My Bloody Valentine | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Like the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, and the Jesus and Mary Chain before them, My Bloody Valentine redefined what noise meant within the context of pop songwriting. Led by guitarist Kevin Shields, the group released several EPs in the mid-80s before recording the era-defining Isnt Anything in 1988, a record that merged lilting, ethereal melodies of the Cocteau Twins with crushingly loud, shimmering distortion. Though My Bloody Valentine rejected rock & roll conventions, they didnt subscribe to the precious tendencies of anti-rock art-pop bands. Instead, they rode crashing waves of white noise to unpredictable conclusions, particularly since their noise wasnt paralyzing like the typical avant-garde noise rock band: it was translucent, glimmering, and beautiful. Shields was a perfectionist, especially when it came to recording, as much of My Bloody Valentines sound was conceived within the studio itself. Nevertheless, the band was known as a formidable live act, even though they rarely moved, or even looked at the audience, while they were on-stage. Their notorious lack of movement was branded "shoegazing" by the British music press, and soon there were legions of other shoegazers -- Ride, Lush, the Boo Radleys, Chapterhouse, Slowdive -- that, along with the rolling dance-influenced Madchester scene, dominated British indie rock of the late 80s and early 90s. As shoegazing reached its peak in 1991, My Bloody Valentine released Loveless, which broke new sonic ground and was hailed as a masterpiece. Though the band was poised for a popular breakthrough, it disappeared into the studio and didnt emerge over the next five years, leaving behind a legacy that proved profoundly influential in the direction of 90s alternative rock. Born in Queens, New York, Kevin Shields family moved to Dublin, Ireland, when he was six years old. In his teens, he became obsessed with pop music, eventually playing in Complex with his childhood friend Colm OCiosoig. In 1984, Shields and OCiosoig formed My Bloody Valentine with vocalist Dave Conway and keyboardist Tina, taking their name from a slasher horror film. The group relocated to Berlin, where they released the Birthday Party-influenced EP This Is Your Bloody Valentine on the Tycoon label in 1985 to little notice. The following year, the band moved to London, where they added bassist Debbie Googe. By the summer, they had signed to Fever and had released the EP Geek!, which again was ignored. Later that year, the group moved to Kaleidoscope Sound, releasing The New Record by My Bloody Valentine EP, which illustrated a Jesus & Mary Chain influence. The following year, the band moved to the Primitives Lazy Records, releasing Sunny Sundae Smile early in the year. That EP was the first My Bloody Valentine record to mesh airy melodies with grinding guitars, but the two EPs that followed in 1987 -- Strawberry Wine and Ecstasy -- were more focused and acclaimed. Conway left the band by the end of the year and was replaced by vocalist/guitarist Bilinda Butcher, whose breathy vocals fit the groups evolving sound more appropriately. My Bloody Valentines new sound coalesced with the groups first full-fledged album, 1988s Isnt Anything. Released on Creation Records, Isnt Anything was greeted with enthusiastic reviews in the U.K. music press and the bands following increased dramatically by the end of the year; in fact, their reputation had become large enough to attract the attention of Sire/Warner Bros. in the U.S., who became the groups American label. Two other EPs, Feed Me With Your Kiss and You Made Me Realise, were also quite popular, and by the beginning of 1989, bands that based their sound on My Bloody Valentines droning swirl began to appear. The group retreated to the studio in 1989 to record its follow-up, which meant that only one EP, Glider, was released during that year. By the spring of 1990, it was becoming clear that the follow-up to Isnt Anything wouldnt be appearing anytime soon, and reports about Shields growing perfectionism began to circulate in the U.K. weekly music press. Soon, it became apparent that the bands lengthy recording sessions were crippling Creation Records, but the groups audience was still passionate despite the inactivity: the Tremolo EP was released at the end of 1990 to considerable acclaim, and managed to climb into the U.K. Top 40. When My Bloody Valentines second album, Loveless, finally appeared in late 1991, it was greeted with uniformly excellent reviews and it became a hit within the U.K., reaching number 24 on the charts. In America, the group made significant inroads, particularly by supporting Dinosaur Jr. Despite the bands acclaim and growing audience, Loveless didnt sell in numbers to recoup its reported 500,000 dollar recording cost and Creation dropped the band from their label roster; Creation wouldnt fully recover until 1994, when they signed Oasis. My Bloody Valentine signed with Island and entered the studio at the end of 1992 to record a new album. In 1993, the group contributed a James Bond cover to a charity compilation. And then...nothing happened. Shields built a home studio with his Island advance and reportedly completed two separate albums, but scrapped them both. Often, the studio ran into technological problems. Between 1993 and 1997, both Googe and OCiosoig left the band, leaving only Shields and Butcher; after driving a cab for about a year, Googe formed Snowpony in 1996. There were signs that My Bloody Valentine were emerging from hiding in 1996, when the group contributed to the Wire tribute album Whore and Shields played on Experimental Audio Researchs Beyond the Pale. In the late 2000s, the band re-formed to play several shows, including a five-night residency at Londons Roundhouse venue in June 2008; that summer and autumn, they played the European festival circuit as well as major cities in North America, including the All Tomorrows Parties festival they curated in Monticello, New York, that September. In 2009 they embarked on a smaller round of dates, with dates in the Netherlands as well as the All Tomorrows Parties "Nightmare Before Christmas" festival that December. Late in 2012, Shields announced that My Bloody Valentine had completed a new album, but no firm release date was mentioned. The album, mbv, arrived in February 2013. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 16 Title: This Is Your Bloody Valentine Released: 1985-01 Tracks: 7 Duration: 25:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Forever and Again (03:33) 2 Homelovin’ Guy (03:03) 3 Don’t Cramp My Style (02:26) 4 Tiger in My Tank (03:31) 5 The Love Gang (03:55) 6 Inferno (04:41) 7 The Last Supper (04:31) |
| This Is Your Bloody Valentine : Allmusic album Review : My Bloody Valentines debut album, This Is Your Bloody Valentine, is an unfocused and derivative collection of post-punk goth rock that offers no indication of the revolutionary guitar sound the group would later create. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 16 Title: Geek! Released: 1985-12 Tracks: 4 Duration: 12:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 No Place to Go (03:13) 2 Moonlight (03:12) 3 Love Machine (03:01) 4 Sandman Never Sleeps (03:20) |
 | Album: 3 of 16 Title: The New Record By Released: 1986-09 Tracks: 4 Duration: 04:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Lovelee Sweet Darlene (02:13) 2 By the Danger in Your Eyes (02:43) 3 Another Rainy Saturday (?) 4 Were So Beautiful (?) |
 | Album: 4 of 16 Title: Sunny Sundae Smile Released: 1987-02 Tracks: 4 Duration: 02:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sunny Sundae Smile (?) 2 Sylvie’s Head (?) 3 Paint a Rainbow (02:14) 4 Kiss the Eclipse (?) |
 | Album: 5 of 16 Title: Strawberry Wine Released: 1987-08 Tracks: 3 Duration: 08:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Strawberry Wine (02:34) 2 Never Say Goodbye (02:32) 3 Can I Touch You (03:15) |
 | Album: 6 of 16 Title: Ecstasy Released: 1987-11 Tracks: 7 Duration: 20:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 She Loves You No Less (02:34) 2 The Things I Miss (02:56) 3 I Don’t Need You (03:08) 4 (You’re) Safe in Your Sleep (From This Girl) (02:31) 5 Clair (02:33) 6 You’ve Got Nothing (03:41) 7 (Please) Lose Yourself in Me (03:27) |
 | Album: 7 of 16 Title: You Made Me Realise Released: 1987-11 Tracks: 5 Duration: 17:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 You Made Me Realise (03:46) 2 Slow (03:12) 3 Thorn (03:37) 4 Cigarette in Your Bed (03:30) 5 Drive It All Over Me (03:05) |
 | Album: 8 of 16 Title: Feed Me With Your Kiss Released: 1988-11 Tracks: 6 Duration: 20:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 You Made Me Realise (03:46) 2 Slow (03:12) 3 Cigarette in Your Bed (03:30) 4 Feed Me With Your Kiss (03:54) 5 Emptiness Inside (02:49) 6 I Need No Trust (03:32) |
 | Album: 9 of 16 Title: Isn’t Anything Released: 1988-11-21 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) (02:21) 2 Lose My Breath (03:37) 3 Cupid Come (04:29) 4 (When You Wake) You’re Still in a Dream (03:18) 5 No More Sorry (02:47) 6 All I Need (03:04) 7 Feed Me With Your Kiss (03:54) 8 Sueisfine (02:12) 9 Several Girls Galore (02:20) 10 You Never Should (03:22) 11 Nothing Much to Lose (03:17) 12 I Can See It (But I Can’t Feel It) (03:11) |
| Isn’t Anything : Allmusic album Review : Though its often seen as just a precursor to their magnum opus Loveless, in its own way My Bloody Valentines Isnt Anything is nearly as groundbreaking as their 1991 masterpiece. Not only was it the most lucid, expansive articulation yet of the groups sound, it virtually created the shoegazing scene and spawned legions of followers. The albums tightly structured songs still bore traces of My Bloody Valentines previous incarnation as jangly indie popsters, but Kevin Shields and company crafted wide-ranging experiments within those confines. "Feed Me with Your Kiss"s mix of bruising guitars, drums, and sensual boy-girl vocals define My Bloody Valentines signature sound, while "All I Need"s weightless guitars and vocal melodies melt into a heady haze. Shields unique tunings, tremolo, and miking techniques stand out on "You Never Should" and "Nothing Much to Lose," but Deb Googes surprisingly funky bassline on "Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)" reaffirms that all of the Valentines contributed to their innovative sound. Indeed, many of Isnt Anythings disturbingly beautiful highlights come from Bilinda Butcher. On the wrenching "No More Sorry," she sings abstractly pained lyrics like "Your septic heart and deadly hand/Loved me black and blue," barely audible over a swarm of fragile yet menacing guitars, while on "Several Girls Galore" shes sexy, yet dazed and distant; it sounds like shes whispering in your ear outside of a blaring nightclub. The Valentines dark side is especially prominent on the album, particularly on "Sueisfine," where the chorus slyly morphs from "Sue is fine" to "Suicide." Isnt Anything captures My Bloody Valentines revolutionary style in its infancy and points the way to Loveless, but its far more than just a dress rehearsal for the bands moment of greatness. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 16 Title: Ecstasy and Wine Released: 1989-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 29:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Strawberry Wine (02:33) 2 Never Say Goodbye (02:32) 3 Can I Touch You (03:15) 4 She Loves You No Less (02:34) 5 The Things I Miss (02:56) 6 I Don’t Need You (03:08) 7 (You’re) Safe in Your Sleep (From This Girl) (02:31) 8 Clair (02:33) 9 You’ve Got Nothing (03:41) 10 (Please) Lose Yourself in Me (03:27) |
| Ecstasy and Wine : Allmusic album Review : Before Kevin Shields was a guitar god, before Isnt Anything and Loveless became seminal classics, My Bloody Valentine were a struggling goth band trying to find their place in the music scene. When they disposed of their original singer, they started moving toward Cocteau Twins territory, using guitarist Bilinda Butchers airy voice to redefine their image. Ecstasy and Wine, which combines the two EPs that came before Isnt Anything, is the sound of a band discovering its unique voice. "Strawberry Wine" is a gorgeous pop gem, with Shields and Butcher exploring the guitar landscapes that would later become their trademark. Both "Can I Touch You" and "Clair" are rare examples of My Bloody Valentines talent for making swaggering hard rock ditties. Although a few of the songs lean toward the pop/rock of the Jesus and Mary Chain, it is quite amazing how even at this stage they seemed to understand the sound that would make them unique. Fans of the band will find this album essential, and even curious onlookers may find themselves drawn in by the gorgeous sound of one of the most unique bands in rock history. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 16 Title: Glider E.P. Remixes Released: 1990-04 Tracks: 2 Duration: 17:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Soon (The Andrew Weatherall mix) (07:36) 2 Glider (Kevin Shields remix) (10:20) |
 | Album: 12 of 16 Title: Glider Released: 1990-04 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Soon (07:01) 2 Glider (03:10) 3 Don’t Ask Why (04:02) 4 Off Your Face (04:16) |
 | Album: 13 of 16 Title: Tremolo Released: 1991-02-04 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 To Here Knows When (05:49) 2 Swallow (04:55) 3 Honey Power (04:33) 4 Moon Song (03:26) |
 | Album: 14 of 16 Title: Loveless Released: 1991-11-05 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Only Shallow (04:18) 2 Loomer (02:38) 3 Touched (00:56) 4 To Here Knows When (05:31) 5 When You Sleep (04:11) 6 I Only Said (05:34) 7 Come in Alone (03:58) 8 Sometimes (05:19) 9 Blown a Wish (03:36) 10 What You Want (05:33) 11 Soon (07:01) |
| Loveless : Allmusic album Review : Isnt Anything was good enough to inspire an entire scene of My Bloody Valentine soundalikes, but Loveless greatness proved that the band was inimitable. After two painstaking years in the studio and nearly bankrupting their label Creation in the process, the group emerged with their masterpiece, which fulfilled all of the promise of their previous albums. If Isnt Anything was the Valentines sonic blueprint, then Loveless saw those plans fleshed out, in the most literal sense: "Loomer," "What You Want," and "To Here Knows When"s arrangements are so lush, theyre practically tangible. With its voluptuous yet ethereal melodies and arrangements, Loveless intimates sensuality and sexuality instead of stating them explicitly; Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butchers vocals meld perfectly with the trippy sonics around them, suggesting druggy sex or sexy drugs. From the commanding "Only Shallow" and "Come in Alone" to breathy reflections like "Sometimes" and "Blown a Wish," the album balances complexity and immediately memorable pop melodies with remarkable self-assurance, given its difficult creation. But Loveless doesnt just perfect the groups approach, it also hints at their continuing growth: "Soon" fuses the Valentines roaring guitars with a dance-inspired beat, while the symphonic interlude "Touched" suggests an updated take on Fripp and Enos pioneering guitar/electronics experiments. These glimpses into the bands evolution make Shields difficulty in delivering a follow-up to Loveless even more frustrating, but completely understandable -- the albums perfection sounded shoegazings death-knell and raised expectations for the next My Bloody Valentine album to unreasonably high levels. Though Shields collaborations with Yo La Tengo, Primal Scream, J Mascis, and others were often rewarding, they were no match for Loveless. However, as My Bloody Valentine fans -- and, apparently, Shields himself -- will attest, nothing is. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 16 Title: EPs 1988–1991 Released: 2012-05-07 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:41:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 You Made Me Realise (03:46) 2 Slow (03:12) 3 Thorn (03:37) 4 Cigarette in Your Bed (03:30) 5 Drive It All Over Me (03:05) 6 Feed Me With Your Kiss (03:54) 7 I Believe (03:02) 8 Emptiness Inside (02:49) 9 I Need No Trust (03:32) 10 Soon (07:01) 11 Glider (03:10) 12 Don’t Ask Why (04:02) 13 Off Your Face (04:16) 1 To Here Knows When (05:49) 2 Swallow (04:55) 3 Honey Power (04:33) 4 Moon Song (03:26) 5 Instrumental No. 2 (04:46) 6 Instrumental No. 1 (03:20) 7 Glider (full length version) (10:17) 8 Sugar (04:15) 9 Angel (04:42) 10 Good for You (02:31) 11 How Do You Do It (03:31) |
| EPs 1988–1991 : Allmusic album Review : This compilation from the almost impossibly influential British band who arguably single-handedly created the entire shoegaze genre collects their EPs You Made Me Realise, Glider, and Tremolo, all newly remastered, together with a number of rare and previously unreleased songs. Featuring the massive, distorted guitar sound which made them famous, along with some more experimental tracks, this collection acts as a companion piece to their reissued studio albums and is a boon for completists and new fans alike. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 16 Title: m b v Released: 2013-02-02 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:33:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 she found now (05:06) 2 only tomorrow (06:21) 3 who sees you (06:12) 4 is this and yes (05:06) 5 if i am (03:54) 6 new you (04:58) 7 in another way (05:30) 8 nothing is (03:34) 9 wonder 2 (05:51) 1 she found now (05:06) 2 only tomorrow (06:21) 3 who sees you (06:12) 4 is this and yes (05:06) 5 if i am (03:54) 6 new you (04:58) 7 in another way (05:30) 8 nothing is (03:34) 9 wonder 2 (05:51) |
| m b v : Allmusic album Review : Even though My Bloody Valentine promised late in 2012 that they would release new music in the near future, when m b v arrived in the middle of a February weekend in 2013, it was hard to believe it actually existed -- and not just because demand for the album kept crashing the bands website. For years, a follow-up to their 1991 masterpiece Loveless seemed impossible, and perhaps even unnecessary. What could live up to Kevin Shields notorious perfectionism, never mind the expectations of rabid fans (some of whom werent even alive when Loveless was released)? With a title that evoked years of scrawling initials on mixtapes and playlists, m b v answered those worries with a set of songs that felt immediately familiar. And, appropriately enough given the 22-year wait, many of these tracks are decidedly unhurried, and maybe even hazier than what came before. "who sees you" and "if i am" churn and hover, full of cloudy vocals and lingering guitars, while "she found now" recalls Loveless "Sometimes" in its whispery bliss. Yet there are differences, too: m b vs production is surprisingly direct and intimate, at times almost insular compared to Loveless panoramas. "is this and yes," which jettisons guitars in favor of organ and brass that evoke Stereolabs regal serenity, is one of the most strikingly different songs in their catalog. Shields and company spend much of the album avoiding the rhythmic heft that made their previous music equally lush and propulsive. Instead, they save m b vs loudest and most daring moments for last. "in another way" pairs a stair-stepping vocal melody with tones that approach free jazz in their dense clusters, while "nothing is" rides a pummeling riff and drums that are almost perversely loud, as if to make up for muffling them elsewhere. The most exciting moment is "wonder 2," which makes the jet engine comparisons to their music more literal than ever before, with rapid-fire beats and streaking sonics that suggest the song is being shot into space. Occasionally, m b vs songwriting doesnt always feel as immediate as before: "only tomorrow" and "new you" are among the tracks that make the most of their poppy structures and Bilinda Butchers sugared murmurs, but as fans know, most of the bands hooks take their time to emerge. More comforting than revelatory, m b v reaffirms that My Bloody Valentine are one of a kind; the subtlety to their melodies, instrumentation, and the way they blur together belongs to them alone. Theyre not trying to re-create Loveless, nor should they, and m b v doesnt have to reinvent music (again) to be worth the wait. | ||