Loveless

EZ Five stars, reminds me of late summer in Cincinnati, riding my bicycle back to Liberty Hill from Ault park at dusk...

Really interesting use of looping and distortion

Given the renewed popularity of shoegaze inspired genres in the indie scene in the early 2020s you can really hear how this album influenced them. Loved it.

It's reputation precedes it. I've never listened to this album, I think I was intimidated by all the hype. Here's what I know going into it: it's considered one of if not the best album of the 1990s by multiple music publications, it's highly experimental guitar music, and you're supposed to listen to it LOUD. I'm looking forward to finally getting into it. Beautiful noise! I'm doing the most mundane bullshit at work and this is interesting enough to keep me in it, but ambient enough to not distract me. I think a more focused listening session after work will really pull me in. I just keep starting it over again at my desk. It feels like dreaming, or just waking up from a dream, or being very pleasantly high trying to remember what you were just talking about and walking through a party. The enormous distortion effects give this lucid, head-in-bag aura, out-of-body quality that I've never really heard captured musically before, closest feeling would be Cocteau Twins. It's meditative. I have read a little about how outrageously loud their shows were for this album, I can imagine that at ear-splitting volume this would induce intense emotion . If I didn't have a toddler, I would be cranking this on my home stereo tonight.

I did not know who this band was until now, but damn is this a fantastic album! I know this genre is described as dream pop or noise rock, and My Bloody Valentine is a great representation of this style. The heavily distorted guitar rhythms and dreamy vocals are my jam! Will definitely keep this album for future listens! Favorite Song(s): "I Only Said", "Only Shallow", "Sometimes", "Soon", "When You Sleep"

CLASSIC BANGER

The kind of music that people who are really into music like (slightly vague, lots of loops, high pitched voice ‘woo’ing over it’s own modulated feedback) - am aspiring to the be the kind of person who can properly differentiate between tracks

based classic

It's strange how some albums just hit you. I love this. I saw them play once and am sure they were the loudest band I've ever heard. Swimming in sound

I meant the doors review about this one.

Lesssss goooo

Oh man, what could I possibly say about this album that hasn't been said before. I can't think of any album that effectively killed a genre quite like this did with shoegaze. Sure there have been other great shoegaze albums after this, but this is just universally held up as number 1. It sounds exactly like the album cover looks, sweet pop songs covered in a thick pink wave of guitar noise. Sometimes is one the most heartbreaking songs you'll ever hear. I plan on enjoying this album for the rest of my life, I don't think i'll ever get tired of it.

A milestone as well as a masterpiece, highly original and emotionally impactful. One remains somewhat mystified why one likes it so much and feels quite so affected by it – something about the dramatic way the melodic swirl forms within the distortion and fuzz, or how the rhythmic drive and energy contrast with the purely abstracted noise art. Every time one listens to it, one wonders why one doesn't listen to it more frequently.

it's Kinda Good it's a bit underground you know...... not many people have heard of it...... (this is dripping with sarcasm)

мне честно зашло но настолько на грани дозволенного, что я в ахуе

5.0 + A loving mermaid sings you a warm lullaby and rocks you gently in a violent ocean of guitars at sunset.

One of the greatest albums of its and any era. Most albums start sting and Peter out. Loveless just keeps building and gets stronger. I never understood a word of it for 30 years until Spotify published the lyrics. I’m still not much wiser 😂

awesome texture and the occasional surprisingly big riffs; a true landmark for rock music

11 brilliant pop tracks thrown through a meat grinder and melted on the face of the sun; as essential and brilliant as they come.

Innovative, grungy

Catching up my "unrated" albums and 2 BMV albums in a row. Already marked MBV with 5 stars and then this comes along, wanna give 6 stars. Guess this music is missing what many like about music, some cheerful melody with singalong lyrics. But this is what makes my brain happy, feel at ease with the sounds, voices, rhythms and general atmosphere. Gets you in a pleasant trance. Dunno why. Must be something wrong with me.

Best. Album. Ever.

The album that got me into shoegaze music, and a staple of the genre.

I clearly remember hearing this one for the first time as a teenager and being a little confused by it, I don't think it was what I expected. By the 3rd or so listen I loved it, and I've loved it ever since. Single handedly started my obsession with shoegaze and dream pop which continues to this day! This is one of the albums by which I judge other albums to be a 5. Like, if it can't stand next to this one, can it REALLY be that great? A top 5 of all time for me, easily. Getting it today is literally just an excuse to keep it on loop. In other words, a good fucking day. Tl;Dr: If this album isn't perfect, then I don't know what is. 🤷

The album that all other shoegaze is compared against. Such an amazing guitar sound...it is no wonder Kevin Shields basically had to retire after this one. So influential that Billy Corgan and the Pumpkins pretty much ripped it off for Siamese Dream. Such a vibe...as someone who generally doesn't care about lyrics this type of music is very much my alley. Probably why it is a top 30 of all timer for me. 5/5

Big and noisy, but carefully crafted rather than reckless. I loved this and was surprised I hadn't heard it before. You can hear the inspiration the record has provided for other bands (Wolf Alice for example) - that signature shoegazey sound with disconnected, daydreamy lyrics. Highlight is when you sleep.

One of best and important albums of all time. Timeless classic. From my home country too!

They just gave me a different MBV album a couple days ago and in that review I mentioned how I constantly listen to this album. Guess I'll be listening to it again. And a million times after, you don't need to tell me today's the day to listen to this.

My bloody valentine. I wish I'd been listening to this for 30 years rather than just ten or so. Still, it manages to sound fresh, evocative of a bygone era in music, and timeless simultaneously. 'to here knows when' is like swimming in music. Every track is great, no chaff here.

Not beating the pretentious allegations with this one.

Beautifully atmospheric and dreamy noise pop/shoegaze album. It's all about those fuzzy and layered guitar sound - forget about the lyrics because it isn't important. They created something unique over 30 years ago and no album sounded quite like this ever since then. Every time I listen to 'Loveless' it blows my mind. It's easily one of my favourite albums from the past three decades. Favourite songs: Only Shallow, Loomer, Come In Alone, Sometimes, Blown A Wish, Soon

My favorite album...

YES !!!!!!!!!!!

One of the finest shoegaze works. A sharp, violen, and introspective album that defined what this movement was about back in those days, and is still influencing artists today. The juxtaposition between the over-processed guitars sounds and Belinda Butcher’s voice is intense, and ironic to a some degree. It’s like a human surrender in front of a mechanical beast. The sequencing is flawless; it takes you down a journey to your primal fears. One of a kind. Masterpiece.

These are amazing soundscapes, I think of it like the abstract art of the music world. Not a bad song on here, and still holds up after all these years.

Another one of those records that defined a genre. Simultaneously beautiful and angry, intense and relaxing. A work of art that is one of the best albums of the 90s.

I love this album so much and have been listening to it a bunch over the past few years. There are few albums that are flawless in terms of production and the sound they are going for and this is one of them.

idk yet

Perfection.

This is one of my favorite albums. When I first discovered it, it took many listens for it to click with me. I'm glad I gave it so many chances, because it grew to be an all-time favorite. Deserves all the praise it gets!

This is one of those albums that I just loved as soon as I heard it. It starts with the avalanche of sound, and there's so much texture and richness to it. Usually I focus a lot on the vocals for rock music, but I have no idea what they're saying, and it doesn't feel like it matters. It just blends in with the wall of sound that you're constantly swimming through with this album. It's by far my favorite shoegaze album, and you can just hear the impact that this album had on tons of bands that came after them, especially groups like the Smashing Pumpkins 5/5 I wish that the low end of the audio was just a bit cleaner, but that's really the only thing that I have to criticize this album about

An easy 5 for me. Melodic noise that I immediately latched onto. I love the warbly warpy sound, the vocals, percussion,… I wore out the cassette back in the day.

Outstanding. I've listened to this album alot and it still sounds like it came from nowhere.

Absolutely fantastic album, one of my favourites. Started listening to this when I was in college and it has been a constant in my life ever since. I think it did take me a while to get into it properly, "Only Shallow" hooked me though and from there I knew the rest of the album was for me. I really think this is a near perfect album; it's unique, hugely influential, and is a pinnacle of alternative music in general. Best Irish album ever released, in my humble opinion.

Yes

Lol. Another certified banger

Absolute classic

geetars

A hugely important album whose influence can’t be overstated. Shoe gaze isn’t for everyone but I do think this record is accessible. While this isn’t something I’ll always seek out I’ve gotta go 5. When You Sleep and Sometimes are phenomenal, but the real strength is it’s cohesiveness and style.

When you make an album so good it starts a genre and becomes the standard to which all others are held.

Absolute CLASSIC!! My ears are ready to BLEED!!

Masterpiece

Excellent 4.5/5

amazing. incredible. stupendous. ethereal. i’m a sucker for distorted chords and whiny vocals fav tracks: only shallow, loomer, to here knows when, when you sleep, i only said, come in alone, sometimes, blown a wish, what you want, soon

im an emotional wreck, this is a journey to listen to, i embody female rage whilst cross dimensional traveling fav songs: only shallow, when you sleep, i only said, come in alone, blown a wish, what you want, soon

Annan näköjään nää vitoset pois listalta kummittelemasta. MBV on minulle kovin kovin rakas yhtye, joka toimii aina, ilossa, surussa ja rakkaudessa.

10/10 genre defining classic. I can’t say much that hasn’t already been said but this album still floors me today like it did when I first heard it. This is THE shoegaze album.

Generated by the list generator the day after we got Psychocandy. It is equally good and probably even more influential. One of the best albums of the 90s.

Ok it was actually brilliant, loved the reinvention of the guitar, the production was superb, there was enough difference between songs and overall, this was incredibly enjoyable. There are some things I'm not sure about, the gristle in the tracks could get frustrating and some songs stayed in the same place for too long making me hesitant about a five, I will relisten soon, but, ultimately, there was so much this album did right, and totally changing my view of production of guitar I think this will be a five. An essential record.

Classic

Masterpiece. Likely in my top 10 of all time.

I love this album and was very happy to told to listen to it.

gah this is just iconic, shoegaze at its best

I fell in love with MBV after hearing one of their earlier tracks, Strawberry Wine, on a free NME cassette (look it up!). Saw them live in the late 80s and they were awesome. This was the pinnacle album wise, but there are better EPs out there. You Made Me Realise has an amazing B-side. Sometimes is the highlight for me, but I could listen to this over and over.

quintessential shoegaze

Onhan tää nyt ihan älyttömän hieno! Ei voi mitään vaik en oo tän genren suurin diggari! Uu vittu jee et on hyvä!!! 5/5

Klassikko! Hämmästyttävää, että tavallaan normibändistä saa tommosia saundeja ulos. 5/5.

One of my favorite records of all time. I could not love Loveless more. It was a great joy to see it show up for a Friday listen.

Ah shit 10/10

Masterpiece.

Classic album

This album made me a fan of shoegaze

Trop cool :)

I somehow relaxed to this before work (though it unsettled me in equal measure). Had to restart multiple tracks because with noise from outdoors all this album sounded like was white noise HL: Loomer, When You Sleep, To Here Knows When August 25 2022

Noise, layers, ethereal. It's such an amazing album.

The album sounds exactly in the colours of its cover art - not too pinkish (we know, it happens in shoegaze) but rather in dark ruby-pink colours. I like rediscovering it again and again, it definitely has huge power.

Perfect album.

This album pioneered rock during the nineties and even the 2000s. Maybe I'm not fully convinced on production, but that's nitpicking in this particular case. An absolute masterpiece.

Yes loud and angry

Brilliant

Whooa. Loveless. Gonna love other peoples reviews here. The apex of shoe gazing. Walls of guitar that overwhelm and almost destroyed Creation Records due the Kevin Shields perfection seeking. I know it well. And playyyy...The sheer joy of "when you sleep" the magnificence of "soon" There is nothing like this album. 5.

we love you

Mmm fuzzy goodness 5

one of the legendary shoegaze albums, it’s just incredible

Flawless

Shoegaze zoals het hoort te zijn. Erg genoten van dit toch wel stevige album

Actually one of my all-time favorites

If you love (this album) less, you deserve to have love (in your life) less. Easily the most influential independent album of the last thirty years. Play it loud.

Специфическое звучание, но классное

Fantastic album, still sounds fresh after almost 30 years.

Like a warm cuddly cocoon. Climb in and bath in the beautiful sounds. Sheer genius.

Suck my beautiful cock.

Merrrrrry Christmas

The definitive shoegaze album. A true classic. Legendary.

Dreamy

Beautiful and entrancing white noise! Like Fuzz with less brutal distortion. 5 stars!

Sometimes still the best song on this album

Veinte añitos de este gran disco lleno de tantas cosas. "soon" probablemente mi favorita, pero aquí no hay skips. 10/10

A really great introduction to Shoegaze, One of the songs reminds me of No Care by Daughter. The intro was my favourite.

Often imitated, never replicated. A rightful classic

Banger!

wow.

Yep, 100% understand why this is on the list. Wave after wave of dreamy sounds. I don't have a magic carpet, but if I did, I imagine this would be the soundtrack to riding on it.

The gem! True roots of shoegaze! The band hired 19 different studios during the album's recording in 89-91. Awesome sound!

The definitive Shoegaze album, perfect from start to finish.

A surprise 5 for me. I really really liked this and I can tell how much it inspired future alt rock / chill wave of the aughts.

Great album and sound! I really enjoyed it!

Most brilliant album. I love this already but damn right this has come up.

A classic. Love the unique guitar style

Listened to this on the right day with the right mood. ‘Twas kismet.

Feels very 90s rock

This was a hugely influential album for me and I listened to it well over 100 times; because I get like that when I love an album.

<3

starting out with a classic

Sensational

Masterpiece.

Dreamy and ethereal and noisy

noisy, textured - pretty tricky to listen to but 5 stars for the effort

Such a moody album. Feels like floating for 45 minutes on end. Gorgeous tones and breathy vocals make this an album for the ages.

Classic alert! Great album, I've known this one for a while. It took me ages to realise there were two vocalists on this, their voices sound so similar..

Great. Loved it

already in the collection..5 star depending on mood!

Perfecto, obviamente.

Great shoe gaze album. A great full sound and great guitar.

classic shoegaze. one of my all timers

Loudest album ever.

Knew this one

Amazing

9

The sound!!!

godDAMN

Very good but drags a bit. Can't figure out if the guitarist loves tape or a whammy bar a lot

Cocteau Twins but different (amazing review I know hush)

Saturated euphoria. I've known this album from quite a while, discovered it about 6 years ago or so, and listened to it sporadically, and yet, I was surprised by how much joy it brought listening to it again today. This record is fantastic and contagiously happy. The beautiful and catchy melodies are very seductive. Combined with the dizziness and disorientation created by the immense wall of sound, I enter in this state of pure joy and being high, and I can't leave because the repetitive motives keep dragging me in. The joy it offers basically comes in two forms: energetic or relaxed. The songs "only shallow", "when you sleep", "i only said", "come in alone", "what you want" and "soon" would fall in the first category, as they have a energetic nature, with hard hitting riffs and very present drumming, while "loomer", "touched", "to here knows when", "sometimes" and "blown a wish" are more relaxing, lacking drums and focusing on the ethereal sound of the project. I have to mention that these are not exclusive categories, as some songs share elements from both. In conclusion, phenomenal album. No wonder why it is considered the pinnacle of shoegaze by many.

grungey yet pop'y goodness

I had never heard of the shoegaze genre before listening to My Bloody Valentine. My immediate thought upon playing Loveless (once I managed to find it on YouTube) was, "Billy Corgan was definitely influenced by these guys." Smashing Pumpkins does it better, in my opinion, but Loveless is still a solid album in its own right.

This album is like looking at a decaying photograph of better days from the perspective of someone going through an apocalypse Liked it a LOT - didn’t like the jump scares at the start of songs (super loud beginnings to songs after super quiet endings to the previous song) but that could just be that I was listening late at night - ANYWAY I shall be listening to this more for sure !

I enjoyed this

I’m coming around in this one, it requires the space provided in a good system to really be heard.

grace floats above noise don't know if I am dancing or drowning in sounds

Heel vet en dromerig

I Only Said may have the catchiest single melody of I’ve ever heard in my life

Buen sonido, sentido de melodia. Me sorprendió y me gustó mucho

This was surprisingly a great listen. I was really thinking I was about to hear some deep cut emo album but they took me by surprise.

Wasn't really feeling this for a bit after the first track. Once we got to 'when you sleep' however, it was nothing but straight heaters. Absolutely loved it by the end.

As any music nerd will tell you, this one's the crowning achievement of shoegaze and probably more interesting from a technical standpoint than Isn't Anything, and I do appreciate the hazy, amorphous atmosphere of it. And yet, I can't help but miss the hodgepodge of goth and noise rock and indie pop and whatever that they were throwing in on their earlier work! The extreme consistency of Loveless soundwise is both its biggest asset and its greatest drawback; I'm up for Kevin's grand artistic vision mostly, but eventually I do want to hear *more* from them! Honestly, this is just synecdoche for the same thing happening to shoegaze in general? Like, there were all sorts of bands taking varied approaches to the genre before Loveless, and now after Loveless, all the bands seem to just wish they could Pierre Menard, Author of the Loveless.

I remember in a music documentary someone describes this album like a mermaid falling into a black hole which is pretty accurate

Ethereal and dreamy with a bit of grit. 4/5.

Always been more into the Slowdive side of shoegaze, but this is still pretty good albeit harder to get into. Noisy, but that elevates the ethereal vocals even more.

3.5/5

While I had heard of this album prior to listening, I don't think I ever actually listened to it before. This is a pretty unique album. It is noise rock meets dream pop. The sounds are very interesting and while the lyrics are very hard to understand, that doesn't bother me much. The distortion is done tastefully and some things are very catchy. I would listen again for sure.

If you don't know the background of this album, the band (and specifically Kevin Shields (who is the vocalist and guitarist of the band) was so difficult during the recording process and spent so much money on the album, that it pretty much put their label - Creation Records - out of business. The label dropped them and the band didn't release another new album until 2013. I love this album though. It's right in my wheelhouse and is considered one of the greatest shoegaze albums ever. I've heard that the band's concerts were some of the loudest ever, and I can picture this music just being played loud. Love it!

Began this thinking it was Bullet for my Valentine. So glad it wasn’t. Love this feel. Chill Mother’s Day, Abby played hide and seek with the girls and we gave flowers to our moms. Eloise and her sprinkler, Amelia and her donkey

4.49 sterne. echt interessant, auch einige banger wie zb sometimes

Well dang the first song was a lot to take in i just came from listening dire straits, so it was a very big contrast lol love the vibes of when you sleep!!!

Вайб ночью слушать

Gives of this creepy, nostalgic, distorted vibe, that makes you feel like beeing trapped in some digital realm. I like when an album creates such a destinct atmosphere and consistently builds on it from song to song.

Obviously a classic, but i don’t love all of it

Really cool. Reminds me a lot of Jesus and Mary Chain and Cocteau Twins. Wish it was on Spotify because I swear the YouTube audio is sub par. This was my intro to MBV and I’m glad to have encountered.

Još jedan od onih kultnih albuma koje se nisam mogla natjerati da dotaknem prije ove liste, i vrijedilo je čekati jer mi se sviđa ali ne previše. Lijepa buka, manje lijepi glasovi, nekako mislim da bih bila veći fan da nema vokala ali eto.

Wasn’t sure on first listen. Totally didn’t realise who mbv were or what era. Enjoyed this more towards end and will listen again

bummed this isn't on spotify, listening to it for the first time on youtube and loving it youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILCs0sP-F6Y

"Artish, creative. Liked it."- I wrote about the other MBV album here. I can repeat it. Very good album.

I’ve heard a couple of the songs on this album. The sound is gigantic. The phrase “wall of sound” doesn’t do it justice, it’s an apartment block of sound. only shallow: 7.5/10 Really groovy. Catchy guitar. loomer: 6/10 touched: 5/10 to here knows when: 6/10 Wow. That sound is incredible. I’ve never heard something like that before. when you sleep: 8/10 Absolute pisser of a song. Fantastic. i only said: 6/10 come in alone: 6/10 sometimes: 9/10 Biblical blown a wish: 5/10 what you want: 6/10 soon: 7/10

it’s a good listen. kevin shields live rig is insane. had to pull out the cd because it wasn’t currently streaming.

Really cool lyrics! My ears hurt so bad halfway through and near the end lol

Some really fun guitar work / tones on here.

An album that definitely grows on you. Still not fully convinced by it, it's sad that you can't always hear the lyrics, interesting music, to be revisited. 1. when you sleep 2. sometimes 3. soon

I might have heard a song or two a few times by them but generally wasn't that familiar. But ya, I really liked it, the dissonant sounds mixed with the nice singing.

Das ist für mich ein ultimatives Wohlfühlalbum, eine warme Decke aus Wall of Sound. Perfektes Kopfhörer auf und Tagträumen Album. Chill Out Beats made of noise.

i remember really loving this in 2020. it’s still fantastic.

Not bad! I like their heavier, gritty kind of sound and may revisit this

There is a great deal of experimentation on Loveless. They pioneered a new use of synths, overdrive pedals and washed out forms production to create a blanket of all encompassing sound. You can hear touches of Cocteau Twins at points, but they’ve taken elements of that sound and dialled it up the greatest possible extreme. At this time, My Bloody Valentine displayed an exceptionally rare quality - an ability to innovate and create their sound from scratch, similar to what Kraftwerk did in the 70s. I Only Said is a clear example of how My Bloody Valentine’s approach to production differs from a typical rock band. The mix of every instrument is smudged together to create this completely new sound. Only the lead synth line cuts through apart from the rest of the instrumentation. The sound, image and feel that My Bloody Valentine have crafted on this record is a clear influence on countless records, including a teenage fave of mine - The Horrors’ Primary Colours, which is still one of my favourite records. (The track names on that album even look the same!) When I was younger it was the more melodic first half which grabbed me the most, but I now find the subtler moments on the second half LP equally grab me. This is an album I’m sure I’ll return to throughout my life.

you gotta remember that these guys came about and did something that no one had even thought about before revolutionising music changing the scene forever bringing new meaning to sonic spaces lower case song titles. what u think it was that billie eilish? your precious Taylor swift?? You dumb zoomers no it was the bois & girls from Dublin & you best remember it 7 / 10 best track/s: when you sleep, soon

Highlights - Every song except Touched Lowlights: Touched Loved this, wish I could hear what anybody was saying tho.

Goddamn I wish this was on Spotify. Hard for me to keep it all straight in my head, but this was pretty damn cool. Take a 3 second snapshot from any point in the album and it sounds like messy noise, but put it all together and it seriously transports you. Shoegaze, maybe at its best. A great listen. Also, what a perfect opening to an album.

I missed this when it came out back in the day as I was in grunge mode in the early 90s. This is pretty solid. Lots of fuzz and noise but has a hint of vulnerability that makes it click. Pretty cool.

Love these distorted guitar sounds. It's what I live for. I can definitely here some Britpop-like elements in here, which I think make it worse. Drumming isn't great either. But on the whole this was good. This is a band I've been meaning to listen to for a while now, and I'm annoyed I didn't do sooner. Very atmospheric - the vocals do so much for this atmosphere building - and, again, I love a distorted guitar.

I really liked this. Solid grungy rock that just had me banging my head

Definitely sounds better with headphones on, listened in the car also and it just didnt hit the same. Not sure exactly what i was expecting with this, idk if this was it. Did really enjoy it, i think this could grow on me still also (4/5)

Not on Spotify. Going to need to come back to this one. Update after finding it on YT, how did I miss this one in the 90s? I really, really liked this.

Wow! Expected to hate it, but it so creative, has so cool sonic landscapes that includes both vulnerable pop melodies and arrangements and wall of noise... This is so artsy, that it changed my mind about this type of music.

Pretty great; there was one track where the dissonance wasn't agreeing with me, but overall I really enjoyed this. 4/5

Je le vois passer dans des listes depuis des années et je ne m'étais encore jamais sérieusement penché dessus. Et maintenant que je l'ai fait, je dois dire que je suis très content de mon écoute. Je connais assez mal la shoegaze et c'est l'un des meilleurs exemples que j'ai pu entendre jusque-là. Parce que My Bloody Valentine ne se contente pas d'avoir un son assez vague et un chant peu mis en avant. En plus de ce qu'on peut attendre d'un album du genre, on a aussi un côté noise très appuyé qui rend l'album particulièrement onirique et rend la musique d'autant plus distante, souvent cachée par la couche d'effets sonores (entièrement faits à la guitare noyée dans des effets, si j'ai bien compris). Rien à dire, c'était vraiment très cool.

Lovely dreamy shoegaze

I got to see, in real time, the cultural shift which made Loveless (and shoegaze at large) go from music for only the most far gone of Pitchfork readers to the soundtrack of Gen Z music nerds' specific type of ennui. And honestly, it kind of makes sense. This album has a really particular emotional palette. The guitars straddle the line between euphoric and crushing, the melodies are pleasant, and almost hopeful, but the vocals are small and despondent. The result is an album that makes you feel like you're in a dream, having an overwhelming sensory experience. And I can see how people connect so closely to it, especially considering that these songs are ultimately pretty approachable pop on a structural level. But I don't quite connect as closely here as the true believers. And it ultimately comes down to the writing I think. I don't think that, on a writing level, any of these songs are really fantastic (with the exception of When You Sleep, which is very well written). But ultimately this is an "aesthetics" album, so I can let it get away with some of this. But where I think Loveless succeeds most is in it's guitar playing. Loveless' guitar tone and playing style is kind of a generational accomplishment in guitar music. Kevin Shields did basically reinvent the guitar on Loveless, and I don't think anyone has really replicated it. The playing is so textural and so deeply abstract that the melodies sound like they were carved out of a wall of sound, rather than played. Although, there are still melodies that kind of emerge; it's abstract, but not formless. And I think it really is ingenious, and unique. Even if I don't think this is really a perfect album, I do really appreciate the soundscapes here and admire the construction. I just can't quite connect on as deep a level as some people, mostly due to the songwriting. That being said, I am also the kind of person more built for My Bloody Valentine's live show than their albums. I want my noisy music to really hurt. So basically, I'm not ruling out the possibility of this becoming a 5 if I'm ever able to hear it at irresponsibly, *truly* dangerously high volumes.

Shoegaze classic and foundational. How can you go wrong?

Maybe I was in the right mood to listen to shoegaze ... I actually enjoyed it. "Loveless" just might be the best album in that particular sub-genre.

Can appreciate the influence and originality but MBV aren't one I've felt compelled to return to over the years. Still good stuff.

I didn’t know this anlbum—and I should’ve. Moody, full of wonderful(!) distortion. I’ll come back to this.

Love this. So much grunge & ambience, creating the warmest & heaviest of soundscapes. For some reason I always used to think that my bloody valentine were a screamo heavy metal band, but how wrong was I? I’ll definitely be coming back to this album as I’m sure there is so much more to pick out from it after first listen. If there’s one criticism, I’d argue it’s slightly too long and some songs do blend into one another, but it’s only minor criticism. 9/10.

Very different soundscape with distortion and synth, good find from the list. only complaint: not on spotify or apple music. Favorite track: only shallow other picks: i only said, when you sleep, soon

Oh I love this NOISE. Right up alley. I wanna be in a really hipster basement in college with a lukewarm PBR

Cool album. Standout songs: only shallow when you sleep what you want

Worth a re-visit.

Another unique experience for me. I like how layered and textured each track feels like.

??? ok indie noise pop spiritueller vorgänger von radiohead und smashing pumpkins und die gitarrengewitter sind fett ->yt-hit only shallow. c

Overall: 8/10 Truly the dreamiest music you'll ever hear in your life. The obnoxiously distorted guitars and whispery vocals feel very ethereal and claustrophobic (that's a good thing for this type of music). I've always loved the song Only Shallow but all of my attempts to listen to this album in the past left me feeling melancholic so I avoided it for a very long time. I still feel the melancholy when I listen to it, but I think that's kind of the point. I'm not going to have this one on constant repeat but I appreciate it for what it is and I can see why others agree that it's special. Fav Song: Only Shallow

Ik voel me weer even helemaal m’n pretentieuze zeventienjarige zelf. Het doet me toch altijd denken aan een Wong kar-wai film. Ja iconisch geluid wel! Meer niet echt te zeggen.

goed naar m'n schoenen gekeken hiervoor. ik weet niet of ze de 2,5 ton productie helemaal eruit hebben gehaald, muzikaal gezien, maar het is een erg lekker album

Lowkey hazy.

This album was a pivotal moment in recognising my tastes were changing.

Shoegaze muy bueno, la verdad me encantó este album

Shoegaze bliss! This album sounds incredible. You can also really hear the influence this had on Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream. I think SD had better songs over all, but this is just such a cool album.

Sad I had to listen via YouTube.

++: only shallow, loomer, to here knows when, i only said, come in alone, sometimes, blown a wish, soon +: touched, when you sleep, what you want 9,6/10

Not on Apple Music so rating from memory.

I enjoyed this more than m b v although I needed to listen to it on my speakers. On my earpods, the vocals were so low in the mix that they were barely audible even after fiddling with the settings. It's a bit of a cross between the Cocteau Twins and Sonic Youth, without really hitting the heights of either. Good, but not great.

Я слышал его больше раз, чем, наверное, любой из альбомов в этом списке, и тем не менее я до сих пор не уверен, что это Величайший альбом в истории музыки. Это точно Великий альбом, и определенно единственный в своем роде. Лучшая песня - Sometimes.

Yep.

Okay, I think. I imagine I could get into this.

White whale time. This is a particularly difficult album to not be on Spotify (just got removed a month or two ago of course) and listening to it while cleaning my kitchen on a 10 year old Alexa speaker probably wasn't optimal. I'm impressed, very singular sounding, enjoyed getting lost in the noisy guitar and hazy vocals. Looking forward to revisiting on streaming with a pair of headphones in. Holy shit To Here Knows When is incredible.

Enjoyable

4 stars due to hipster nostalgia

i used to be crazy about this band. My 20s revolved around them.

Superb

Is it normal that my speakers are crackling while listening to this album?

Spielen auf Primavera Sound 2026 ❤️

Decent.

Thick woozy haze and rippling thick textures. I love this record: it's its own little universe that washes over, through, and beneath your whole body and whole brain.

I've always like but never quite loved this album and still don't fully get the hype. It's an experiment in distortion and dissonance and layering, of lettting waves and waves and waves build up and crash around and seeing what difference patterns, warbles, echoes, shimmers, tremors and modulations emerge - it ends up as an impossibly thick fog of fuzz barely illuminated by the ethereal vocals that shine over the top, brightening the mist without clearing it away. It's at its best when it lets an actually melody emerge from the mire and introduce more dynamics to the shifting field. Favorite: When You Sleep, what you want, only shallow, soon

This thinks it’s SO cool.

Dreamy but steamy,that's what i'm thinking as i'm actually hearing this album.Indie/Shoegaze is not for everybody but still there is a virtuosity through the abstract,an album that for the first time the guitar is the hero throughout.I totally understand why it's on the list.It's creative and unique,totally influencial. Hearing this out for the first time i have a ritual to break it down song by song: Only Shallow is a powerful piece with dreamy reverbed vocals and a beautiful melody.The guitars experimentation though can cost your hearing at times especially if you are hearing the whole album loud.Beautiful outro, In Loomer the heaviness of the guitars settings barely leaves you to hear the female dreamy vocals this time,but then again that's the whole point.The guitar to be the star for once even in an entire album.Iliked it a bit more towards the end. Touched is a 56 seconds exploration on the guitar vibrato. To Here Knows When has beautiful structure and heavenly female singing.Abstract and quite symponic.The guitars are not that loud here fairly as there are so much elements going on underneath.Although it's brightness you can feel constantly something dark trying to get in. In When you Sleep,loud guitars "overdrive" comes back in. It's like a blurry powerful dream.Repetition without any noticable changes though could fatigue your ears. I Only Said,here the guitars fuzz covers the male vocals,almost entirely.Feels like the darkness fight the dreaminess of the song.Again the repetition burned my ears.And i'm an experimental of any genre lover. Come In Alone lets the male vocals shine more and that's a pleasure to the ear.feels more like a song than an experiment. In Sometimes the guitar changes and progresses more and gives you a more dreamy feel than the others.One of my favourites. Blown A Wish is my top favourite.There is a whole soundscape throughout the song.The female vocals work like magic here.Coctaeau Twins vibe here. What You Want,has great vocals and probably lyrics but again the guitars want the first place in your ear,badly,and i get it. Soon is the last song and boy do i get Hacienda vibes from the beginning!Great female vocals and very interesting production. Overall is a great album that i really liked although most of the times the excessive guitar loudness,pedals usage and repetition hurt my ears. 3.5/5 but what the heck

I like shoegaze. I prefer the lush sound of Lush. There are some guitar &/or other sounds that make my ears unhappy.

shoegaze 4/5

Weird but very cool. Quiet the coincidence, had this on to to-listen list for a year and accually listened to this the day before this album got on this

Just a solid shoegaze album. I definitely regret not listening to this more when I was 15.

Этот альбом от меня всё время ускользает.

Timeless

woozy, uncertain, mysterious, dreamy

They have 3 albums on the list. I think this is the only one that needs to be there. That gives you a good idea of what they do. Some songs are soundscapes, some have catchy riffs, but they're all a wall of sound. The singing is not very good, but fortunately it's hidden behind the guitars. It's like Sonic Youth playing Jesus and Mary Chain songs. Favorite song: only shallow

how strange for the stars to have such detractors

i hope this is as good as people act like it is way better than their debut. shoegaze is such a good genre, i pity those who don't like it.

Fin

Shoegaze at its finest. Layers of different guitar textures, ethereal vocals both a male and female singer. Fantastic album.

Getting buried in all that pink guitar noise, layers on layers of fuzz and shit.

❣️❣️❣️

Strong album with a terrific arc.

I was surprised by this album. Two days ago, I got my bloody valentine’s m b v, and I did not like that record very much, so when I got this album, I was kind of dreading listening to it. I ended up really liking it. I think the noise elements are pretty interesting sonically. Some of the songs feel like they drag a bit, but that doesn’t come up too much. I still don’t like the fact that so much of the vocals are whispered and they’re still mixed very quietly when they aren’t, but on the whole it felt like there was more to sink my teeth into on this album than on m b v. 4/5

Shoegaze from the source. Heavy, rhythmic fuzz driving the melodies. The vocal mix is quiet, it sits underneath the fuzz-fueled guitar rhythm. The album is really enjoyable to listen to straight through, each songs blends naturally into the next. Favorites include Only Shallow, Loomer, When You Sleep, I Only Said, Come In Alone, Sometimes, What You Want, Soon. Enjoyable listen.

Who knew that and album that is absolutely filled with loud, distorted, fuzzy guitar sounds with soft spoken lyrics you can barely hear or understand can be some of the most beautiful songs ever recorded.

I saw shoegazing in the album description and thought this is going to be an awful 1 hour listening experience. Was pleasantly surprised. A very solid album.

Listened before. Great album musically, lyrics are fairly indecipherable.

Know this one well already. Love it.

It's cool that this album exists so that many a hapless guitarist can daydream about what pedalboard configuration will allow them to recreate that one swoon on "When You Sleep" while they waste hours at unfulfilling office jobs or socializing with people who are not guitars.

Belongs on the list for sure due to influencing shoegaze music. But is it any fun to listen to? I never got into them when they were new, now, I can appreciate it as background, but still not my thing.

Oh let's go this is so good, might be the best album that's come up yet

The guitars are definitely awesome, and for a shoegaze record it’s really upbeat. At least from what I’m normally used to. Felt like the album flew by. While no particular song stood out, I was so entranced by the guitar work

Really interesting. Completely new to me, but I want to hear more

Good

Really soft and melodic I liked it

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.

Loveless Isn’t Anything had some nice moments and some good songs, but nothing as great as Only Shallow, When You Sleep, I Only Said, Come In Alone, Sometimes or Soon, all fantastic noise-shoegaze-rock, with great hooks, rhythms and fuzzy atmospheres. This definitely feels like a tightening up and improvement on the Isn’t Anything template, and for all its loose wooziness its an extremely tightly constructed record. It’s densely layered but also to the point and direct, and the overdriven fug has much less of the wooliness or meandering noise of Isn’t Anything. Not all the songs quite reach the heights of those songs, the run of Loomer, Touched and To Here Knows When in particular miss some of the queasy magic and pop hooks of the songs above, but they do contribute to the overall hypnagogic atmosphere, alternatively adding some sharp edges and further dreamlike tones to the overall feel of the album. A great album with moments of beauty and hypnotic grace, as well as some pleasingly abrasive textures, another one of those albums that you can let wash over you, or you can concentrate on and pick out particular sounds and movements. It’s probably the best of this type of art-shoegaze-drone-noise rock, making it an easy 4. 🩸💌🩸💌 Playlist submission: I Only Said

This album seems to have dispensed with the proto-punk lo-fi guitar chaos which appeared at points on 'Isn't Anything', and expands their ambient sound. Not only have they focused on the dreamlike tones, but they've mixed it a lot better, whilst still retaining the signature washed out feel. The album closes out with 'soon', which brings in more of a prominent drumbeat. It's very Happy Mondays, in that it seems to capture an acid house danceable vibe. I also wonder if Shields took anything from Johnny Marr (the How Soon is now sound for instance). It showed another way for guitar music. Excellent.

I’ve always had a deep love for shoegaze - there’s something about being wrapped in that dreamy, moody swirl of sound that just feels cozy. It’s like a sonic smoothie: effortless, a little hazy, yet still rich and lush. This genre really shaped so much of my early musical taste and this album was one that likely made an impact both on me and much of what I came to love. Wild to think how one distinct style can ripple out and influence an entire universe of sound.

Iconic and singular. From when I heard the first strums of "Off Your Face" from the Glider EP, on a mixtape made for me by my best friend in high school, I was hooked on MBV—and most of the shoegaze genre in general—for the rest of my life. This band had no aesthetic predecessors, so the idiosyncratic, unpredictable, and flat-out messy way they made their music in large part accounts for its uniqueness. I've read Shields has a reputation for being unbelievably difficult to work with due to his perfectionism and methods. When I consider that the man is practically inventing an entire genre of music, however, I'll say it could be justified (maybe). I know, the "price of genius" narratives are yawn-inducing for sure, but tell me they don't apply here. Maybe I'm wrong, but the legacy of this collection of songs does speak for itself. Also, I don't have to like a person to like their art. "Only Shallow" is an absolute avalanche of a way to open an album. What a statement. A couple of of the tracks here feel like sketches more than songs, but it's alright coz this is another example of a record best listened front to back as an immersive experience. "When You Sleep" and "I Only Said" are modern classics. The delicious crunchy noise of "Sometimes" reminds me of the time I never actually laid in bed watching the smoke rise to the ceiling while smoking cigarettes laying next to a girl I liked at a party in college. Overall, this record swirls and it pulses. "Soon" is a perfect closer and a total anthem that befits its time and yet also feels fresh today. That goes for most of the tracks on this collection. I'm disappointed I've never gotten to see this band play live, but from what I've heard it might be for the better lest my tinnitus become full-blown deafness on account of the legendarily insane decibel levels at their shows. Loveless almost bankrupted their label, gave the same label executives anxiety attacks for years, and was not particularly commercially successful. But was it all worth it? I mean, nobody died, so... sure.

Cum on Feel the Noize

I wish I'd found MBV when they released their debut in 1988, instead of reacting to the rise of Stock, Aitken & Waterman and house music by pivoting into American hair metal for a few years 😬 This album in particular is definitely My Sort Of Thing. Love the soundscapes created by the guitar. Love the dreamy vocals. The drive in the songs kept me happily nodding or swaying along. I don't know why I'd never listened to this before (or even bothered to find out anything about the band; I knew the name) - I really like it. I think the Cocteaus are better at the truly magical stuff. But the heavier sections are excellent; I think it's a very good album. PS bonus points that Bilinda is now 63, and will be 64 when they play a sold out show in Manchester this November. She must have more energy than I do, in my fifties!

Influential yes... will I listen to it? No

Good

I really want to love this because I like the idea of it (the trailblazing redeployment of the guitar, the dreamy-fuzzy sounds) a lot, and when it works it really works. Of course, the pitfalls of throwing so much paint (sounds) at the wall (tape machine) are that sometimes you’re left with a mess, and other times all the colours (sounds) just merge into a kind of dull brown (bland noise). MBV fall into both pits, occasionally, but more often than not the result is something quite arty and cool-sounding - the hit rate is much higher than their debut album. Personally I still think Cocteau Twins did it better when it comes to dream pop, but I’ll give these guys A for effort and B- for attainment, which I think comes out at… 3.5 / 4 stars.

Sounds like an alternate universe Cocteau Twins where the lyrics make sense if you just concentrate hard enough.

Love how it fucks with my head

the coceteau twins evil brother lol awesome album to chill oir and lay down to

Love shoegaze and this album is the essential shoegaze record

This would be a 5 star album if they didn’t record it through a tooth tunes toothbrush.

Took a few listens to get the hang of it, but really enjoyed

Heard their stuff before, this so far is my favorite of the lot. Not really into Shoegaze or the like but this one is great.

Interesting. Unique. Each song was almost its own vibe. Will definitely listen to these guys again

This was so 90s in the best way! I was slightly confused to begin with though because I got them mixed up with Bullet For My Valentine. I kept waiting for it to get heavier lmao 4 ⭐️

Intriguing album. Some great songs there and unique guitar sounds. If only the vocals could be a bit higher up in the mix but I guess that’s the point of the production! Definitely a grower and will come back to it.

Only Shallow- heard this song many times. The screeching I’m assuming guitar throughout the song is unbearable with headphones even though I do enjoy the song. Loomer- melody in the background reminds me of a strokes song Touched- nice instrumental To Here Knows When- ehhhh When You Sleep- another song I’ve heard many times. Love the intro. Prob my favorite only caused I’ve heard it so much. I Only said- again noisy not sure what the intro instrument is but I like it. Come in Alone-👍🏻 I’ve head songs from this album and may have listened to it in completion once. As much as I appreciate the album but it isn’t my favorite. I find it difficult to enjoy the song in its entirety. I get distracted by the noise when trying to hear the lyrics , but when I just listen to it as a whole I enjoy it. It’s an album I know I would like more if i gave it more playing time.

Not usually my type of vibe but I was really impressed with the production. I hardly got any of the lyrics but enjoyed the vocals as an instrumental layer. Will revist!

Iconic

Really good.

already listened to it. really enjoy this album, something about it does it for me, maybe its the baggy feel idk

Was leaning into a 3 but "Sometimes" and "Blown A Wish" bumps to a 4. Better than I thought. Will + in my iTunes.

This is one of the albums I knew was going to come up on this list eventually, but was worried about listening to it. Not because I thought it would necessarily be "bad" but because I've been putting off listening to the album for almost a decade. Pretty much always telling myself that I'd get around to it. When you see one album show up on so many greatest of all time lists, expectations become too great for many types of media, and it usually doesn't live up to the hype for me. Well, I'll definitely say it was not the greatest album I've ever listened to, not the best rock or indie album I've ever heard, but I can see where all the hype comes from. If you can enjoy this style of music, this is a fantastic record, full of interesting sounds, a wide range of noise, never really too dull or devoid of meaning in my opinion, always keeping things interesting, but still has a few spots where it feels like things could be been tightened up just a little bit. I'm 100% confident this album will grow on me the more I listen to it, just gives me that vibe

I always pass over the two other "My..." bands to get to My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, so I've never listened to My Bloody Valentine. This sounds like the 90s. Makes me want to listen to The Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, and Type O Negative. The music is a bit too noisy/fuzzy for me to love it, but I don't hate it. Decent background music while working.

Great early 90s album, already knew it but great to have an excuse to listen to it again.

Much like with Bert Jansch, I can hear the sizable influence MBV had on its immediate successors - a lot of whom are my teenage favorites - in the 90s, specifically Smashing Pumpkins. And to extend the comparison, I was missing the more dynamic songwriting and vocals of those successors.

Really picks up after track 4

Better than the first album that was suggested. Good instrumentals, though I dislike how much the vocal work takes a backseat.

yay i finally like this

wait... this fucks!

One of the greatest albums of all time

Has a similar feel to early Pumpkins, but even more dreamy and extreme on the guitar sounds. After some research, MBV inspired some SP sounds.

Got this album on Mother’s Day and the layered dissonance intertwined with haunting melodies accurately sums up my feelings about Mother’s Day.

This one came highly recommended to me some years ago, and I've listened to it a bunch of times. On my first listen I remember not really understanding the appeal. Breathy vocals with sludgy atmospheric instrumentals that make for a bit of a wall of sound effect. Over time and successive listens, however, I have grown to appreciate this album a lot. Whenever I listen to it, I get the impression that the music is washing over me in successive waves. The production is beautiful in creating a balanced effect. Through heaps of distortion, you can still pick out strummed acoustic, and breathy synths. Despite their fog on glass nature, the vocals never feel overpowered. I love the opener Only Shallow -- built around an off-balanced synth warble and as close to "driving" as this album gets. When You Sleep is another standout with its drawling synths underscored by aural chorus elements. Also love the placid dream-evoking Sometimes -- feels very Beach House adjacent. This isn't an album I come back to frequently, but its always a pleasure. High 4 / 5.

Jackson's favorite genre shoegaze! This is known as the most influential shoegaze album so I'm excited to dive in. Loving the sludginess of this so far. Although I wish the vocals were a bit more pronounced in some of the songs, but besides that the production in this is lush as hell. Transitions are great as well. I can definitely see where Beach House is influenced by these guys. Soon is an awesome closer. It's easy to get lost in these songs and for that, they get a 4.

Have tried to listen to this loads over the years but it's never clicked... I think it might have this time...

This is THE seminal shoegaze album known for its dense, innovative "wall of sound" guitar work and ethereal vocals. It blends overwhelming noise with delicate melodies, creating a unique and immersive sonic experience. While not always immediately accessible, its influence is undeniable.

So much better than the other MBV album on this list

Ooh, very interesting, I really like it! First time I've heard of the 'shoegaze' genre, which this apparently defined - kind of ethereal, ambient, distorted version of indie rock?

listened to again great shoegaze

Very layered and dense, but sentimental in essence.

Okay, I get it noise is the damn point. 4/5

Just a beautiful nosy haze to get lost in for a while, I love it.

8/10. The pinnacle of shoegaze.

This is another one that's going to require more listens from me, but as of right now, I've really enjoyed it and plan on returning to it soon.