1. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)
So yeah, here we are. This album rose up to my #1 faster than any album ever could, so this might be a little controversial. It's an underground classic and critics are constantly having boners over it. But there's a good reason: it's fucking astonishing how good this album is. But it's hard to explain why fully. Anyone who really loves this knows it's hard to explain why it's good without sounding like a pretentious asshole. And then the people take your advice and many dismiss it immediately from first listen as just noise, forever tainting their view of your tastes as you hang your head in shame. But it's more than just noise. Way, way more. First of all, take a look at the cover. That sums up the album. It's very guitar driven, it's distorted and fuzzy, it has a bright pink romance about it. It's really one of the most suitable covers out there. Anyways, time to go more in depth.
So I'm gonna paraphrase someone from Pitchfork (EWWWWW I know) here: for exactly one second on the opener, Only Shallow, My Bloody Valentine just sounds like any normal rock band. Then once that introductory 4 hits of the snare is done, you can almost feel their entire careers change as a band, and arguably the entire sound of guitar-based indie rock in general. It actually kinda shocks you at first because of how jarring that screaming guitar breaking through those power chords is, and it sounds a lot more like a buzzsaw ripping through sheet metal than a guitar riff, but it sets the tone for the rest of the album. And then after that dissonant, heavy section is done, you're instantly brought into a dreamy, beautiful verse delivered as if you weren't just being rocked the hell out a second earlier. Bilinda's barely audible vocals carry you off into a dreamy atmosphere, only to be jarred out by that riff again. It's pretty much just that structure repeated, yet you almost forget how simplistic it is because of how perfectly it lulls you in and before you know it you have a calm keyboard outro and you're headed into Loomer, with a riff that chugs along like a train with smoke billowing out the smokestack steadily.
Why'd I spend so much time on 1 song of an 11 song album you may wonder? Well because that's basically the story of the album. It repeatedly jars you yet entrances you both alternately and simultaneously, and it never gives up. And even though the vocals are nearly incomprehensible, they're there as another instrument and pretty much enhances the dreamy atmosphere 1000%. If you could understand them, it probably would not have the same effect.
So back to the guitars again: they're phenomenal. Not for catchy reasons, not for technical reasons, but for the pure noise they sometimes create a la Sonic Youth, and their whole style of whammying insane amounts in lots of places. A good example is the track To Here Knows When. There's a reason for the fact that if you type in that song name on Google one of the first suggestions you'll get is for the guitar sound.
It's kinda puzzling. It sounds kinda like a vacuum cleaner playing different pitches and with whammy on it, if you could picture that. It's just as stunning live though. If I remember correctly that song alone took almost a whole year till it was recorded and mixed correctly, the album as a whole taking 2 years and almost singlehandedly bankrupting the record company. Either way, the sound works amazingly and it has the effect present throughout the album: gritty and ugly guitars contrasted by incredibly sweet vocals. Both Bilinda and Kevin sing on this album, but it's mostly Bilinda, however there are tracks where there are both singing, and Kevin is the forefront on When You Sleep, What You Want, and Sometimes. Sometimes being a breathtakingly sweet-sounding acoustic ballad and definitely one of the highlights of the album and, consequentially, music in general. When You Sleep being a really catchy, synth driven track. What You Want is another catchy track, and a real rocker with a trippy and beautiful atmospheric outro. Also, as for them both singing, they're both wonderful on Soon I thought I'd say. It's a very catchy and almost dancy track in the non-lyrical sections, and when the lyrics come in the guitar is noisy and they both sing amazingly. It's almost kind of a reverse Only Shallow.
What tracks haven't I touched on now? How about Touched!
Basically, it's Chewbacca caught in the land of shoegaze. Take that as you will, it's just a short instrumental interlude. For I Only Said? Well, if you were going for a nice drive while listening to this album and When You Sleep had just ended, this track would probably make your car lift off the ground and fly slowly out into the sunset majestically as if it was the ending of a cheesy movie about flying cars. Well not literally, but it's an image I get from the song. Come in Alone is another track where Bilinda and Kevin share the vocal parts equally. It has a beautiful pre-verse melody, and the bass really drives this one home. Playing up high during the vocal spots and then down low giving a sort of heaviness during the instrumental pre-verse spot. It's wonderful. Blown a Wish is a really innocent and happy song with Bilinda leading the vocals. It has kind of a disorienting atmosphere throughout, but it works great.
So yeah. That was really long. But that was about as short as I could make it without shooting myself for forgetting to mention something. Basically, if you like Sonic Youth or noisy atmospheric goodness, you have to listen. Like now. Do not wait. What are you doing go listen.
Favourite tracks: Every song on here is better than any other song ever made.
Topic: LieLowTheWantedMan's Top 50 Albums/EPs V.2! AHHH IT'S OVER (Read 23735 times)
