m b v

So much atmosphere and though sometimes glacial, the movement within feels seismic when it hits.

This was the culmination of someone thinking fuzz was cool so more fuzz = more cool. It is not. Add in mumbled moans as vocals and uninspired song writing and this is an album that I couldn't get through. Boring and unexciting. I thought I'd add a few points for some interesting atmospheric keyboards in a song, but then the interesting part got old after 2 minutes of the same thing--and the song had another 3 minutes to go. That's when I decided this album was a list cause. 1/5

Lyrics? Who knows. The vocals are here for melody and texture. The walls of sound make this more of a set of feelings rather than songs. I just think Shoegaze is really cool. Not quite as good as Loveless, but there isn’t much that is. Favorites were She Found Now, Only Tomorrow, New You, and Wonder 2.

I’m in a group chat where the other members are excited about My Bloody Valentine touring for the first time in a decade. This is my second MBV album and while I liked it more than Isn’t Anything, it’s confirmed my hunch that I won’t have FOMO if they all go without me.

Había escuchado Loveless y guardado algunas canciones, no sé cómo estará este álbum. Está resultando un tostón ruidoso. Se salva "new you" y poco más. Se va a llevar una estrella.

I’m at a 3, but I was surprisingly close to a 4 at points.

I tend to harp on the thought that “the first minute is the whole track” is a desperately negative thing, and it usually is – I find it to be an exercise that shows that a song is sometimes just an idea stretched out to fill time, with nothing really thought out past the first chorus. Shoegaze is the exact type of genre that leans into this philosophy as a tool for music to explore soundscapes through minor adjustments, and challenges the notion of “first minute = whole track” being inherently bad. If I’m being honest, as far as this album goes, it succeeded a few times – there are tracks here that I would classify as “first minute”-y tracks that really won me over, but it’s about a 50/50 split.

The last time we got a pure shoegaze album, to my memory, was “Nowhere” by Ride, released in 1990, and my initial assessment of shoegaze was that “it’s like leaving the reverb in as if it’s a smoke cloud from a fire; it just hangs around, and stays there, and it doesn’t really bother you, but it is kind of weird that it’s there”. This is a different variety of shoegaze, blended with more ethereal instrumentation & production to feel like the in- between phase of a lucid dream. The overblown guitars feel like the brain starting to stir awake, but whenever melodies pop in to cut through the mix, it’s a welcome remnant to grasp onto and really make something click.

It’s a very hit and miss effect (at its very worst on “nothing is”, which just droned for me as an exercise in madness), but when it works, it really works – there are about 4 or 5 tracks on this album I think I could go back to, just to try & capture that same feeling they gave me again. The other 4 or 5 tracks fall short of that same goal, and don’t inspire the same level of imagination, mainly because their instrumentation isn’t as captivating, and there’s never a chance to enter the zen state with them.

I do think I “get” shoegaze now, in a more proper way; apparently, these guys have two other albums on the big list, and if “Loveless” is this absolutely seminal 90s record and the pinnacle of this style that people claim it to be, I think it could be really good. For this, as a 1997 project dragged all the way into 2013 like it’s Duke Nukem Forever, I think it’s a fine enough showcase of the genre, and with maybe a little more time to reflect on each track and modernize them, this could’ve really shined through a bit more. For now, it’s a 3, with glimpses of a 4 for me, but too much inconsistency & a few too many “first minute”-y songs to get to that point. It is a recommended listen though; my “meh”s could be someone else’s “wow”s, and I guess that’s the beauty of a genre founded in noise as an instrument.

The Good: We get to play the ACRO game!!!
The Bad: m b v does not stand for music become venerate
The Ugly: realizing it stands for My But Vomit

WTF? My string of crap albums continue… it is going to get boring to sum up, but 4 straight days of 1*, cut short by a 2* album, and now we are already on 3 straight days of 1*

This album can best be compared to Chinese water torture, just replace the drip drip with fucking noise and unintelligible vocals.
Nothing redeeming on this album for me.
Nothing enjoyable…

I am understanding why so many people bail on the project after a couple of hundred albums; they probably started getting such strings of bad luck too and said fuck it, I’m done!!!

1*

Loveless is an amazing album...MBV, long in the coming, was a solid follow up but not quite to the caliber of its predecessor. Overall a worthy listen though. 4.5/5

Low quality audio is full of static. Really ruins anything good in it which is not much. Lacks most of what makes bands successful.

Weird album

Interesting, not usually my thing. Shoe gazing emo would fit for some nap time relaxation.

Ffs, not another My Bloody Valentine album. This is my third of theirs that I've had so far. Ever wonder what shoegaze would sound like underwater? If so, these idiots may be for you! Super fuzzy distorted instruments and moaning. No clue what the singer is saying...... Utter garbage.

The idiots couldn't even be bothered thinking up a cool album name.... "let's just use the band's initials!".... Anything else may be considered work..... Fuck these guys. Also, the prize for shittiest album artwork across all of their albums has to go to these tools. Shitty nonsense, or out of focus photos.

Nothing at all about this was enjoyable. It all ran together into one 46 minute steaming pile of horse shit. I've checked, and this is their last album. They only have three. So all of their records were included on this stupid list, while many more deserving acts weren't even included on this list. Revisit your musical tastes you fucking muppets.

Favourite songs: only tomorrow,

Least favourite songs: this whole God awful piece of shit

1/5.....0 if I could.,

While the album isn't as consistently fuzzy as their prior album, as the fuzz is mostly abandoned after the third track, the entire album captures this dreamlike state of exploring an abandoned town, but rather than feeling fear you instead feel at peace. This feeling may be familiar to those who've listened to Cocteau Twins' more ambient records, and I'd say while the overwhelming emotion that comes from heavy distortion is missed on this record, its ethereal substitute feels very mature and is a perfect natural progression after nearly twenty-two years in the melting pot. It isn't as mind-altering, or as much of a force to be reckoned with, but it is something to just gaze into. Like a Summer's night to Loveless' Summer's day, this album may not be a worthy follow-up to some, but in my mind this just feels like a natural conclusion is a sound decades in the making. That being said, I wouldn't mind a fourth album, Kevin...

Alsof je een tapeje van een tapeje van een tapeje afspeelt...

Big surprise here as I have always pigeonholed this band into "shitty alt-goth I will never listen to". Well... here's where I admit I really like this. It's definitely mood music, not something I'd listen to all the time, but the pulsating textures of almost ambient sound they create are incredibly interesting. It can easily serve as good background music you ignore while working, but is also something that you can focus on and lose yourself in, finding new intricacies the deeper you dive. Reminds me A LOT of a more guitar-focused Slowdive.

Meh, fuzzy noise. Not my cup of tea. It was a bit headache inducing.

m b v is another album on this project that i have mixed feelings on. There are some songs on this album that are legitimately stellar even if they are seen as just \"noise\". I honestly feel that i have a bit more of a fondness for these \"noise albums\" than most other people do since i find that while they can sound annoying at first, once they sink their teeth into you, they actually can be quite the ear candy which is benefitted by the fact that here, the songs are long enough to really sink in. Unfortunately, not all the songs here are like this. The others are just kinda boring and, like the good tracks, are pretty long too in some cases. But kinda boring is the worst this album ever really got, I still quite like it.
Best Song: who sees you
Worst Song: is this and yes

wonderful, an album i have been looking forward to hearing since the start - and especially since i had their debut a few months ago. flawless, and with the option to fully immerse yourself or have it as (interesting and absorbing) background music. try both!

I’m never coming around on mbv, I’m afraid.

MBV carry on doing what they're good at with zero attempts to update the formula. Soaringly beautiful in places, discordant and unlistenable in others.