It has been twenty-two years since My Bloody Valentine released their shoegaze classic Loveless. Their third studio album m b v was finally released on February 2, 2013, after sixteen years of hype.
My Bloody Valentine was formed in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland and consists of Kevin Shields on lead guitar and vocals, Colm O Ciosoig on drums, Debbie Goog on bass and Blinda Butcher on vocals and guitar. The band got the name ‘My Bloody Valentine’ from the 1981 slasher movie of the same name. Their first studio album Isn’t Anything was released in 1988 and was solely an alternative rock album; however, it was not until their 1991 classic Loveless that the band mastered their style. They dabbled more into the alternative rock subgenre shoegaze, which consists of more guitar distortions and drones all wrapped up with a dream-like melody. The name ‘shoegaze’ came from members of the bands looking down at, or “gazing” at their shoes. Shoegaze never took off into the mainstream alternative rock culture of the 1990s due to the popularization of grunge music overshadowing it. Loveless established a large cult following along with a huge influence on alternative rock music, influencing such bands as The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails.
M b v was first teased by Shields in the mid 90s when the band began recording. But due to a melt-down, writers block and the subsequent break-up of the band in 1997, it seemed the album would never be released. When My Blood Valentine re-established in 2007, hopes were high for their fan base. On December 21st, the band posted to their Facebook page that m b v’s mastering was finished and it would be coming out soon. “I’ve listened to parts of Loveless,” explains senior Matthew Chauby. “It was pretty good, and I’d be interested in listening to m b v.”
M b v can not quite live up to the importance and all around sound of Loveless, but it should not be expected to. It is a quality follow up, and is shockingly almost as powerful and beautiful as its predecessor. The listener gets lost in the album; somehow, all of these disjoined vocals and distorted guitar riffs mix together in your brain and just seem to make sense. It is the kind of feeling that can not be felt any other way. From the outside, it seems to be a mess of an album, but once the listeners invest the time to sit down and listen to it, it becomes an experience.
M b v is a highly recommended album and is a better than expected addition to the My Blood Valentine discography. For an alternative rock fan looking for something a little different and a little familiar at the same time, m b v and Loveless are both great choices. Here is hoping for more great albums from My Blood Valentine and maybe their next album will not take twenty-two years to come out.
A good song to listen to in order to introduce one’s self to the album is “Only Tomorrow”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2FQ3ih0MoE