless. As a standalone experience I just don't think it holds quite as strongly, so I have have to give this a (very high) three stars.

Better than the other MBV album I had listened to. The songs are more memorable and different. Really cool distortion. Fave track(s): Cupid Come, [When You Wake] You're Still in a Dream, You Never Should

Stökigt och skränigt. Det bästa med dem är att de delade turnébuss med Poesie Noire vid något tillfälle under 80-talet.

3.5? Maybe? I liked it enough

6.5/10. weno pero no mgto tanto cmo el resto de mbv. nse esta el chugaze pero siento q las canciones son maomeno en gral. enbola lo estoy underrateando peronose

INT

Fuzzy, dreamy and occasionally unsettling, but really creative. Plays in the same noisy pool with the likes of Sonic Youth and the Jesus & Mary Chain, but you can see they are also creating something new and intriguing here. A little goes a long way. Fave Songs: Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside), I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It), Nothing Much to Lose, (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream, You Never Should, Sueisfine

Not really into this sound but I appreciate the guitar innovation

I mean they made loveless and that’s a really good album but this is just alright a little crap 3/5.

It's nice to listen to, but nothing stood out to me.

I know this band was popular with young girls and it was “pop” rock but not too bad. 3*

Not bad. 3/5 Standouts: "Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)"

Every time I listen to mbv, I want to like them more than I do. It's not bad, I just expect more.

I didn’t know they had been around since the 80s. I also the album wasn’t bad, but also wasn’t memorable.

Definitely pioneering in shoegaze but can get boring if your not in the mood

Stand-out: "You Never Should"

Can't really find a way to get into the post-punk/noise rock genre. Interesting soundscapes but i find it hard to listen to an entire album of it.

Its pretty great. IMO Its not a must-listen album, though, and there are only a couple of must hear tracks. 3/5

This album kind of washed over me, nothing positive or negative, I just didn't connect with it.

I find shoegaze to be fairly boring but I at least prefer this album to their supposed masterpiece "Loveless." I guess I should say I prefer them as an actual band rather than a monomaniacal vanity project. They at least have a slightly more dynamic sound and variety of emotion while in full band form. Considering the year, this was definitely ahead of its time, and I can hear how it influenced things to come.

I should like this band more than I do. The production just always sounds so muddled. Perhaps that's a feature and not a bug, because this was my favorite of all the Bloody Valentine albums I've been exposed to thus far.

I love the stuff MBV influenced, but find them a little hard to get into

Sounded like early grunge to me, distorted guitars, hard to understand lyrics. It wasn't loud and energetic though, more like slow and depressed. The description says shoegazing, I guess that could describe it. It wasn't bad, I might give it another listen.

Interesting album, not as good as their follow up

The debut album from mbv is not quite as strong as their later efforts, by there’s still plenty that works wonders and you can definitely see this as the pillar on which they build their future sound. Especially Shields’ amazing and truly innovative guitar and Butcher’s dreamy vocal are highlights while Ó Cíosóig’s energetic, erratic and snare heavy drumming (I mean, “Nothing Much To Lose”?!) provides just the right amount of insanity to the front persons’ ethereal tones. I played this at a level where my neighbors wouldn’t kill me. Maybe if I decided to fully turn up the volume, as is mvb etiquette, this would have received the last half star.

I don't know how I feel, honestly

An interesting listen that’s for sure. I want to say it’s like the Velvet Underground & Nico but just from the 80’s.

Le review sur le mariage de Charles arrive très bientôt, encore un peu de patience.

J'ai du interrompre mon écoute de cet album pour me rendre à un rendez-vous. A mon retour, j'ai relancé l'album comme toujours, et immédiatement cru que mon casque audio présentait un dysfonctionnement sonore. Et pourtant, il s'agissait bien des guitares saturées ignobles de my bloody valentine.

I forgot about this band and how much I like their mood. Smashing Pumpkins must have been influenced by them.

My Bloody Valentine are one of the loudest bands I have ever seen live, in the Sydney Refectory circa 1992 (on the Loveless tour). Part of the aesthetic is the ear-bleeding volume that these songs were designed to be played at. A friend snuck a portable cassette recorder in the venue to bootleg the gig. The volume blew out the limiters on the recorder, and, when we listened back afterwards, the tape was basically a 90 minute wash of white noise. So I love the noisiness, the wrongness of MBV. There are nice songs in there, but slathered in noise, mixed all upside down and drenched in reverb until the song almost disappears into the background. Their next album, Loveless, is even more extreme and is their real masterpiece. This record is an important and revolutionary step from being a relatively "normal" 80s indie band towards the monumental epic that is Loveless, but not quite fully given over to the weirdness of that record. I enjoy listening to this (although I suspect many/most wouldn't) but, at the end of the day, Loveless is the masterpiece. This was a breakthrough, inspiration and blueprint for the whole shoegaze genre, but MBV had further to go, out to an extreme where no-one has ever really managed to follow (not even the band themselves).

3.5

droning dissonant shoegaze static that I can't figure out if I actually enjoy. definitely prefer the fuller sound of Loveless over this 3.5/5

Was expecting a lot of doom and little fun - but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s doomy alright but so ese cent dunes and an overall pleasant listen.

It was alright.

Started off strong with Soft as Snow but kinda floundered around for the rest of the album.