Review Summary: The fuzzy distorted sound of MBV's Loveless will whisk you away. This is an amazing album though a tad overrated.
Ah, Loveless, the ultimate shoegaze album, a landmark, a mile-stone, whatever you want to call it. This is My Bloody Valentine’s most critically-acclaimed piece of work and is seen as a classic in many people’s eyes. The album cost £100, 000, took three years to make and in total cost £250,000 which resulted in the Glider EP and the Tremolo EP which
To Here Knows When and
Soon first popped up. They also made four music videos for the album. All this nearly bankrupted the label funnily enough. This album is a lot different than previous album Isn’t Anything. Mostly due to the fact this album relies on emotion and a lot more guitar fuzz. The album cover is a still of a fender jazzmaster taken from the
To Here Knows When video and is wrapped in pink fuzz, which is a good description of the album of course.
As I said in my Isn’t Anything review, the band is based around Kevin Shields as he is the chief song writer. The difference between this and Isn’t Anything is that this uses a lot more samples and most of the songs and melodies are built around them. However, Kevin and Bilinda are still there plucking chords in the background along with Debbie giving the old bass a good work-out. A cool fact about Colm’s drumming is that it’s half programmed and half real drums. Colm had his playing sampled which was used when he fell ill during recording. This was so the drums would still have the same feel of his drumming despite programmed. Again, the vocals are low in the mix and are supposed to be used as a melodic function. Kevin doesn’t sing as much as Bilinda on this album but Kevin sounds a lot better than he did on Isn’t Anything as he keeps his voice low. Bilinda again, brings the song out or so to say. She puts the finishing touches to the songs. Whether it’d be her oohhh’s in
To Here Knows When or her sugar sweet vocals on
Only Shallow, she is a superior vocalist.
Again, you can’t make out the lyrics on this album either as it is pretty free for all. Themes in the songs include love, sleep and sex which helps it’s lovely dreamy atmosphere.
When You Sleep is an obvious love song and a beautiful one at that. “When I look at you. Oh, I don’t know what's (true). Once in a while and you make me laugh” says Kevin in a sleek, silky voice. But don’t take my word for it as the lyrics are up for interpretation so there is no right or wrong for what the meanings of the song are. Every line just seems to be a small phrase rather than long sentences which make at least some sense but I guess it’s all better that way. It’s not just the lyrics but the vocals that make the album better, as the lyrics are portrayed into an almost dream-like trance. Suits the album well if you ask me. My favorite lyrics from the album is from
I Only Said when Bilinda sings, “See there run away you said. To go you were it, you were it. To lay underneath the red sky there. To lay under her, I want her there” because it seems so emotional to me. Not trying to be cheesy or anything.
I like the way the album is shrouded by a wall of fuzzy distorted guitar sounds and samples and samples of melodic lines. The band work really well together even if they are pushed by the genius Kevin Shields. While this is an amazing record it isn’t as great as everyone makes it out to be. It’s actually quite overrated but that doesn’t stop it from being most excellent. I can’t help but feel that
Come In Alone,
Blown A Wish and
What You Want are a bit boring and I find it hard to listen to the whole way through without skipping it so that only leaves me with nine songs to listen to plus a filler, oh well, at least the rest of the songs make up for it. I didn’t like the album when I first bought it as I found it really accessible but of course, it grew on me a lot and I begun to see underneath it all. That’s one great thing about this album, I am still finding things about it even after my fiftieth listen.
My favourite song on the album is probably
When You Sleep which is also the lightest, pop song on the album. The main sample that runs through the song is highly contagious until the sample runs off and Kevin starts singing backed up by chords running about in the background. The track that hooked me first time I heard it was
Only Shallow as it was really catchy to me. Bilinda’s vocals are nice and smooth on the song and she really helps make the song. In fact, Bilinda makes a lot of the songs as her voice is very soothing and sweet sounding but Kevin really knows how to add to the song as well.
Sometimes is one of my favourite tracks, starting off with a two-track guitar (one electric, one acoustic) it then descends into some of Kevin’s vocals. What I find with this song is, there actually isn’t much to it but you don’t notice it as it puts you into a sort of trance. Every track asides from the two I mentioned are worth a listen so check it out.
In conclusion, this is a great listen, especially when you lie there with headphones on just whisking away with this blasting out. I find this a bit overrated though as I just can’t listen to this all the time. This would have been a five if I had been in love with the three tracks I mentioned but I’m not and that kind of detracts from the album. This is still an excellent album no matter what anyone says. If it’s not the pop hooks that don’t catch you then it’s be the fuzzy dissonant noise scattered across the album. This will take some time to get into but when you do get there, it’s heavenly.
