The 20th century’s final decade posed a seemingly insurmountable challenge to artists hoping to reshape newer styles of music. The noise genre, springing to life from punk’s ashes, grew to heights such that critics and fans alike labeled Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation as “essential” just two years before the end of the 1980s. This became noise’s pivotal achievement, an abnormality proving that harsh sounds had purpose. Emerging from noise’s wake seemed inconceivable. Yet, something unexpectedly brilliant happened.
Late in 1991, just over a month separated the releases of the decade’s most pivotal albums, Nirvana’s Nevermind and My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. In retrospect, these masterpieces bear many similarities (a statement that would seem ludicrous if said at the time) because their respective creators and future influence speak louder than the music. Nevermind inspired the grunge movement and catapulted the Seattle collective into the mainstream’s stratosphere. Loveless became the poster child of the shoegaze genre, creating countless imitators striving to capture its complex textures.
While easy to highlight the success, an early demise struck both artists — albeit in different ways. Kurt Cobain struggled to make sense of the newfound popularity, taking his life shortly after In Utero‘s release and its perceived failure to harness Nevermind‘s intensity. Kevin Shields, MBV’s front man, became reclusive in the years post-Loveless. The band halted any further recordings, realizing the album’s brilliance might never find a suitable follow-up.
Cobain’s suicide ended Nirvana, their career forever encapsulated in a very limited discography. Debates continue about what life might be like had he continued to produce music; a fruitful career for someone so talented ending just as quickly as the band’s rise to fame. For years, the same thoughts loomed over MBV as many considered the band to have joined Nirvana in the “what could have been” discussion. This, however, is no longer the case. Now, nearly a quarter of a century since Loveless‘ release, My Bloody Valentine has finally returned to true form.
For the record, m b v isn’t Loveless, nor does it attempt to be Loveless. Rather, it is a careful and methodical introspection, a defiant statement to anyone who renounced the band and an answer to those who questioned MBV’s potential. While only the group’s third full-length LP, m b v summons Shields’ innate creativity in ways unseen in their previous efforts. Its masterful engineering binds sheer aggression with guitar-driven ambience that bewilders its listeners. A whirlwind of noise and tension, m b v confounds even those well-acquainted with My Bloody Valentine’s sound. It demonstrates just how innovative the band can be.
On its opening track, “She Found Now”, we are greeted with the hazy and meticulously plucked strum of Shields’ Fender Jaguar, signaling MBV never truly left. While hearkening back to Loveless‘ grittier tracks (namely “Sometimes”), “She Found Now” only further obscures its melodies and instrumentation. Shields’ iconic tremolo wails over an indeterminable voice whispering “you.“ It’s characteristically MBV in terms of sound, but it possesses an entirely different and unique attitude. Abandoning a sense of urgency displayed in previous work, “She Found Now” steadily increasingly builds in heavy distortion, drowning the listening with its pulsating rhythms.
Unsurprisingly, the album refuses to cease after such a bold opening track. “Only Tomorrow” and “Who Sees You” successfully layer countless droning guitars to twist one’s conception of a traditional melody. Walls of noise continually intensify, only utilizing the final minutes to cohesively pull each individual element together.
Even during the album’s moderately slow moments, innovation continues to emerge. The album’s centerpiece, “If I Am”, explores guitar modifications atypical of Shields’ vision when creating his landscapes. But it sounds unequivocally perfect in conjunction with Bilinda Butcher’s soft cooing of “either if I am.“
Some readers of this review might point to the numerous, and perhaps excessive, comparisons to Loveless, which is certainly justifiable. However, the record’s importance can’t be overlooked nor overstated; Loveless forever changed the notion on just how far the envelope can be pushed. This effectively makes it the only album by which one can compare My Bloody Valentine’s latest opus. m b v fully transcends this idea, becoming an established piece rather than a point of comparison. No longer is the question “what if?” but, rather, “what next?”
m b v