Isn't Anything

Could only find some shitty YouTube from 15 years ago and even then I couldn’t find the whole album. Wasn’t worth tracking down the rest. Not as good as Loveless unfortunately (but not much is in this genre)

its like loveless but bad (and thats good)

Not yet Loveless

While not the fully realized transcendent vision that is Loveless, this is nonetheless a phenomenally cool and original alternative rock record.

interresting to hear the roots of what was to come in this

At this point in time, the band’s taste exceeds their abilities. There are some interesting ideas and the songs are ok, but the songwriting and musicianship is yet to reach the maturity it would need to record mbv’s masterpiece several years later.

Woof. Tough to get through. This is shoegaze? No thanks.

this album might have had the roughest opening i've ever heard. after that, it was up and down, but mostly down. at least they figured it out with loveless later

Sorry MBV this is mixed like dog water - there is little that is redeemable about this one for me.

Original shoegaze guitar, hasn't improved with time.

Pretty good.

This band perfected shoegaze

I’m not a huge fan of this band to begin with, and I’m a little surprised the generator chose this album rather than its far more famous and beloved follow-up, Loveless. There are certainly things to like here. Some decent songwriting, interesting structures, and genuine melodies buried somewhere in the mix. Tracks like “Nothing Much to Lose” and “Cupid Come” have an almost Pixies-adjacent quality that I could really get behind. Unfortunately, just as something promising starts to emerge, it sounds like somebody has started power-washing the studio windows, spraying a garden hose directly into the microphones, or operating a power drill in the next room. I understand that this is essentially the point of shoegaze, but to me, a lot of it just sounds like noise. Maybe that makes me sound a hundred years old, but I can’t help thinking that if they just cleaned some of this up, these songs would be substantially better. Instead, whatever melodies are there get completely sandblasted by sound. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins, particularly Siamese Dream, which I’ve always liked considerably less than Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Except I think the Pumpkins do this sort of thing much better. There’s clearly some musical talent and imagination here, and I can appreciate what they’re going for intellectually, but I don’t particularly enjoy listening to it. Ultimately, not my thing. I doubt I’ll revisit it. 3.9/10

could only listen to one song on spotify, the rest seem to have been removed from the platform

It has been significantly hard to assess this album on its own merit. Despite being a stepping stone in music as the pioneer of the Shoegaze genre, it is grossly overshadowed by its follow-up. However, there are not many albums that feel as compelling within the genre, making it a more than worthy inclusion. 8/10 [KEEP]

This tried my patience. It wasn’t bad but also like just not what I was in the mood to listen to at the time.

Mitä

Messy but in a good way

Much colder and less intimate than Loveless, their more successful follow-up. This is still a very interesting album, but unfortunately not the generational masterwork that this band would go on to create.

It's a bit meandering, though that sort of qualifies most shoegaze so maybe that's more of a genre issue. To its credit, it's considerably more accessible than Loveless and leans more into a classic rock sound with glimpses of noise shining through, so that's potentially a positive for people like me. I do appreciate the sorts of funky effects they can get out of an electric guitar. Standouts: Soft as Snow (Bur Warm Inside) • Cupid Come • (When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream • You Never Should

Mitenköhän tähän pitäisi suhtautua… tämä on ilmeisesti bändin debyytti enkä tunne muuta tuotantoa lainkaan. Vaikutelma on, että soitto- ja laulutaito on hyvin rajallinen mutta olen taipuvainen kuitenkin uskomaan, että koska yhtye on saanut levydiilin, on tämä soundimaailma ja genre ihan tietoinen valinta. Biisit ovat lähtökohtaisesti hyvin kehnoja, samoin laulu ja sinänsä erikoiset kitarasoundit alkavat koko albumin mitassa rasittamaan. On levyllä toki hyviä hetkiäkin kuten biisi Feed me with your kiss. 2/5

Favourite Songs: No More Sorry Feed Me With Your Kiss

a bit noisy punky, but also the production sounds a bit 'thin', with a very 80s feel. Not sure if this is something I might get into with some listening as it seems to be a precursor for some other stuff I used to like (Nirvana, Damned, Pixies), but this listen didn't grab me

Isn't Anything is a conundrum because it pairs extraordinary guitar tones with some of the worst songwriting you'll ever hear. Sonically this feels very much like Loveless, with harsh yet pretty sounds that weave and bend in interesting ways. "No More Sorry" is a great example of this - the way sounds just cascade over each other is lovely. It's such a shame then that nearly every verse and chorus just feels so clunky, rarely fitting together at all. While the band's later work has a lot of dream pop influence, meaning the sounds can wash over you, this feels more like punk, with harsher riffs that hit you haphazardly. Kevin Shields's vocals also feel just as clumsy as the music. The fact that the band fully realized their sound on later albums may make this one seem worse by comparison, but even standing alone I think it would not quite feel like it comes together.

MBV had always passed me by, I think I am ok with that.

Where's Loveless? 4.5.

Very shocked it’s this album on here. It’s pretty good but it’s no Loveless.

Dammit. Somehow, my rating didn't save, maybe because of my lengthy rant about albums that don't deserve a place on this list. This list included all three of MBV's studio albums. Are you kidding me? Much bigger bands have loads of better records with just three, or even fewer, entries here. Ok, back to #973 for me on this list. Like the other two MBV albums: Nope.

can someone please explain this band to me because i really want to understand but i just don't. the last song on this album is called I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It) and i think that just sums it up really.

loveless vokaller az olunca daha iyi olmuş ama, mbv'nin vekaletini dinlemek değişik

niezle spoko

Сара 1 Марко 1

shoegaze?? puh c

Shoegaze is hit or miss for me. This wasn’t a total miss, but definitely not a hit. I’ve liked their other stuff more.

Interesting and not bad. I enjoyed it, but it never made me go Wow! 3/5

I enjoyed it, but this probably doesn’t deserve to be on this list. MBV’s classic album Loveless does though, I love that one.

I think Loveless is better but I do like this one, annoying that I had to search for it.

Not great. Oh, well.

I liked this. I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, but it was still a very solid album that I’m glad I heard through this list. 4/5 ⭐️ 283/1081

I wish more of this was on Spotify. 15 year old scratchy YouTube rips aren’t the best way to enjoy this, but, this is some crunchy shoegaze and alternative from an early, pre grunge period, and it’s pretty dang good. The influence is way off the charts. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) Feed Me with Your Kiss

Hot take: shoegaze should have a limit to 5 albums tops….loveless not this.

Every so often a moment in a song floated by that I enjoyed. The rest just kind of existed, which sounds like it might be the point. What took me out were the moments of harsh change, almost clashing sounds, that might have been intentional. If they were, it seems counterintuitive to the rest of the style. If not, then it was time for another take. I definitely don't have the same hate for this as many reviewers, nor the same love. So I ask, would I seek it out again or recomend to most of my friends? Probably not.

Not on Spotify, listened to on Youtube

A foreshadowing of what MBV will become.

instrumentals where all good but the tempo of the vocals didn’t match in my opinion also mixed very low

had enough after 4 songs. a little too experimental and dream poppy for me

Not on any streaming anymore. Found a few tracks and didn't like the that much

Rubbish,

Nei det ble litt møddy og skrikene, emo girl. Profesjonelle naboer. Beste sang: (when you wake) You’re still in a dream

My bloody valentine hørtes utrolig kjent ut. De siste månedene har eg blitt merr og merr bevisst på introer og introen på dette albumet her e litt svak. Syns d e veldig kult koss de har klart å gjør platå hardere og hardere for kver sang. Men generelt masete greier. Best sang: You're still in a dream

6.5/10

Tricky one to find, not on any streaming. MBV is always pretty good, first intro to their early stuff. Rating: 4

Album 331. Isn't Anything (https://open.spotify.com/album/2ncj0SrtsnWzol4SWMk54b?si=axWBVhtmRCSl58EQZVO_3g&utm_source=copy-link) — My Bloody Valentine (1988) It was awful 1/5 No liked songs

just meh, probably didn't give it a proper chance.

This album is fatty, oily and misshapen. There's nothing to latch onto, no flavour, no tones, no point.

Not the best mbv but still decent album

Isn't Anything is a pretty solid album. This album definitely did feel less noisy than both Loveless and m b v but for some reason, i didn't like this album as much as those two. I guess it could just be the fact that even though those albums did get a bit repetitive, i still oddly enjoyed their hypnotic sounds which this one seemed to lack. However, i'm not saying this was a bad album at all. I still very much enjoyed the very dream pop nature and the songs still sounded really nice even if the vocals were very weird. It was still most definitely an enjoyable listen but i just think it lacks some of what i enjoyed about Loveless and m b v. Best Song: Lose My Breath Worst Song: Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) Side note: Final My Bloody Valentine album meaning: 1. m b v 2. Loveless 3. Isn't Anything

Muito bom. Devia ter ouvido antes.

On se fait un peu chier et pas fan de certaines sonorités

Ok, but lacked polish. Probably amazing for 1988, but you can see the blueprint out created for future rock music.

Didn’t enjoy this one. I have to be really annoyed to give an album only one star, but personally this was at most 1.5. Headache-inducing. Just went back and saw i gave Sonic Youth 1 Star for a 1.5 album with too much distortion, so in fairness this will probably get the same rating. Although perhaps two stars would average it correctly, not sure this is the one in would want to favor

Favorite Song: Cupid Come Least Favorite: Feed Me With Your Kiss

Couldn’t hear the whole thing cause it’s not streaming anywhere, but wasn’t in love with what I did here. I’m sure it’s great! Just not my thing

The album sounds like falling into thick a vibrating tar pit tumbling rapids waterfall that engulfs and immobilizes you while you are trying to brake free to swim to shore. Certainly not my valentine. 5/10

This is another one of those 80s albums that might be something but we'll never know because of the horrendous production. If they would have got Alex Sadkin, Chris Hughes or someone who is really skilled like that in the booth then maybe they'd have something, but this is pretty much unlistenable as it stands. Two stars, one of which is for what may or may not be there if you could actually hear it.

Why are the vocals so low in the mix? Is it because they can’t sing? It certainly isn’t because the guitar playing is great

Mbv only makes me remember a magical night with a girl that i never got to know better… Great album and great memories… I hope you are doing great J.

I appreciate what they are doing…And it's hard for me to connect with.

Not a big fan of the first couple of songs. But after those couple of songs, the songs getting better and better. Their other albums are probably better than this one. Well I suppose the other albums are better. So: 3/5

Noisy, boring, and hard to find. Not something I overly enjoyed. Rating: 2/10 Favorite Track: Cupid Come

Kind of a messy, whiny rock.

ugh, my ears are bleeding

Enjoyed some songs, got into the album more as it went on Standout songs: All I need You Never Should

So seismic and influential it launched a genre. Not going to be for everyone, vocals are standard enough 80s indie and some of music is inaccessible. The music ranges from the face melting riffs of Feed Me With Your Kiss, the "heartbeat" drums of the proto-Loveless All I Need, to the deeply unsettling atmosphere of No More Sorry. There are unexpected shifts and sounds throughout, will surprise those willing to dive in it's waters. This was a game changing record, but is still only a footnote to the absurd genius that Kevin Shields and co would produce next. 8/10

I only really liked the 3rd track. Shoe gaze is fine as background music, but it just feels like it never goes anywhere

I just do r see the appeal- it’s just noise!

Yeah, this isn’t anything.

I thought it was pretty good. It's a misty, hazy album, perfect for this overcast fall day (as long as you don't step outside and realize that it's still as hot as summer). This isn't something that I would be into all the time, but today it hits just right. It's a pity this isn't a bit easier to find on music streaming, but such is the way everything is going these days. Favorite track: "No More Sorry"

I get that Loveless is like the perfection of what Kevin Shields was trying to achieve but I prefer the sound of this album where you can more clearly hear a band at work. I like how Soft As Snow sounds like a whitey. The whole album is whitey adjacent and yes that is a good thing.

Kanske nyskapande, men jag kan inte lyssna på det.

Again not accessible to me :(

Did not enjoy the emo, angsty vibe of this. Not a fan

Not a lot to grab onto on this album for me. It has a mood for sure, but just nothing that really hooks me

Not my favorite album of theirs, but still great. Favorite tracks: No More Sorry, Lose My Breath

It's kinda garage generic background music. Top tracks: "Several Girls Galore," "I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)"

--Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)...oh my, we startin' weird. not really my thing but the bass is nice --Lose My Breath...spacey. more of a collage than a song. maybe that's just shoegaze --Cupid Come...more of a "normal" rock song. it's not very interesting. like a mediocre power punk ballad --(When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream...I like Bilinda Butcher's backup vocals but there's not much else I'm latching onto --No More Sorry...now there is something here. could be a killer needle drop to some weird David Lynch-like film --All I Need...Wall of Guitars --Feed Me with Your Kiss...lots of noise. I think there's a pretty straightforward rocker in there somewhere --Sueisfine...the drums are fun. if you can get past the "I don't really care" vocals, it kicks --Several Girls Galore...confusing. I feel confused --You Never Should...this could actually get on the radio. nice bass --Nothing Much to Lose...a lot of songs on this LP settle into a nice groove at some point but then that groove gets overridden by dissonance. probably done with intent, doesn't mean I have to like it --I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)...a surprisingly tranquil closer

The emporer has no clothes. GTFO.

Do not see the appeal here. This was not available on Tidal, Qobuz, or Apple Music. Listened on YouTube, but honestly have no idea if it was actually the album - I've been caught by that before. Nothing about this was enjoyable.

I thought My Bloody Valentine was supposed to be some jazz song?? I guess not

This doesn't hit the heights of Loveless, but you can hear the template being created that allowed such a behemoth of a record to be made. I feel this album would reward repeat listening. It's got some real crackers on it.

Just a bit boring

In the wheelhouse of the types of sounds I enjoy, but overall the songs didn't really connect with me.

overrated

Бля ну я не могу понять, как будто жужит пылесос, но в целом жужит как то с чувством с толком с расстановкой

Surprised to see this given we already had Loveless which is a firm firm favourite of mine to absolutely blast on headphones when the mood strikes me. For some reason never listened to this despite having heard loads of the EPs and stuff before it (You Made Me Realise in particular is definitely my fave of their EPs. I still haven't heard their more-recent-but-now-over-a-decade-old "mbv", I'll have to give that a go. Anyway, giving this one a lot more attention since it's well overdue that I listened to it. Opening track didn't give me high hopes, a bit of an underproduced vibe, vocals far too legible lol. Cupid Come was a lot more like it, catchy verses and leading to a nice heavy outro that was much more what I was expecting when I hit play. And then the rest was much MUCH more like what I was expecting, Feed Me with Your Kiss I think I've heard before In general in this album, it's like they hadn't quite worked out how to bury their vocals deep in the mix like they did for Loveless, and same for the guitar to be quite honest, but it's so so noisy in such a good way for me

Possibly went in a little biased from not really enjoying loveless (or the first couple of songs on here really), but this didn’t do much for me 2.5

3.8

I understand the appeal (it’s a frustrated emo record), but I’m not too sure. It was too noisy for me in certain parts. The first song I actively disliked (with it’s different instrumentals not matching with each other, intentionally). However, later tracks like Cupid Come and When You Wake were more standard and mainstream and I enjoyed more. “Calmer” tracks, like All I Need, were followed by a string of harder and noisier ones, starting with “Feed me with your kiss”.

7/10