Loveless

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.

No me llega a agradar del todo.

After listening to this album, I've decided that I just have to accept that there are some bands - like Deftones and Sonic Youth - that my slightly older, perhaps slightly cooler friends like, that I just can't get into. For me, although there were one or two tracks or moments in songs that I enjoyed on this album, overall, they just drone on a bit too much for me, and the production, artful though it is, means I can't hear the lyrics. Oh well!

Bit noisy at first and then half way through it grabbed me

Space sonic. It’s like Smashing Pumpkins without Billy. The guitar melody begins to make more sense as you get deeper into the album, but the indistinguishable lyrics make it tough to get attached. Perhaps upon further listens I would warm up to it. The guitar work I’m sure was very impressive as a genre definer at the time. I can appreciate that.

There is a lot here too love. But holy hell there is so much wasted time on this record. All those great ideas only really should fill half of this thing. I love shoegaze and this is super cool shoegaze. But this could be better with just a little tightening up.

ооОоОоО, шугейзовое. Причём побольше, чем Blur, которые играли шугейз. Сделано прикольно, но мне показалось местами, что недостаточно тяжело и по-детски. Может быть, это моё корявое восприятие такое.

Sådan lidt Sonic Youth agtigt Åbningsnummeret er meget groovy, de er ikke i så godt humør generelt. Lidt for meget distortion til min smag, men ellers ok.

Wasn’t too crazy about this one. It’s a high 3, but it didn’t catch me. Plus Touched is terrifying.

3/5. It has great potential and the songs are easy to listen to despite the heaviness behind each one. I just get lost in each one to the point that I don’t know which song I’m on. They blend into each other and they sound great but it’s not for me. I would listen to it again but not often.

As beloved as Loveless is, it's just never really clicked with me for whatever reason. It's fine.

Shoegaze just doesn't do it for me. There's no momentum. There’s too much sad boi apathy and I find myself bored by it. I do understand it's place and how it evolved; I can appreciate the divergent nature of it, and this record is certainly the highest form of shoegaze, the most revered and quintessential album belonging to this genre. Respect and all that, but I still come back to the fact that it does nothing for me sonically. Stirs no passion, inspires no excitement. Middle of the road neutral rating.

Pretty good! Dad didn't like it.

One long prolonged fuzz. Okay

yea its good

This sounds like the music from someone's dreams somehow translated to real life. Indistinguishable vocals and all.

Not an album I know, really quite enjoyed it. Elements of the Cocteau Twins reinterpreted with guitars and without all that is amazing about Liz Fraser

Está medio raro, pero está bien. Había visto ya varias veces mencionado este álbum, así que tenía unas expectativas un poco por encima de lo normal, y, aunque no estuvo tan mal, tampoco me pareció tan bueno como esperaba. El álbum tiene un sonido que, aunque es bastante característico, también es bastante extraño. Si de por sí me cuesta un poco de trabajo entender lo que dicen las canciones, con este álbum, ni si quiera me molesté en intentarlo. Parece que el cantante de empeñó en grabar las canciones a los 2 minutos de despertarse. No es algo que tache de malo, pues creo que le da personalidad, más bien es solo algo que me parece resaltante. En cuanto a las canciones, no son muy disfrutables que digamos, muchas son repetitivas y algunas ni si quiera suenan bien. Tampoco es como que sea desagradable como tal, pero no es muy convencional y, cuando suena extraño, muchas veces, no es un extraño muy bueno. Finalmente, al momento de escribir esta reseña, le pongo 3, pues no creo que sea la gran cosa, pero, personalmente, tampoco me pareció tan mal.

They're clearly very into their distortion. Not bad at all, but the vocals weren't the main point of focus. Definitely better than their other stuff I had heard. Fave track(s): Loomer, When You Sleep

A milestone in music which I rather appreciated for what it neans/is than enjoy listening to. „Sometimes“ stays extraordinarily beautiful. 3.3

bon mais pas super original

- floating lyrics over strong guitar - huge Smashing Pumpkins vibes - atmospheric

Scuzzy, grungy goodness.

I definitely thought this was My Chemical Romance or some early aughts emo band... oops. And what a pleasant surprise!

I liked this album!

If they made an instrumentals version of this album, I would like it more. The lyrics stay on the same subject in this whole album, but the vocals sound good.

I dug the sad-grunge-punk vibe thrown by the band members, however I don't think I'd enjoy listening to more than three songs in a row. The guitar stared to sound like a cheese grater after awhile.

So much of this album was droning hence the term "Shoegaze" (thanks Ethan). However, what was neat was hearing other bands that influenced my bloody valentine and who my bloody valentine influenced themselves, from Morrissey to Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. Only place I can think of listening to this sound is at Rebel lounge, really really stoned and just swaying with long haired weirdos.

Cool... That happened. Seriously this is just melt into a couch and not return music. I left it on in the background during my morning routine and it was pleasant but that's about as far as I go. In reading about it I learned what the "shoegaze" music genre means

I found the bassy distortion tracks enjoyable but the overpowering treble really killed some tracks

Engaging but a bit listless at times. Plot twist, I watched the completely unrelated film of the same name tonight as well.

I like how it starts and how it ends, but just couldn’t get swept up in everything in between.

I actually really liked the first track, and the last one. The rest was sonic experimentation, “art” but not “music” to me. I enjoyed listening, and put the bookends on my rotation. But the rest is one and done.

Ég tengi ekki alveg við þessa plötu. Draumkennd angistin flæðir þó frekar ljúflega.

I have been stuck on this album for a while. Not that I think it's bad, it's just that noisy shoegaze is something I don't seek out to listen to any time, I never feel like it. Which is not a value proposition at all, just preference. I'd even say it's pretty good for what it does and it was an influential album so for that reason it is interesting.

Got a bit of a smashing pumpkins vibe with this just not as good. The musicality of this album is great but the vocals are weak and drowning under all the distortion, which may be the point....all the same not for me and it's what brings this down to a 3.

Starts rough - but the longer you listen the easier it is to tune your brain to the right wavelength. I have badly wanted to like this for a long time, because I can see how much pleasure it brings to the people who get it. I'll never love it, but starting to see the appeal..

In theory should be right up my street. Interesting soundscapes and approach, but not quite the masterpiece I’d been led to believe. At times the musical and production approach seem to match the album title well, which was disappointing.

Opens off strong, but the next few songs: what is that? Got me using colons and everything. I'm not really into the whole white-noise-emotional-circle-jerk kinda thing, it's the musical equivalent of praising modern art(splashes and slashes).

Expected some emo goth shit but was actually a decent listen. In saying that, zero songs particularly stood out.

This didn't do much for me. About as interesting as it got in the first 5 minutes, and every song circled into pretty much the same jammy repetition, blurred with heavy handed effects.

Shoegaze classic

algunos temas son realmente densos

Very cool

Another beloved band that is a huge inspiration for artists I love who I've somehow never listened to before! So excited! Hmm, I'm not a big fan of the mixing. The vocals are so incredibly quiet compared to the instrumentals. I like it overall, but will probably never listen again...

The album has a Smashing Pumpkins feel to it, which I would like if not for all the guitar distortion.

At its most palpable moments, this reminds me of Cocteau Twins. Otherwise, it is mostly simple and repetitive songs with a thick layer of noise and distorted guitar sounds on top. This does give the music an interesting dreamy quality, but it is not enough for me to stay engaged for the entire album.

A little too noisy.

I wanted to like this more than I did...I love only shallow, and sincey other songs approached that, but a lot of it was undifferentiated

Started pretty intriguing but quickly faded to background music.

loveless is the second album by Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine. It was certified silver in the UK and is widely criticized as one of the best shoegaze (indie & alternative rock) albums - influencing various subsequent artists in the genre. This beautifully trippy album performed well critically, but not as much commercially, causing the band to break apart a few years later and not release another album for about 20 years. The music is interesting and I recommend it however, I could not differentiate the tracks through my first listen. The music already sounded fluid, but it began to melt together so that every song sounded the same. I'll have to give it another listen, but this is my original rating.

Comme vous vous en doutez, cet album a donné lieu à une énième déconvenue pour Robert qui en a encore pris plein la figure. Eltrapeze et moi l'avons encerclé alors qu'il était sur le chemin de sa boulangerie et l'avons roué de coups, et ce devant plusieurs témoins. En espérant que son séjour à l'hôpital l'aura au moins un peu fait réfléchir.

Notes - THE shoegaze album/band - Established and solidified a lot of genre conventions - Released on creation records - the recording contributed to the label’s bankruptcy - This album has never hit the spot for me - I appreciate the work that went in production-wise, but I’ve never found the songs themselves to be super compelling Fav - When you sleep - There’s a reason its the most popular - Good tune and memorable melodies Least fav - I only said - not a fan of the melody lead and the rest of the song doesnt do anything for me 3.5/5

didn't realize this was from late 80's early 90's. I can see the love for shoegaze.

Already reviewed: "I was waiting for this to show up. It was only a matter of time, but I expected it would take more than a week. It's fine, it's swirly, atmospheric. It's got a few great pop tunes on it, but I can't say I listen to it often for fun. I probably don't do enough drugs."

Nice. Feels a lot better than the last MBV album we had, less 'white noise'.

This is just a lot of mumbling and whining that's drowned out by fuzzy guitar, making the record sound like it's being played from inside an empty tin can. when you sleep & i only said were both pretty good though, but man, I wish the entire album sounded more like the last track, soon. The guitars and drums on that song open up and sound a lot less hazy - while being nicely complemented by the bumbling, incoherent vocals. Maybe it's just a matter of preference, but as a whole this made me feel like the old woman from Spongebob, sitting in my wheelchair going "WHAT?!!?? WHAT ARE THEY SELLING?!?!?!?" as he and Patrick try to get me to buy some chocolate.

Interesting. 3

Meh slightly punky croons

isn't anything (much)

Fine, nothing wrong with this but nothing particularly exciting either.

Three great tracks extended into a full album. This honestly feels like droning black metal if you took out most of the darkness/distortion, and that I must respect. I want to be very clear this feels better than a 3.5, but even so a 4 just doesn't feel quite right.

rimelig god shoegaze ikke noget der rammer personligt

- irgendwie psychodelisch - bringt die Instrumente einer Indie oder Punkt Band mit - Melodisch - Kann etwas einschläfernd wirken - wirkt an manchen Stellen wie zusammengewürfelter Krach (Jazz?)

Oooh wel een toffe ontdekking. Zeer goed voor op de achtergrond. vooral 'i only said' vind ik top.

Good

I don’t now what it was. Listening in the care.

3.5

meia bomba

Was expecting a very emo album based on the name, but wikipedia tells me this is "shoegaze". That checks out, exemplified by the 4th track, "to here knows when" (did not enjoy). Most of the album is actually kind of cool, I can see that the style has been influential.

It's a very unique and ethereal sound. I get that. It also has passages that are pleasent to listen to. All in all it isnot my kind of music, I can see how it is a very influential record though. I will give it 3 stars.

Honestly disassociated for like half of the album, but that usually means it's good in my terms. As expected of MBV, very indie rock.

Scarier than I thought it would be. Like trying to remember a song; "Everywhere at the End of Time" -esque 3

Shoe gazing Que no me comunica nada. Tampoco me molesta, pero ni ganas de que explorar mas.

I'm glad I gave "Loveless" a second listen. The first time through, I was overwhelmed by the weakly orchestral whale murder on "Touched" and the subsequent instrument malfunction and moaning of "To Here Knows When." Those tracks stuck with me, and it wasn't until the album was almost finished that I realized I enjoyed the second half more than I'd thought. The second listen solidified what I had realized by the end of the first go-round - "Loveless" (and mbv) aren't quite it for me, but I can respect their experimentation and path-forging efforts. This album is apparently the defining release of the shoegaze subgenre, though shoegaze seems very small and niche, whereas mbv seems equally influential in alternative and indie rock in the 90s and even 2000s. I thought shoegaze was named for the generally mopey and muffled vibe of the songs, but I've learned that it was that the guitar sound was so driven by pedal effects that the musicians spent much of their time staring at the pedals, and thus, their shoes. But while "Loveless" surely inspired much shoegaze that I've never heard, and Wikipedia claims that shoegaze was pushed aside by grunge and Britpop, a lot of grunge adjacent alternative rock in the 90s feels a lot like my bloody valentine. (As an aside, my instinct to proofread is very annoyed by the lack of capital letters in my bloody valentine.) The band that came to mind most while listening to "Loveless" was not a shoegaze band, but rather Smashing Pumpkins. After the album finished, Amazon Music's attempt to create a like-minded radio station was also heavy in 90s alternative and grunge.

Sort of trancey rock which I quite enjoyed. As ever some tracks much better than others so a solid 3*

OK. I've tried a few times with this album. Its fine but no more for me.

I wish there were a 3.5.

I tried to get this. Some sounds worked, but I like to hear vocals, not some ambient fuzz.

Maybe as background music to movie scenes but overall kinda weird

Probably a good version of what it is supposed to be achieving. Not for me.

I've heard of this group and they pop up a lot on recommended indie lists but this was my first listen to their recordings. I really enjoyed the mellow vocals (but couldn't really make out the words). The music, however, was very noisy and production a little overbearing. Not really sure I can say I enjoyed it but it was certainly an unusual album.

Enjoyable, but not memorable

Loved the noisy guitar/understated vocal combo.

Pleasantly surprising, this one. Hints of Autechre and ambient droning, whereas I think I expected something like a bad metal score to a slasher movie.

My first listen to a My Bloody Valentine, which is a surprise. Not sure what I was expecting, other than to maybe like this more than I did. It was solid though.

Rating: 6/10 Best songs:

Can't tell what is being sung, but an interesting, hazy, shoegaze type sound

I love the opening track Only Shallow. The others don't hit me as well, but it is still a good and important album for alt music.

We need to talk about headphones culture. Seriously.

its alright i guess, shoegaze alternative rock

I know the indie police will come for me, but it's a little bit boring. I see they're trying to make noise and beauty meld into an original thing... But the music doesn't realise that ambition, at least until 'soon' which is a tune. I'd come in expecting more, as I knew it's reputation. It's not bad, but it's a bit too background for me. It feels tasteful, like coffee table books and Insta homes. Come and get me indie police!

Ok album. It is from 91 but still sounds 80's. Not my prefered choice, but still ok.

Not familiar with the album and it really did not hold my attention. I guess I am not a fan... Apparently there are sonic innovations for the guitar here...I guess I can recognize that contribution to music, but it doesn't really capture my soul at all. It just kind of hung around in the background of my awareness as I listened to it droning on and on.

I guess I am realizing that the “shoegaze” genre is something I prefer in smaller doses as opposed to whole albums. I didn’t dislike this but got bored during the first song. It just didn’t hold my interest. I don’t mind listening to this and there are points I found interesting, but they sort of fly by and I feel like I’m always waiting for something else to happen.

Aquele rockzinho início anos 1990, meio nirvana meio Dawson's Creek (haha). Combinou com a chuva de hoje.

Fun, loud, early 90s

Sounds like the Cocteau Twins going goth. It's not bad, but I'd rather be listening to "Heaven or Las Vegas" for the one millionth time.

Remember this from my teenage years. Proper moody show gaze

I don't know what I expected but this is really good! Crazy wall of sound style for a lot of it.

I didn’t really get MBV at the time this was released but says more about the music I was listening to then. Looking back 30 years it was very much ahead of its time and influential to many bands since then. Soon is great but some of the rest of the album washes over me a bit. More of a ‘single track on radio’ than ‘listen to whole album’ for me but I don’t dislike it

I guess one of the advantages of having the vocals so mixed down is that you don’t need to worry too much about the lyrics. I like the droning, textured guitar sounds. They remind me of a more muddled version of The Jesus & Mary Chain, and while I was never a big fan of that band, MBV, like Sonic Youth, benefits by having a second (female) vocalist – though at times it’s hard to tell if Bilinda Butcher she’s singing or if it’s just another layer of feedback.

Probably good for driving or studying or something. Kind of just noise but not unpleasant. This is the bad that your college freshman roommate insists is absolutely brilliant for reasons he cannot quite articulate.

It's like the deliberate surrealism of Salvador Dali , with Van Gogh's fuzzed and enriched palette. The album is at once a hazy blur of sound and a precise vision of production. I think it's the sort of album that a student or a music industry professional could study endlessly, in search of just how they manged to so completely fill every possible inch of the soundscape. I'm not sure that I really connect with the album all that much. It feels like more of a work of Dali, and I'm more of a Van Gogh fan (to reuse my earlier anologies), but I can fully appreciate the artistry involved.

Not what i was expecting, thought they were an emo band!

Just not a genre that will grow on me.

The genre itself is just too messy for me, the sound and vocals are merging into each other, hard to hear and understand anything. Songs are not catchy or memorable either

I constantly hear about how really good this album is. I think it's good, I want to like it way more than I actually do though. Maybe it's that this album influenced a lot of music I really enjoy or maybe the sort of low tune singing and soundscape idea isn't for me.

I first listened to "Loveless" blaring out of a tiny portable speaker in my shower room while trying to clean the grout in the tiles. The acoustics of the room lent themselves well to the band's cavernous ocean of sound, but I didn't really enjoy most of the album and that mildew didn't go anywhere. My experience probably wasn't what Kevin Shields and co. had in mind when they forked out £250k on this back in 1991. I was pleased to have the opportunity to listen with fresh ears, get lost in the music, drown in the reverb, and finally understand what all the fuss was about. I was still just thinking about bloody Dettol and latex. There are some gems for sure: "Only Shallow" kicks things off with a cacophonous bang, immediately presenting a unique take on guitar-playing with a sirening riff above layer upon layer of feedback and tremolo-bar usage. It's certainly impactful and the distant, dreamlike vocals kicking in for each verse elevate the song to delirious, foggy heights. "Touched" is a brilliant but brief instrumental with a queasy mix of strings and feedback, feeling almost proto-industrial: I would have loved to have heard more of this side of MBV. In the remaining songs, it was half-and-half: "When You Sleep" and "Soon" had some great refrains that sounded like woodwind or synths but were probably sampled vocals or guitars, but lasted longer than I was interested in them. However, tracks like "To Here Knows When" and "Sometimes" just got lost in too much low-end distortion, and by "What You Want" there wasn't much more I felt I could get from "Loveless." The formula of obscured vocals and layers of guitar effects wore thin for me after a while: it's all technically commendable, but I didn't find enough to call it a favourite. Although it may be sacrilege to say so, for me it lacks the memorable tunes for a more seamless blend of noise and pop like "Psychocandy", achieved five years earlier by Jesus and Mary Chain. I'm not rating below a 3 here, as I think there's plenty of room for this to grow on me. I also appreciate the dogged vision of this project (any artist willing to spend years sculpting a specific sound isn't to be trifled with). My tiles still have bad grout.

Too much noise in the background, for me

I did not expect this, why did I think this was like mid 2000's screamo? I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it

80s druggie vibes

It was fine.

This was a weird one, not really sure if I liked it or not. Most of the songs sounded the same.

Yesterday my 17 year old was wearing a My Bloody Valentine t-shirt and I thought to myself, "I should check them out." Today, here they are on my 1001 songs list. Strange. Anyway, this was just ok for me. I don't love the dissonant noise type stuff. Some songs were better than others. 3 stars.

Creative dreaminess

3.75

I was waiting for this to show up. It was only a matter of time, but I expected it would take more than a week. It's fine, it's swirly, atmospheric. It's got a few great pop tunes on it, but I can't say I listen to it often for fun. I probably don't do enough drugs.

too sonic for me.

Higher end of a 3, nearly 4

Very into a lot of their riffs Not to be my Mom about it, but "a lot of their songs sound the same". This autoplayed into another band after and I didn't even notice. That being said, was still into it.

“Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine (1991) This is good Irish/British shoegaze pop. An album with a title that is not the same as the title of one of the songs included on it frequently gives the listener a needed clue to a unifying theme. In this case, My Bloody Valentine succeeds, without sophistication, in depicting the sadness of isolation, with a somewhat hopeful resolution on the final track. With lyrics that are very spare, emotional snapshots really, the words prompt momentary and static consideration, nothing more. But they are well enough composed as discourse designed to steer the listener toward the sounds of the music—and those sounds are remarkable. This group does unique things with electric guitars and keyboards that initially sound like mistakes—like alternative tunings and fleeting tone ‘dips’ that sound like the tape got stretched (or the LP is warped, for those of us from that era). But through deft repetition and rhythmic consistency, a first time listener soon discovers that they are intentional, and they go beyond the mere experimental. It seems that the musicians have studied and become adept at creating a sound environment that takes us beyond convention. And it’s a nice trip. It’s not exactly atonality (it sticks to standard progressions), and it’s certainly not cacophony. Each departure from the expected is sustained long enough for the listener to get used to it before moving on to the next one. They go slow. Sampling is utilized (e.g., on “Touched”) to counterpose standard compositional techniques with the stunningly intricate innovations that the group brings to the ears. Vocals, bass, and drums remain steady throughout, giving these songs a pop appeal. After listening through the entire album, however, it seems that certain of their innovations are overused (especially the ‘dips’—why not try an occasional ‘bump’?). It would be interesting to compare this music with the group’s later work. While “Loveless” is certainly fascinating, it’s definitely not for everyone. You could listen to this while you work, but it might distract you from your livelihood. Use with caution. 3/5

Noisy and low fi. Can hear it influencing plenty of other genres and bands

Didn't really click with me tbh

I was never into them when I was younger, this is the first time listening to an entire album. I think I missed the bit in this one and now it’s too late.

Liked the two popular songs - Shallow and When You Sleep.

I have tried and tried with this album. This time on headphones while in a walk. A little more appreciation this time but still the magic escapes me. Maybe the melodies like the vocals are buried too deep for me to find. When you Sleep is the highlight. I'm getting there and this time I WANT to listen again. 3.5 🌟

I feel like...for the time this type of shoegaze was pretty new and sounded great. However, I'm not sure this is a "must hear" before I die type of album. Most of it became background noise.

Mixed feelings. I see the appeal, I’m sure it’s ideal when you’re feeling the right kind of gloomy, and nothing about it is bad per se, it’s just not my cup of tea

Started off good and different but got REALLY weird near the end.

Good stuff.

I knew the name of the band, but I'm not sure if I've ever taken time to listen to any of their music. On my first listen, "Soon" was the track I liked the most, and "I Only Said" was the track I wished would end sooner. Perhaps on a second listen, I might think that this album was more enjoyable. Either way, this feels like a 3-star album.

It was good, although more atmospheric than anything

Pretty noisy. I liked the noise except the vocals are so low that I found myself straining to hear them.

Noisy but very teenage indie

Pleasent noise.

Really strange. Some cool guitar, but not really my things.

Helaas niet kunnen luisteren op spotify of Deezer. Ik ken het album wel uit die tijd, dus deze verdiend een score

There are some cool musical ideas on here but I don’t like how you can barely hear the vocals and the droning distorted guitar gets kinda tiring. There’s not a lot of contrast. I liked When You Sleep, Sometimes and What You Want the most

Some good sounds, slightly phsycadelic guitars. Enjoyed the album, vocals fairly non descript but sound good and atmospheric.

vocals are NOT what I expected. reminds me a lot of smashing pumpkins sometimes. Not a huge fan.

.

Nice shoegaze.

I could love this less. Same ethereal energy as Virgin Suicides with more arena sounding guitars. Reminds me of Viva Voce and solo drive to Presidio.

I thought they were emo. This was more ambient. Pretty decent.

Alright nineties rock.

A classic shoe gaze album that defined the genre. Personally not my favorite shoe gaze album (I prefer Cocteau Twins), but still overall decent to listen to.

A little bit girly

Noisy but good

I think this might be an album you have to listen to A LOT in order to "get it". I just am not sure that will happen for me.

The only song I could get from this album on Spotify was “sometimes”. Thankfully that was all I needed or had to listen to.

I don’t really like Shoegaze. There are a couple of songs that stand out on this album, but the rest all merge together is an amorphous Shoegaze blob of music.

I feel like this is what music would vibe most with heroin

Missä örinä?

not available for streaming on Apple Music

Struggled to get into it - don’t really like the distortive sound that runs through many of the tracks - not my thing

I do appreciate the sounds they influence but didn't have a standout moment with this particular album. Respect that it was a very early iteration but not something I would listen to again

do you ever read reviews of albums on here and think.... is it just me? am i the problem? people are explaining why they love this album and they're using words that make it sound like this is the kind of thing i'd love AND YET I JUST DON'T GET IT.

Only shallow one of the best songs of the early 90s. The riff is relentless and the vocals melt into the guitars. The rest of the album doesn't match these heady heights and is a bit samey

A couple songs of this, sure. An entire album? No. I can't.

This isn't as good as their debut. Occasionally the layers and layers of dense guitar and high harmonies works but too often it's a dirge.

Though I know its a classic, I just really cant get into it. Totally not my thing

My Bloody Valentine, formiert im Dublin der frühen Achtziger um Kevin Shields und Colm Ó Cíosóig, lieferten mit ihrem zweiten Album einen der folgenreichsten Momente des Genres Shoegaze überhaupt. Über zweieinhalb Jahre hinweg, verteilt auf rund neunzehn verschiedene Studios – darunter die Blackwing Studios in London und später Protocol Studios in Holloway –, feilte Shields obsessiv an Gitarrenwänden aus Vibrato, ungewöhnlichen Stimmungen und digitalem Sampling. Das schottische Label Creation Records, das die Sessions finanzierte, geriet dabei fast in den Ruin; die kolportierten Produktionskosten von 250.000 Pfund wurden zur Legende, lange bevor das fertige Album überhaupt vorlag. Der Klang von Loveless verweigert sich klarer Kategorien: Gitarren werden zu schwebenden, fast körperlosen Texturen verzerrt, während Bilinda Butchers und Shields' Gesang darunter verschwimmt, kaum mehr als eine weitere Klangebene. Stücke wie "Only Shallow" oder "To Here Knows When" balancieren zwischen Wucht und Zerbrechlichkeit, zwischen Lärm und Zärtlichkeit – ein Widerspruch, der nie aufgelöst wird, sondern die Substanz des Albums bildet. "Sometimes" und "Soon" zeigen zudem, wie eng die Band mit rhythmischen, fast tanzbaren Elementen experimentierte, ohne je ihre traumverlorene Grundstimmung zu verlassen. Was Loveless bis heute trägt, ist weniger die technische Raffinesse als die emotionale Wirkung dieser Klangmasse – ein Album, das man eher fühlt als hört. Es hat Generationen von Musikern geprägt, ohne dass es je wirklich kopiert werden konnte, weil sein Zustandekommen selbst kaum reproduzierbar war. Ein Album, das die Grenze zwischen Chaos und Schönheit endgültig verwischte.

It's fine, gets old after a bit though.

Heard it before. I've never really been into shoegaze but with this album I can at least see why it's popular. It really is quite interesting in terms of the vibe. But that said it's just not for me 2/5

Think I got this a bit mixed up with another band as its really not what I expected. Sounds like a tape someone had listened to too many times.

Only one track from this album is available on Spotify, and it's bloody awful.

Mostly harmless. Really want to be Sonic Youth when it grows up.

Not my jam. Noisy Mazzy Star. 2.5

So this is their second album (and last for twenty odd years) which saw two EPs released in between this and their debut. Apparently this album took an inordinate number of studios and a then astronomical sum to make, which clearly suggested they had been critically acclaimed and that their guitarist was a bit difficult. His guitar playing is seen as innovative and the band pretty much invented the 'Shoegazing' genre - so Mogwai can be quite thankful for their droning music. This album has about two tunes I could identify and then occasional 'dream pop' keyboard lines, but the rest of it I find difficult to equate with the word 'greatest'........

2.5

This was ok, but it's still shoegaze. Liked Songs Added: When You Sleep I Only Said

Decently atmospheric but not my cup of tea overall.

I wish I liked shoegaze more. The atmospheric and ethereal stuff is pretty cool, but most of it just comes off as noise. It’s pretty difficult for me to get through.

Guitare saturée et titres sans majuscules pour passer pour un groupe emo subversif, la flemme

Bof

Second MBV album -- again thought it was an emo band but it's 90s alternative. Found this on youtube, not apple music. It's alright, not sure we needed multiple albums of theirs on here.

Depressing, jarring noise. Probably great if you are an angsty teen - I am not.

3 - BAD

No se como calificarlo, pareciera un rock tipo hard, pero no se. Es como que es ruido, pero no taan ruido como otros discos, tiene un poco más de "sentido". Igual no me llama. 4/10

Neat

Meh.

Interesting listen. A bit noisy for my taste. the guitar tone was just a bit too dirty to listen to over and over.

you keep bugging me for not listening to this one and so i did and its just another sad emo albim that i hear clairo on at timea???

I like some noisy distortion on occasion(Sleigh Bells comes to mind) but i couldn’t listen to all of this. Now it’s on my YouTube algorithm

Me gustó pero todas iguales muy de fondo creo

nah, too repetitive

This is seriously just distorted noise. I suppose I can give it some credit for being different but… wow. DNF (2)

Like NIN but like... strange?

Man, so many people praise this thing like it's the greatest album ever made, including a lot of artists I love. I just don't get it. There's occasionally a good riff here or there but it mostly just sounds like someone humming over white noise.

This is the second album I've had by this band on here, and the second time I've wondered why. Is there a reason anyone needs to hear shoegaze before they die? One of my favorite genres is progressive rock, so I’m no stranger to odd guitar tunings, weird time signatures and vocals that some people despise. But in prog it makes for a unique, organized experience and here I feel like it’s a discordant mess with mumbling and moaning over it. 2⭐️

Jangly, raw, but seemingly and oddly submerged as well

Not my words — I'll quote a review from the internet, couldn't say it better myself: 'About 6 or 7 years ago, when I first learned about this album and tried listening to it on my phone with cheap earbuds, I figured I just didn't have the right gear to appreciate this opus. Later, when I came back to this album with decent headphones and a player, I still thought I was simply unworthy of grasping all the nuances and facets of this work. And only after I got truly good headphones and an amplifier, and put on the 24/96 version of the album, did I finally realize what overrated crap it is

Not what I expected

Too god damn much navel gazing shit on this record

An endless drone. It bored me and I DNF. Some of the droning was pleasant.

Muito barulho e pouca música. Vocal muito baixo.

When it started I was like oh I'm going to have to give this some attention but I largely just couldn't hold onto any of it. More forgettable than I thought it would be. Maybe it was the day

Like I said last time they came up, This is inoffensive. It's a nice listen but nothing popped me. Last time I went 3, this time I'll go 2 for a nice average.

Only Shallow 2.7 Loomer 2.4 Touched 2.4 To Here Knows When 2 When You Sleep 2.8 I Only Said 2.3 Come in Alone 2.6 Sometimes 2.4 Blown a Wish 2.3 What You Want 2.3 Soon 2.4 Score: 2.418181818

few words. vocals.

YouTube play. Odd. Will not Dig. Cannot Flush. Nope. Next!

Alas, I feel I am not really shoegazer material.

Unintelligible Dreamy Smashing Pumpkins. At least with Corrigan's nasally voice I can understand what he is saying. Sonically, I like it. Lyrically, I could barely hear what he is saying. Odd that it's not on Spotify but other albums are. 2.5