Loveless

Not bad

Don't typically enjoy this style of music, but this was better than I expected. I think the tone held just enough to not just be noise. 3/5 Might listen again

This should blow your mind at 20 years old, but eventually you gotta grow up.

feel conflicted about this. really enjoyed some of the songs with a couple having been in my playlists for some time already, but the rest of the album seemed to fall a bit flat for me.

yeah I see why it's called shoegaze.

Probably my favourite of the three. I've even enjoyed some songs e.g Come in alone

Have tried so many times over the years to fall in love with Loveless, but have never managed. Has so many elements that I like, without the songs to back it up. Give me Souvlaki over this any day.

6 / 10 - Muss mit gutem Sound, mit Intention und laut gehört werden, ansonsten wird es zu "background noise" - Klangfeld wichtiger als Harmonie/Melodie - Ich schätze ich muss es noch etwas öfter hören um es wirklich schätzen zu können ... Favs: - Only Shallow - I Only Said

Shoegaze is all about the hypnotic vibes. The songs just go a minute too long. However, I did like this album more than m b v (3.5).

Meh.

7/10 Lots of hooks, but no songs. Highlights: Soon When You Sleep

Snap wel dat mensen dit geweldig kunnen vinden, maar shoegaze blijft toch niet mijn genre

interesting noises fav song: When You Sleep

This was surprisingly interesting. Not something I loved, but there were some interesting sounds and nothing that annoyed me. I'd say this was somewhere between 3-4 stars, but I can't quite round up to 4. 3 stars.

3.5, good vibes (not positive vibes but like pleasant to me)

Liking it so far but need to hear on a speaker system, to big for headphones?

No dynamics. Just loud and feedback. Shoegaze emo is not my jam.

I don’t like it as much as others do but still a 3.

I was about to turn this off but the middle of the record was better than the beginning. I can hear the influence this had on some records I really love - early Smashing Pumpkins and early Sloan specifically. I like the static-y sound when there was a ‘song’ to go along with it haha the muddy static for no reason was not my fave. This is almost a 4 for me. Maybe a few more listens would get me there.

otro album que suena muy igual pero no está mal, soon es mi favorita

Huomattavasti koherentimpaa ja jalostuneempaa saundia kuin aiemmalla levyllä. Tämä oli jo kuunneltavaa, pyöritin pari kertaa läpi ja vaikkei välttämättä jäisi jatkuvaan soittolistaan, niin oli kuitenkin mielenkiintoinen levy ja paljon siistejä juttuja.

INPUT = {"artist": "My Bloody Valentine", "album": "Loveless"} LINEUP = {"men": 2, "women": 2} FEATURED_ARTISTS = {"men": 0, "women": 0} TOTAL_MEN = 2 TOTAL_WOMEN = 1 WOMEN_PERCENTAGE = 50 OUTPUT = "Score adjusted accordingly. 3/5"

I do like dreamy shoegaze music but I kind of need to be in the right headspace for it

If I liked shoegaze more, I'd probably like this, but it just ain't my bag.

It was ok. I preferred their other album that came up here. I’m finding that I’m quite enjoying the drone music, providing it’s vocal-free.

soothing drony noise pop. for me, that train has long since departed. if i long for sth in that direction, my favourite drug still is Nine Inch Nails.

i loved the whole tone we stay in. feels like im in the band and we're on a rollercoaster

Going to rate it higher than I thought I would. Far better than the last album on this list I listened to. Some good riffs and life to it

I would like to like this more. And it has its place. But I heard it about 15 years ago and I hardly ever choose to put it on.

Meh.

rock experimental, voces tranquilas, guitarras distorsionadas, un poco psicodélico, 3/5

never could listen on spotify

I wanted to love this, I really did. A few standouts early on - only tomorrow, who sees you, and is this and yes - but in the end too much distortion and too many repetitive sections. It becomes tedious and annoying…how are you supposed to listen to this with others in the car. I stick with Beach House for my dreamy atmospheric shoegaze. A 4 for the 3 songs mentioned; 2 for the rest. 3/5

One of the most revolutional albums of all time! Not my type of music but i get it!

This was cool n I didn’t know the band and had to find this album on YouTube but was very worth it for real 90s grunge sound

Lots of distortion, wall to wall guitars, no time to breathe. While I appreciate the experimentation and forward thinking nature of the album, I was slightly overwhelmed at all times while listening to this. Perhaps it just needs a re-listen to appreciate fully. 6.5/10

I can see how other bands have been influenced by this album, and refined this sound into something more appetising for the wider population. Shoegaze isn’t really my thing, but I can appreciate the art of this album

“Wall of sound” is an expression that is often thrown around to describe particular production techniques, but I think that it genuinely fits here. In this case the band played the guitar parts on vintage equipment, sampled the output and layered it multiple times to create an effect of a huge soundscape. At points the sound becomes almost abstract and looped, reminding me in places of experimental pieces by Steve Reich and other avant garde musicians. It’s been described as shoegaze but it’s a little bit too discordant to be comfortable listening for me. I think it would depend heavily on the right atmosphere and volume to work properly.

Didn’t find this very exciting or interesting

Enjoyed the opening and closing tracks and Blown a Wish. Quite dreamy and hypnotic backing but wish I could hear the vocals more. Songs with no verse chorus format get a bit tedious when you can’t really hear what else is going on. Had to skip half way through some songs as it felt like 30 seconds was enough. 3

Hard to rind a copy

Noisy, psychedelic and grungy with a very lo-fi sound, but it's a great sound. The vocals are minimal, but they add a nice flair to the instrumentation. It's calming and edgy, with a really gritty feel. I like this one a lot.

Sub genre of shoegaze rock that I did not know existed! Would revisit again

Second time I've actually listened to this. Pretty much the same thoughts I had from the first time. I don't understand the "Classic" shouts this get, but it is a very solid album with a unique sound.

Noise isn't really my genre, but I have a certain appreciation for what this album does. It actually felt really coherent, which impressed me. At the same time, I just wasn't that engaged half the time? Solid, but not to my tastes!

Slightly overrated shoegaze classic. It gets a bit monotonous over time.

It was ok

3.18/5 Stars Top Songs: soon, only shallow, when you sleep

i knew their hit song and it was cool to explore more for their music

Favourites: 1. Only Shallow 2. Sometimes 3. When You Sleep Least Favourite: Touched

This album has a lot of interesting, compelling musicality to it and I can hear how it influenced a lot of records I enjoy, so I probably would have given it a four if I could make out what’s going on half the time. I get that the blurry, washed-out mixing is a stylistic choice, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Highlights: Only Shallow, Loomer, When You Sleep, Come In Alone, Soon

Very cool dreamy shoegazey sound. Borders on being a little too noisy for my tastes though and I don't love how the vocals get drowned out

I dunno. It was alright but weird.

Really 3.5 stars, just not quite there for 4. But a great intersection of pop, noise, end arrangements

Guys! Look at my shoes! My shoes are amazing!

This an album I have tried to listen to before without success. A lot of noise and distortion, and I love shoegaze and dream pop music so this should be my type of album. It's just a bit too hard rock for me where I prefer a softer sound. That being said, I overall enjoyed the album on this listen more than I expected and certain songs really stood out that I would love to listen to again. I do see why this album has so much hype. Top Songs: When You Sleep, Sometimes, What You Want

Ett album som kräver uppmärksamhet. Enkelt att glömma bort om man har det på i bakgrunden. Det är väl i och för sig definitionen av ambient. För det är om man betraktar albumet som ett ambient verk som det blir intressant. Den märkliga produkten där den distade gitarren ligger längs fram och maler nästan som vitt brus, sången som det inte går att uppfatta ett enda ord av och trummor och bas som är nästan helt undangömda. När det bara pågår är det som bäst. När de mer renodlade poplåtarna tittar fram som i avslutningsspåret blir mindre spännande.

sounds like the intro of an edgy 90s film

Genre: Shoegaze This album is sort of the white whale for me. I had abstained from listening to this for a long time, for fear that I may not think it's one of the greatest of all time, and that I may not fall in line with the rest of the music sheeple. The harsh reality is that I "liked" this record. Not a lot, and not loved. I liked it. It's odd, I think the mystique of the band and how they sort of disappeared after releasing this, and that this was a big step forward for this particular sound (that lots of people really seem to enjoy) plays a bigger part in this being such an internet darling. But, personally, I found it to be good. Loud, sometimes to its detriment, but pretty, effective sort of soft-grunge pop rock. It's fine. I was expected to be blown away, and was not, unfortunately. 3/5

I didn’t get along with “Isn’t Anything”, it just passed me by. When this popped up, I wasn’t expecting much, and the vocals, particularly at the start of the album didn’t do much to convince me but the album grew on me, the fuzzy dreamy soundscapes almost entrance you as you listen. At times it reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins, perhaps not quite as heavy or pointed though. Further listens would probably hook me in further so maybe I could come to appreciate them after all, even if their name makes me think of them as a ‘00s emo band.

I have gone my whole life thinking this band was from the 00s emo wave. This is more interesting than that.

Some great tracks

Might need to revisit. Saved a song: N RYM: Y (#10)

Sounded a lot like the other one

Good!

aight now listening -22.03

i was not on board off the bat but i got there. could verge on a low 4 but i think i’ll stick with a high 3 since it kind of fell to background noise for good bits of it

Didn't finish it, mostly because it is kind of tough to access.

I think I have a bit too much of a headache to fully enjoy it… tbc on relisten

Nostalgic soundscapes. Some of the tracks sound like they’re being played from a cassette tape. “Only shallow” was the only track I think I’ve heard before.

I think this is the best one of theirs yet. The first track is really bold and in your face out of the gate, and shows some of the promise found elsewhere on the album. However it does also segue into that typical downbeat, out of tune, droney wall of noise which I struggle with. Parts of this album are like a bad fever dream, and it's not a pleasant listen. When the songs get a bit more structure to them, with either a good hook or a more discernible rhythm, and it's not hidden behind a complete wall of fuzz, then it's much more listenable. 2.5 rounded up.

This album is THE shoegaze album, but I kind of just don't get it. Perhaps it will grow on me one day.

Very different !

It wasn't bad, but it did all run together at a point. It is very much the classic shoegaze sound.

Not bad. Not good either.

Some of it is just sonically past my limits, but other parts are more enjoyable. I definitely hear the influence they’ve had, with the combination of gauze and something more percussive and hard-driving, all the way to the likes of Billie Eilish.

This one was disappointing. I’ve heard so much about this album and how I’m going to love it. It was fine, nothing stood out. I am going to listen to it many more times because I want to understand why others like it so much!

overall this was better than I expected. was good background music while doing other things. especially since the lyrics are indecipherable. does get a bit repetitive/monotonous.

Pre listen: An odd but fitting one to start off with. I’ve already listened to most of it but never actually finished it so it’s probably about time. There was a point when I was 15 that I thought ‘To Here Knows When’ was one of the best songs ever created. I used to listen to it and cry😂😂😭💀 ‘Only Shallow’ is probably my favourite I fucking love that song. We’re going to see just how many of my favourite tracks are the first one😁 ‘Loomer’ is pretty good too but I start to get bored with ‘When you Sleep’ which is hilarious because I always hear people talking about how this is the best track. The next two tracks are also pretty uneventful to me and that’s why I think I never made it all the way through. Maybe I just don’t get it? I mean I feel like I do considering I’ve loved two of the tracks but idk. I’m about to listen now, I’m in my room and I’m not high, I smoked two hours ago. Nov 6, 2025 Post Listen: so I finished listening to Loveless, kinda… ngl I was pretty much falling asleep by the last three tracks, not necessarily because it was boring or anything but ig I’m so overstimulated with technology and work that I don’t realize how tired I am until I close my eyes for a minute. I wasn’t expecting to shed tears while listening to ‘To Here Knows When’ and the even bigger surprise was how much I liked ‘When You Sleep’, it was probably my favourite track. The first side I like wayyy more than the second but I still need to listen to side 2 again before I can really say I’ve listened to it. Side one is great tho, I didn’t appreciate ‘I Only Said’ nearly as much as the rest but other than that it felt pretty much like a perfect side for what it was. Before I rate this I wanna listen to side 2 once more. Okay I listened to side 2 again so I’m ready to rate the album. My overall thoughts were that I liked it although in my personal opinion I didn’t think the album had the song writing to totally justify the hype, the sounds were cool but listening to it sober maybe wasn’t the best move. It’s weird because even though I feel like this album is best suited for intoxication I don’t feel like it’s what I’d want to put on while in that state. Not trying to hate too much it’s a great album but I just don’t think it’s one of my favourites on ‘first’ listen. All time great album cover tho. Favourites: Only Shallow, When I Sleep, Come in Alone, To Here Knows When Personal Rating: 7/10 (first time rating an album so I don’t really know if this will stick)

Unavailable in Spotify.

It was kind of repetitive, but I liked it. Kind of eerie and strange.

AI bot answer to my question on whats so unique about the guitar work on this album: "The guitar work on Loveless was revolutionary due to Kevin Shields' "glide guitar" technique, which involves using the tremolo bar to create a warbling, out-of-tune sound, and layering countless guitar tracks with different amps and mic setups. This resulted in a unique, thick texture that created a sense of atmosphere and sound design rather than traditional riffs, largely forgoing effects like chorus that were common in other shoegaze bands at the time." Good man Kevin. I haven't a clue what ye are saying though and and I had to skip 'to here knows when' because it hurt my head. 1 point for innovation. 1 point for deserving a place on the list. .5 points for personal enjoyment. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

Pretty decent album, again sort of grungy and not my favorite style but also my first time really hearing this group in a big go.

I had assumed that I hadn't ever heard this before, but it turns out that I knew a bunch of the catchier songs. I'm not a huge fan. It is ok. Sort of a one trick pony.

106/1001 :: My Bloody Valentine - m b v Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Rating: 7 Listen before you die: Yes This is shoegaze? Listened to this multiple times yesterday and I’m not really sure how to process it. It was somewhere between boring and absolutely wonderful. The more I listened though the more I’m leaning towards the latter. I’ve tried to listen to this album before and couldn’t get through it so it was nice to give it another fair shake and very good chance I’ll be doing that again at some point.

They are fine, but I don't know why they are so raved about

Odd album. I have listened to this probably 20+ times in the last year or two and still doesn't quite click for me.

Dripping with teenage angst, drowned in distortion. That's My Bloody Valentine to me. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that formula, it can just start all sounding the same. There's enough to keep it interesting, but nothing that really stands out.

Weird that the genre is shoegaze when apparently the guy didn't use pedals to create the effects. But man what a sonic distortion and what a story. All to end up with layers of sound and unintelligible lyrics

This is my 2d My Blood Valentine album and i like this much more than mbv. This album is still unintelligible to me but the music is more interesting and i can hear parts of other albums i like that are copying parts of this album.

Interesante álbum con despuntes en algunos temas que me guardo.

Not for me, too heavy

This album was difficult because I couldn’t find it on Spotify, so I had to YouTube it, and the only version was choppy. Assessment: it was pretty good. I would like to hear it on CD with headphones to get the full experience. It was an interesting combination of space rock, ambience (which got old) and classic rock. I could see the influence on bands like Secret Machines and even Radiohead later. The thing I don’t get was it took 19 studios and several years to complete this album. I’m not sure the effort was worth it overall, but admittedly I don’t know a whole lot of MBV to compare. I want to listen to it again on a different format to make a better call. I am grading it based on what I heard, historical influence and potential for future listens.

Random thoughts: * Listened to this one on YouTube since it's not currently available on Spotify. * Kinda drone-y and faded into my background music while sitting at my computer. I guess that's why it's called shoegaze. * I'd definitely need a few more listens to get the full effect of this album. * I like it overall. Wish I could revisit it easier than YouTube.

It feels like this was recorded underwater in a swimming pool. Despite that there are still some good moments - sometimes is a particularly strong track.

Decent

they have better projects

It was interesting- had a cool 90’s sound but no emotional connection for me

Highs and lows

Day 59 First listen- I only knew the track when you sleep. Loved the ambiance created by each song and the guitar work. I couldn't understand the singing so was unable to analyse the lyrics while listening. Instrumentally it is very lush and love the vocal layering. (3.5/5)

Wanted to like it, but just kept feeling like “Smashing Pumpkins” light.

I’ve never looked at my shoes this much

Sonically, it’s vast, creative, and interesting. Gearheads are surely getting lost in this one. From the perspective of listenability, I’m not sure how many times I’m coming back - certainly not earwormy.

Bueno

Some good songs but just gets boring as an album for me. I just don’t quite get shoegaze

A lot to like. Crossover point between Primal Scream and Cocteaus. Should have been a 4AD band.

3/5

A bit weird, seems like a collection of random songs, but fine

'Loveless' feels like the soundtrack to a dream—or a nightmare—directed by David Lynch. It’s a wall of distortion, noise, and chaotic textures that might leave first-time listeners asking, “What the fuck did I just listen to?” And yet, there’s something hypnotic about it. While I didn’t love it outright, I also didn’t hate it; instead, I found myself strangely compelled to keep listening. Shoegaze—or noise rock—might not always be my mood, but when it hits, Loveless is a strangely mesmerizing trip.

This album was a lot better than m b v, which I slogged through last year. Maybe it’s just the era this one came out in, but it gave me some strong Smashing Pumpkins vibes at times. The guitars and keyboards are thick and layered, and they carry most of the weight here. I guess that’s the point, since the backing music feels like it’s meant to be the main focus instead of the vocals. The problem is the lyrics are basically impossible to hear. They’re buried so deep in the mix that they may as well not exist. If that’s your thing, cool, but for me it gets frustrating. I like a good wall of sound, but not when it completely steamrolls everything else. Still, I have to give credit where it’s due. The atmosphere is strong, and the band definitely nailed a unique sound. It’s not something I’d listen to on repeat, but compared to m b v, this one was a much easier ride. Favorite song: Only Shallow

Shoegazing - kannte ich vorher auch noch nicht als Musikrichtung. Gittarrensound mit seichten Stimmen dazu. Ist durchaus hörbar. 3/5

Fine enough. I liked it more than thier last album but it was nothing special. not bad though

Very well done! The vocals give it a sort of haunting feeling.

I actually liked this much more than I anticipated. Fun album

Rating: 7/10 There is a beauty in all of this noise but god damn is it a lot of noise though.

As far as noise bands go, this one gets closest to music.

I don't think this *quite* reached a 4 for me, but it is a pretty strong 3.

i listened to loveless 3 times all the way through today and i’m finding myself really hard-pressed to say anything about it. it’s an album. i didn’t feel strongly about it, positive or negative. the cover is very pink - the album name is nearly swallowed in the stormy pinkness. they go to town on the pedals.

One big experimental mess ... but i liked it. Wasn't into it the entire time but there were some highlights. 6/10 fav songs : touched & when you sleep

Ho hum. It was OK but what was the point.

Sort of a hazy cloud of layered noise. More atmosphere than anything else. I didn't mind it. I think repeated listens would reveal more, but I'm on to the next album already.

Ethereal and not something I would normally listen to...but I enjoyed it.

Cool album.

I know of MBV, but don't know their music. It's noise-alternative-pop. Not bad, but not really my scene. "when you sleep" isn't bad.

A few reviews back, I criticised Wilco - probably Jeff Tweedy specifically - for slathering Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in a wash of noise. Not quite bleeps and bloops, but not feedback either. A pink noise that held the songs at bay. I realise now that the same accusation could be laid at the dog door of one my favourite groups, Sparklehorse. They too could be called Americana or country-adjacent. Mark Linkous's songs are simple, grounded in acoustic guitar and the singer-songwriter tradition, just like Tweedy. The difference - and why the radio hum is so successful on any number of Sparklehorse records - is temperament. Mark Linkous was introverted. Perhaps dissociative. Although his songs are open, it feels appropriate that there is a layer of insulation between the singer and the outside world - "it's a hard world for little things." Tweedy, on the other hand, is unfazed. He's in a rock band for god's sake. Hear all about it. The sonic lagging on Yankee was an affectation. For Linkous, it's a necessity. I suppose that appeals to me because the muffled, dissociative quality of the Sparklehorse records is how I feel a lot of the time. This, I suspect, is why I return to those records compulsively: not because I understand them or Linkous's lyrics, but because they match the fuzz of my own internal monologue. That kind of emotional congruence is rare. I mention that here because I don't know if I will get an opportunity to talk about Sparklehorse on this list - more's the pity. However, I think what I'm saying has some relevance to Loveless also. We've already listened to Giants Steps by the Boo Radleys, where the noise bore no relation to songs that we're even there to begin with. Psychocandy will certainly come up some day and we can debate whether the lacerating feedback on that record is a palette knife scored across the work of art or the art itself. On Loveless, the noise is not only necessary, it is integrate, inseparable. I think it works in the same insulating manner that Linkous's static does. Kevin Shields, by all accounts more comfortable among cables than crowds, has made a record that reflects that temperament. The music folds in on itself. Even live, they’re so loud it’s like the volume is there to push you back, gently but firmly. Not to punish, just to create space That he does this, not with harsh noise, but with a gentle puff, like a citronella collar on a reactive dog, suggests he's no misanthrope. Loveless is not hostile. It is not Metal Machine Music with £250000 of Alan McGee's money. The hooks imply the same: Only Shallow, Sometimes, Soon are all gorgeous and the beautiful lures of the music are made from the same material as the thing that keeps the listener away. Not too far away. To borrow Schopenhauer’s hedgehog fable, the problem of proximity is this: hedgehogs need to huddle for warmth, but they prick one another if they get too close. Loveless solves this problem with queasy elegance. It places the listener at the perfect remove. Not at the centre. Not outside. There is a sweet spot. It is not, despite the name, loveless. It simply understands that too much intimacy is a form of violence. 4 Brian Eno, talking about My Bloody Valentine‘s song ‘soon’ on stage at MOMA in New York in 1990 had this to say: “It’s a wall of distortion with a few motifs arising like icebergs out of it here and there. It’s hard to hear the beat, it’s very hard to hear the key, there are no lyrics so far as I know. It’s really set a new standard for pop music.” It’s a very nice quote and I can understand why it is ceaselessly cited in rapturous critical testimonies about Loveless. Someone cool saying something cool about a cool thing before it was even cool. The only problem is that Eno’s description bears almost no relation to what ‘soon’ actually sounds like. It’s easy to hear the (looped) drum beat. It’s as easy to determine the home key as it is with any other piece of modal pop music. The chords are few and details of the bass line are easy enough to hear, far from being buried under a ‘wall of distortion’. ‘Motif’ would be a generous designation for the simple three-note riff that pops up on the beat, unaltered throughout, in even phrases (rather than emerging mysteriously from the mists of the North Atlantic). Perhaps Eno heard it on the car radio, with poor reception, in traffic, in fog. The disjunction between the Loveless that other people have heard and the Loveless that plays every time I insert my copy of the cd appears to be endemic. I used a streaming service today just to be sure I hadn’t been done dirty by HMV a quarter of a century ago. No, that was it alright. That’s the album people are always gawping at. A Monument in popular art; a Revolution for the guitar; an album that the Great and Noble (Robert Smith, Billy Corgan) bend the knee to. Well yer hole. What I’m hearing today is the same thing I’ve always heard from this album. Nice, rather sweet little lullabyish tunes in neat four and eight bar loops broken up evenly with very short, rather idiotic instrumental hooks. Predictable song structures. Everything repeated to death. The guitars get tremeloed a lot. But of course, crucially, there is an eccentric mix so that the vocals, bass and guitar are unusually low and the guitars are very loud indeed. This is the crux of what transmutes this set of pleasant enough looped fragments into Art worthy of particular praise from the stage of MOMA. It’s not what you do, after all, it’s how you do it; turning your back to the audience is far cooler than Paul McCartney waggling his head and grinning from the microphone. The aggressively eccentric mix here has always appeared to me just another form of that conceit. I appreciate creativity in engineering and mixing - pop music is record-making first and song composition second to be sure. But once you’ve turned your back you better play a blinder. These songs don’t. They have lyrics, whatever Brian Eno says, just not any worth making out. They have musical ideas - but little of much strength and daring beyond Three Blind Mice. Pop music has been there before and since. No ‘new standard’ was set. 2/5

Not an album I was into but it wasn’t bad

Never understood the hype behind this album. Decent shoegaze but I liked other bands much better like Catherine wheel, slow dive and ride

It was okay. Most of the songs sounded like the same 4-second loop of a Cranberries song on slow-mo.

And now the third album on the 1,001 list by My Bloody Valentine, though perhaps the only one deserving of it. Some of these songs are the best of what shoegaze can be - Only Shallow (perhaps their best known and truly a great song), Loomer, When You Sleep, Come in Alone, and Sometimes. And then others are just the worst of shoegaze and the reason I (and others I'm sure) detest it so much - Touched, To Here Knows When, I Only Said (so much promise but alas), and Blown a Wish. When it's just droning guitars going in and out of focus or tune, with barely audible lyrics, it's not enjoyable. What You Want and Soon, which ended the album weren't bad so I'll give it a 3.

Billy Corgan just ripped this off didn't he? lol. It's good and atmospheric, but it gets a bit repetitive, much like the smashing pumpkins first album. It's better than I remember it being, but still not something I would turn on just to listen to.

Not for me

imo when you sleep pushes up the rating by a whole star.

Sounded like Smashing Pumpkins if the vocal volume was turned almost all the way down and the treble turned all the way up.

Xmu fan over here

Don’t think I’ll ever “get” this album but I appreciate it.

I want to like this more, because I love so much that was inspired by it, but it's just not my cup of tea. That being said, I can still appreciate it without necessarily liking it.

Can’t really hear what any of the words are. 2.5 rounded up.

Was expecting emo guitars and that's exactly what I got

Enjoyable if slightly challenging listen. Really enjoy the production and texture of the guitars, and can well believe this was very influential. Should listen a few more times to really work it out. 7/10

loveless didn't really click with me the first time i listened, but i'm able to better appreciate its textures now. but when it comes to shoegaze, i tend to prefer much smoother sounds than this.

Shoegaze staje się (prócz techno) moim najbardziej znienawidzonym gatunkiem muzycznym. Po co tyle szumu? Wokal jest piękny, ale instrumentalnie nie mogę tego znieść. 5/10, bo jest naprawdę są tam przyjemne momenty. Niestety jak to śpiewa Daria: krótkie są momenty.

It was okay. Very airy rock like music. Not my favorite.

generally prefer the work on "isn't anything;" some of the tracks on "loveless" tend to drag in a way that i find stultifying rather than transporting or whatever. what's dreamlike for one can really be a snoozefest for another. still a good sound overall, and i appreciate the novel approach to the guitar, am glad it influenced others.

Reminds me of early smashing pumpkins. Dream rock. I found quite a bit of the album bland, lacking low end and hard to understand due to poor production. However, the sound they created is undeniably part of the 90s sound and there are some great melodies and lots of beautiful arrangements throughout the album. The song 'Soon' is amazing. I think I'll come back to these guys.

This album has been in my collection since its release, in fairly regular rotation. And of course it’s seminal shoegaze. But I just don’t love it as much as many might.

Is this mumble rap for white people? I kind of like it, but I don't think I would ever recommend it. It is definitely a vibe.

This was both enjoyable to listen to, yet also uninteresting and non-memorable. Each song was like a muffled Smashing Pumpkins song.

My third album by My Bloody Valentine – the first two both got two-star ratings. I don't know whether this one has better tunes, I've adjusted to their seasick shoegaze sound, or the generator has just beaten me into submission, but I quite liked Loveless. Now give me something else.

Not available on Apple Music.

When You Sleep

Started out thinking I was going to LOVE this album. And while I did enjoy it, it got repetitive after the first few songs and couldn't really differentiate between songs.

3.5

Definitely an important album , I just don’t find MBV as satisfying as Slowdive

This album is not bad but nothing about it stood out to me either. Just another nondescript entry that gets a check mark, but I'll never listen to again.

Behind the distortion and experimental guitar sounds is an album I would describe as a balance between dreamy (several songs were sleep inducing) and layered texturing. The sounds and songs are interesting, like most shoegaze, but it only sustained my interest for so long. I like a lot of it, but overall this doesn't overwhelmingly convince me to seek out more from MBV.

listened while I was working and the album flew by. had a lot of fun though

You know that kid that looks down at their feet and mumbles incoherently when they force themselves to speak to you? Now make them the singer for a really good band ...

I tried. I saw all the reviews waxing lyrical and I tried. And I just don’t get it. The feedback and distortion takes away most of the nuance. Which is possibly the point. But it doesn’t make me want to listen again. Better than the last effort from them though. I don’t remember much about it but I gave it a 1. This one is a 2.5, so there is that

I liked this better than I remembered. At it's best it's kinda got the catchiness and feel off the pixies mixed with the grit and dissonance of sonic youth. And I do like that kind of grainy early thing they're doing the whole time. Sometimes that gets old, but today it worked for me.

It was a little hit or miss for me, with the misses being wild pitches off the plate that hit the batter. I liked a few songs, particularly the opening and closing ones, even though some of the better songs overstayed their welcome. Again, liked some, but others were extremely annoying noise that made me want to rip out my ears. I wanted to give it a 2.5 but I rounded up to 3.

i like it but i gotta admit ive never gotten it... liked it more that previous listens but it still kinda does nothing for me

I'm thankful for this album's influence on Trent Reznor, as we might not have received THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL and THE FRAGILE sounding quite the way that they do, and I am convinced the latter two are among the very best albums released not in the 1990s, but of all time. Having said that, I am very unlikely to listen to this particular album ever again. Sure, it created and further elevated the elements that would make the shoegazer genre, but they lacked the kinds of song structure I need to enjoy them.

Too messy to listen to the good melodies

Very neutral feelings about this one

I’ve really tried to get into this over the years. Never have. Is today the day? Or is it my usual thoughts: an incredible first four seconds and then not much else after? Okay, I do like it more than that—more than four seconds. But none of these songs ever get in my bones. They’re fine and then I forget about them. “Sometimes” got closer to that this time, and I like the riffs from only shallow, when you sleep, and I only said.

I’ve tried to like them, and I listened to this album twice. I just don’t get it.

Walls of sound.

Oh dear. "sometimes" and "soon" are two fantastic tracks. "what you want" is also decent, but I really didn't like the rest. The out-of-tune tracks were absolute torture to listen to, and the rest didn't do much for me either. These two superb, and one decent tracks lift it to 3/5. I want to give it 2/5, but that feels mean.

This album isn't as terrible as I expected after reading some of the reviews here. In fact, I quite enjoyed listening to several of the tracks. While I wouldn't seek to listen to it again, I would not object to hearing it if someone twisted my arm.

3.5

A very neutral 3.

Fun twist of electronic rock. Probably won't listen again

This album basically invented a genre I very much enjoy, but I just never like it as much as I want to

Ambos puntuamos 3, no me llamó la atención ninguna canción, pero no estaba mal (fdo: Nuria).

Sort of cocteau twins in a lower octive

Eich müsst mir de sril und soundrichtig sehr gfalle, aber es packt mi zwenig und ich weiss nöd wieso. Vlt im falsche mood hüt. Oder weg de -wahrschindlich - absichtlich schlechte qualität. Alles ruschig. Darum chani nur 3 puntos geh :(

Did not enjoy this very much.

Moody and chill and fun

I remember when Houmous & Chutney met Kevin and Colm on tour back in ‘81. They were desperate for some advice. They were trying to make it, their band was called Squashed Kumquats. Both me and Len didn’t know what a kumquat was! Anyway, it was Feb and Len came storming in in a right huff. What’s up Len? ‘It’s my bloody Valentine, she’s run off with Bono’. The rest is history. 3.4

Enjoy the guitar work, but the genre is not one I am specially a fan of.

Don’t know anything about them - I am guessing emoish alternative and winey. Getting smashing pumpkin vibes early. Now I know why I don’t know anything about them - they are just not that good. I’ll give them three stars because they tried but some of the songs just sounded like mud.

Yeah it’s textured but quite boring over time.

Eh. Poppy, 90s

good

I don't think shoegaze is for me. But a unique album nonetheless

Not bad, not amazing

The first repeat for me. This shows me how much my taste in music has evolved since I first listened to it in 2021. I appreciate this a lot more now than I did then. If you don't pay attention, the whole album becomes one big blur of noise. When you do pay attention, you realize that there is actually a decent amount of diversity in its sound. It's not something I crave, but it is nice. best tunes: only shallow, loomer, i only said, come in alone, blown a wish, when you sleep

Fuzzy guitars and moody vocals. This is what “indie“ rock usually sounds like. Not bad for the most part, like a slightly more polished Sonic Youth. But some tracks sounded like they were part of a climatic scene in some millennial movie melodrama, which I found annoying. A little better than a three star album, but not enough for me to want to round up.

There's plenty of noise rock that I do like, what I don't get is the appeal of whatever it is that makes the unpleasant sound like a dirty vinyl album or my cassette tape is about to explode.

Not a fan. Don't like the mumble-whispering lyrics and the music's pretty much all the same, from song to song. 2.5 rounded up, mostly cause it's not really irritating, just unappealing.

Tried to get into this before but it did not really click then. Same now. Its alright noise but it doesn’t scratch any itch. Actually prefer Isn’t anything” to this.

Way cooler than expected. Reminds me a bit of the Cocteau Twins

Not terrible, just sounds like someone left smashing pumpkins on the radio in the other room.

Loveless is a weird one for me. Yes, it is repetitive, yes, the vocals are really muffled and difficult to hear for most of the songs, and yes, the songs can sound really noisy at points. But for some reason, i kinda enjoyed this one. The noise of a lot of the songs for some reason felt really pleasant, relaxing, and hypnotic and i also didn't seem to mind the repetition throughout most of the songs since the sounds that are repetitive are at least unique in some ways. This one is obviously a really difficult one to get into due to all the reasons i mentioned above but i felt as if i was able to get past it and enjoy the album to a decent extent. Best Song: When You Sleep Worst Song: To Here Knows When

I enjoyed this more than I expected

Incredible sound in search of some songs

Soooo 90s. I’ve heard the band name but never listened to them. Never heard any of these songs before. Every song is very airy and does carry a similar sound throughout. I was able to make out maybe 3 words in the whole album due to the style sounding like they were strung out on heroine (maybe they were?). Not really my style and I did start to feel the runtime a little over half way through. It’s not bad by any means but not great. 5/10

My Bloody Valentine is one of those bands that I’ve always been aware of but to whom I never paid much attention. I would hear about them from time to time and how they were doing something different and interesting. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-loveless-by-my-bloody?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

This is the 3rd mbv album we've had, the 1st two did nothing for me, v but this is the seminal one so had high hopes. In conclusion, they are overrated imho. This is an okay album, but feels like it's a shoegaze album for people who don't listen to shoegaze to be able to say they listen to shoegaze 😂 basic throughout

Not really my thing

"shoegaze", kind of a wall of distorted, but not harsh, guitar with mumble vocals and some other melody over top

Totally unique album if you have never listened. It takes a few listens. Tough right out of the gate with inaudible lyrics and soundscapes…

Hier hebt ge echt wel een goeie koptelefoon voor nodig. De eerste nummers beluisterde ik met mijn brakke Jabra headset van het werk en miljaarde mijn oren deden zeer. Met airpods klinkt het heel wat beter. Cool album op zich. Een beetje Sonic Youth-achtig. Ik kende het nog niet, maar daarvoor zijn we hier he. Soms klinkt het wel heel noisy, maar er zijn ergere dingen in de wereld. 3.4

For an album that starts off with a great number, it left me with the feeling of 'thanks, but I'm full'. I can barely hear the vocals most of the time over the distorted guitar noises, and most of the tracks are... forgettable. Get the feeling that it's supposed to be listened to in one sitting, but it's making me fall asleep. Best songs: only shallow, come in alone Worst songs: to here knows when, what you want

A nice surprise, I liked this more than I thought I would. I think the vocals needed to be more prominent in the mix. At times the jam/groove got a bit long, repetitive and kind of self indulgent which prevents me from rounding up. 3.5/5

Okay, maybe there's room for me to dig this record yet. This most recent listen fared much better than my first couple. I still struggle with the vocals, and it's definitely not my favorite overall style, but a lot of the melodies revealed themselves more to me this time around. I'll keep at it... 3/5

This one was okay. Kinda odd, but okay. This doesn’t really sound like a 90’s album to me. Favorite song: when you sleep

Noisy

It was ok

Never would I listen to this on my own again

I have heard this band's name but have never heard a single song, so this should be interesting. I thought it was Billy Corgan off the rip with those soft vocals coming in. "To here knows" when feels like a tame impala song with synth and vocal sounds. Cool sounds on "When you sleep" lead into "I only said" seamlessly. It's a decent album to have as my background music as I get admin tasks done. Reading their background and seeing how they started and who they inspired makes sense!

Очень специфический альбом, жанр которого я определить даже не могу. Что-то крайне фантасмагорическое. Но для 1991-ого года звучит безумно необычно. К сожалению, не совсем цепляет, тяжеловат к прослушиванию.

Pretty good but don’t understand it

Pretty alright, a little bit of a peppy rock flair. 3.5

Maybe cause it's been so influential, and imitated it sounds like not much special. Apparently there was a lot of tuning and guitar playing innovation, but a lot of it just sounds like... maybe weezer? power chords.

yuh

I respect the hell out of it for what it is, but I don't think shoegaze is my cup of tea. Some of the instrumentation is preeeetty out there. Still, an interesting listening experience

Boring

Not what I thought my bloody Valentine was about. Good atmosphere

Not bad! I didn't like the other two albums of theirs I've had already but I didn't mind this. I actually had a bit of a revelation about my attitude when I was listening to this. I started out disliking it, but then I was like, "If you told me this was Sonic Youth, I'd probably like it." I wiped my hypocrisy-clouded judgment away and this immediately sounded better.

only shallow // when you sleep //

It was ok

carissimi my bloody valentine, deve esserci un punto in cui la distorsione della chitarra e il mugugnare parole che a malapena si sentono diventano eccessivi. deve esserci. deve. perchè così è troppo.

loveless my bloody valentine 1991 1. only shallow: 6/10 2. loomer: 7/10 3. touched: 4/10 4. to here knows when: 5.5/10 5. when you sleep: 9/10 6. i only said: 5.5/10 7. come in alone: 6.5/10 8. sometimes: 6.5/10 9. blown a wish: 5.5/10 10. what you want: 6/10 11. soon: 6.5/10 overall rating: 6/10

Much preferred it to the other album we had from them, this offers a lot more. I really like the sound, it manages to somehow be both really full on but also properly cut in places. Shame the guy can't enunciate clearly, have no idea what he's actually saying and that loses at least a point - the way it's mixed doesn't help that (but might be a blessing given that he can't really sing). Have listened to this a few times, and it's a great listen for working to, enough there to keep you interested but without the lyrics being audible it doesn't distract too much. 3/5, could've been higher if I'd known what he was on about.

This was not what I was expecting from the band name alone. It wasn’t the worst

This band is like the sad, less talented Cranberries. A little too depressing for my tastes, though I can appreciate a lot of it. The last track - Soon - was really cool.

Cool d’album, parfois gossant

Distorted rhythm guitars, the album

some ok songs

Different for sure

chaotic good. that's kind of the best way to put it.

could i write poetry to this? n

3.5. I always mix this band up with my chemical romance

I like the songs where the vocals are mixed to the front. Even when you can't tell what he's saying, it's nice to have a vocal melody to offset the manic guitars.

Neat stuff!

not really my thing, but its fine

I quite enjoyed this album the first time I listened to it. However, on further listening the album started to fall flat. I still enjoy it, and will probably continue listening to it. I feel the album sounds a little repetitive and monotone the further it goes on, but maybe I just need to listen more.

No me llega a agradar del todo.

I was unfamiliar with the term 'shoegaze'. I think I would like it more if they didn't keep playing the same thing over and over and over until I wanted to tear my earbud out. I guess I like my shoegaze in small doses. 3/5

The opening of this album made me nervous that I would hate it, but then the album chilled out and grew into itself. Decent chill vibe to listen to during work.

I bought this CD back in the day. It didn't really hook me. I liked it a little better this time.

I tried hard to like this many years ago. Didn’t stick. Relistening now, it’s noise to me. Plus one star for sheer passion, drive, creativity, and execution. Nailed it. 3* ‘I only said’ is stellar

Really good. Couldn't give it as much concentration as I'd like, but very good. It's a very high 3, but it could go 4 or even 5

I feel like I should like this band but it just doesn't really do anything for me

Perfectly okay, but very much a put-it-on-in-the-background thing.

This has a lot of the sonic elements that I like in some later bands but here it seeems muddy, ill-defined and tiresome. I feel like mbv must have influenced the Smashing Pumpkins.

My heart sank at another MBV album, but either I'm softening to them or this one is better. A bit more melody, some nicer vocals and this passed the time. Still took much industrial background scuzz for me but a step up.

A great album , really loud , but all songs are really similar to each others so maybe an entire album is too Much.

I did not hate this

Always heard good things about MBV. Didn't realize how many of their songs I knew.

I had really listened to them before, it sounds like Smashing Pumpkins were heavily influenced by MBV. Nice grooves

Meh

I have a hard time getting into a lot of shoegaze. There’s a lot about it that I like, but the droning and wall of sound can be hard to listen to sometimes. MBV is legendary, but I’ve never really listened to them until this. At first I listened to it while in the car but felt like I couldn’t hear a lot of the music over the highway noise. Tried to listen to it again at home and turns out I really wasn’t missing all that much. A lot of it is just genuinely noise. There’s some cool stuff here. The more dream pop tracks remind me of bands like Cocteau Twins, Smashing Pumpkins, and even The Cardigans. But man, some of the songs get super repetitive and those droning, distorted guitars start to sound like bagpipes and vacuum cleaners. To Here Knows When kind of sounds like the distortion that would happen just before your stereo or Walkman ate your cassette tape. I’ll probably give this one another listen at some point to see if it grows on me, but for now it’s a low 3/5.

Much better than their 2013 album. Not quite my taste. Some songs hit for me, some miss. I can see some nerds talking about how MBV is their favourite band. And it somehow has me confused.

Not sure how to rate this - I didn't like it at first but it grew on me. Wouldn't listen to any tracks again individually but the overall vibe of the album is nice

It was surprisingly not bad. Probably not going to seek it out again, but would definitely listen to it.

Not awful, but not inspiring.

# Playlist track - soon # Notes - MBV, again? I just listened to [[My Bloody Valentine, m b v]] a few weeks ago. - It feels as you're listening to the album through defective speakers. - I get that the full, noisy sound is intentional and it's supposed to evoke some kind of feeling, but that doesn't work for me. - The grand exception here is "soon". It just works so much better. Maybe it's for this weird pauses in the main ultra distorted guitar sound for the weird experimental violin-ish guitars. +1 star

Thoughts before listening: This is my third MBV album on this list, and I've been pretty underwhelmed by the other ones. I know that Loveless gets massive praise from music journalists, but I've never really listened to it. I'm excited to hear a classic, but based on their other albums I'm not over optimistic that I'll enjoy it. Review: Well right out the gate I really like "Only Shallow", which is a song I've heard before. The massive wall of sound guitar with ethereal female vocals is a great sound that would go on to be highly influential for the 90s alt-rock to come. The second song however is back to what I have disliked about the other albums: structureless, droney songs that sound like incomplete demos. That sound permeates the rest of the album with only a handful of songs actually adding melody and structure to the guitar noise. I'll give this 3-stars but in general, I don't get the hype for MBV...they certainly don't need 3 albums on this list.

No me llega a agradar del todo.

Better than I expected.

and a half

Quite disharmonic Alternative.

Uppskattade några enskilda låtar på denna, men soundet blir lite väl tradigt under ett helt album för att det ska bli högre betyg.

It made me feel old because my first reaction was, "I can't understand what they are saying." But overall I enjoyed the music, beat tune and dissonance, which seems to be what the music is really about.

So this is Shoegaze music? So washy. So dreamy. It's OK. I prefer the songs with beats. Especially liked Only Shallow, When You Sleep, and Soon.

Despite the shoe-gazing vibe, I can appreciate what they’re doing here, and their contributions/influence in this genre. They clearly influenced the Smashing Pumpkins. Feels more like a meditative/experimental journey than a musical destination. I wish I could understand ANY of the words they’re saying, but pretty solid nonetheless.

Almost

Not a fan....all I can say. Valentine does not equal warm and cozy!!!!

only shallow- noisessss. um yeah theres not a lot going on. i dont liek the singing parts i like the weird distorted riff. 6 loomer- not feeling it. 4 touched- weird noises. i liek the distorted violins. 7 to here knows when- like tomodachi life shit. dont ask. L. 4 when you sleep- L too. dont care. 4 i only said- 3 come in alone- no more sometimes-

At some point this is just noise. Good base for songs, and I can see how this inspired a lot of the alternative acts yet to come.

I liked that other album on this list by this band more. 'Loveless' has some nice musical ideas but it really feels all a bit messy and unclear - not surprising given the chaotic history of making that album.

This is the third MBV we've had here and the highest rated.... Lots of distortion again! I actually think I preferred their first album we had, "isn't anything" to this. But like the others, I don't dislike it, I just find it hard to really pick anything out as the amount of distortion makes it all feel very much of the same. That being said, "when you sleep" was the best track. Not sold on the whole shoegaze thing

The only thing bloody about this is my ears - one of their neighbors at the time of them writing this probably Honestly a cool listen. I personally wish the mixing favored the voices a little more - but I think they knew what they were doing and obviously didn't want that vibe. Cool instrumentation - especially for 1991 (actually idk I wasn't there). I feel like the ideal place to listen to this is at a beach/park on a summer day with your friends (+/- being high) Standouts in no particular order: - Blown a wish, soon, when you sleep, sometimes

First of all I love how this album opens. Only Shallow is a banger. Overall it's a pretty cool album although I found myself getting a bit bored a few times. I can appreciate the heavy pedal effects, the reverb vocals, and weird noises. I also usually like when songs are drawn out but in this album it got a little boring at times because it wasn’t changing much. From a historical perspective, I cannot believe it cost as much money as it did to produce this album.

I like the consistent vibe of the album, and I think it is a good choice for many situations, like driving in the rain. I just listened to it at work, and didn't particularly enjoy it, also because of the tone. I don't want to just hand out fours, so I'll go with three, but I'm glad I listened to it.

Really noisy stuff, with no lyrics and just some kind of moans. Glad that Smashing Pumpkins upgraded this sound. Ok stuff. 3/5

Often cited as a pioneering act in the shoegaze genre, their sound is characterized by dissonant guitar textures, androgynous vocals, and unorthodox production techniques.

Enjoyed it more than I thought, nice album as a whole

Enjoyed but gave me images of 80s angst.

Not very exciting

It reminds me of the CW superhero shows where either the main hero goes through his "dark side" phase when its a bit more emo, a bit more aggressive but its ok or where they have an argument at homecoming/prom/winter formal.

Might need a few more listens but I still don’t get the hype with this album Favourite tracks: loomer, when you sleep, soon

снова была обманута предубеждением о том какая у них музыка, а у них другая музыка) но почти инструментал, я такое не откладываю

flanger/chorus, whispy vocals, but kind of heavy. Interesting at least. Songs all sound the same, all the music is just washed out flangy/chorusy cloud. It's Ok. 2.9.

2.5/5 This felt pretty whatever? Best track: Blown a Wish

Feels like being in a dream

Had this as a teenaged obsessive of the NME and Melody Maker, but never really got it or got on with it. And now I'm over 50, I still don't. Noise doesn't make up for a challenging lack of melody. Extra star for 'Soon'

Mocht wat meer hoge noten hebben. Holy shit soon is goed

I was expecting the album to be so lowkey. It creates a nice atmosphere, but does little with it.

Not enjoying Loveless might be my biggest failing as a music fan. I’ve given it plenty of tries now and it’s just never clicked with me. only shallow is an incredible opener and the highlight of the album, and the one-two punch of when you sleep and I only said in the middle is another high point, along with a great closer. The rest just doesn’t really do too much for me though. While I understand the noise is kind of the point, and it is really impactful in places, on some songs like to here knows when it really overshadows the otherwise strong hooks and just results in a bit of a mess.

Strong start, became monotonous

Shoegaze-y opiod rock. Relaxing

Not really my jam

Great sound. A bit too ambient for me. I couldnt understand one single lyric, which is fine, but I dont know. It really did sound great, and that feeling of the early 90s alternative scene is strong and beautiful.

Couldn't understand a word of the lyrics, but dug the wall of sound. Felt like drudging through thick mud.

quite an interesting sound, but didn't feel like there was a lot of variety to me

little bit of grunge, little bit of indie. good sh*t.

Seemed rather demure and listless, not sure I understand the hype. Maybe shoegaze requires more familiarity to enjoy.