After 22 Years, My Bloody Valentine Release A New Album

When My Bloody Valentine released their epoch shattering, genre defining album, Loveless, the CD was just beginning to appear, New Order were still releasing good music, and Leeds United were on their way to a Football League First Division title. Currently, the CD is on its way out, New Order are in the middle of a weird half-baked reunion, and Leeds are hanging out in the middle of the table in the npower Championship. Oh, and My Bloody Valentine have finally released a follow up to Loveless, called mbv (or m b v, maybe M B V).

Typography and second division soccer aside, what we’re looking at here is something previously thought impossible. I could write an entire article about the number of times Kevin Shields promised that the new album was finally, definitely coming out, but that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is that finally, internet breaking 403 errors aside, we have a new MBV album in our hands. Which, frankly, is pretty crazy.

But is it any good? Fortunately, yes. mbv is operating on the same wavelength as Loveless: layered, shimmering guitars, watery, slightly androgynous vocals, and a keen sense of melody to tie it all together. It’s clear that Shields was aware of what made Loveless so unique, and he didn’t tinker much with that aesthetic. It’s a testament to his skill, and Loveless‘s greatness, that the band’s signature sound still sounds so fresh and unique.

Shields breaks away from his typical sounds a few times on this record, but the results are fairly mixed. “is this and yes,” a slow track led by a synth line, is an interesting idea, but it never goes anywhere. “nothing is,” an instrumental track led by a spastic guitar lead, is really good. As is “in another way,” a fractured song that has synths that remind me of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, of all things.

That being said, mbv is an album that never seems to become great. None of these songs kick like “Only Shallow,” and none of them have the energy of “When You Sleep.” In a way, I suppose that comparing these songs to Loveless is a little unfair, but I’ve really got nothing else to compare them to. And some of these songs are boring.

I suppose sounding like, but not being as good as, Loveless isn’t a bad thing. Most of the songs on mbv are good to very good, and even in a post Loveless world there still isn’t a single band that sounds like My Bloody Valentine. As a fan of the band, and shoegaze in general, I can’t help but enjoy this album. But I’m left wondering just what in the hell Kevin Shields has been doing for 22 years.