1. SteepSlopeCj

   10

   I am only 17, but when I was 11 and only beginning to dip my toes into alt rock, I discovered 2 albums made in 1991. Both unimaginably brilliant, they changed my life. The one, the insanely popular and seminal Nevermind from Nirvana, the other an album whose stature grew from virtually nonexistant to being nearly as, and arguably even more, influential than Nevermind. The latter, was ofcourse Loveless. I was so confounded by its innovations and inventiveness and the harsh formless beauty of the songs, so much so that I scoured the Earth in search of albums that sound similar. Guess how that went.
   
   I may have not had to wait 22 years like other fans, but I sort of grew comfortable with the idea that MBV would never release another album. Then the reunion happened. Rumours flew around about new songs, a possible album even. I shrugged it off. I did my research. These kinds of rumours go around every couple of years. But then the rumours started gaining momentum. I didn't want to get heartbroken, so i didn't want to pay attention, but really, I was as excited as a prepubescent girl who saw Justin Bieber. But I didn't really believe it. They said they mastered it on Facebook on the last Mayan calendar day. I still didn't believe it. In fact, I still don't. It all seems so surreal, which is extremely apt, because so does the music.
   
   When I downloaded m b v, I was hesitant to press play. What if it didn't live up to the massive, massive expectations? Then i played it. The first third sounded like Loveless outtakes that shouldn't have been taken out. Woozy, loud, spiralling guitars and ambiguous vocals all there, and had the rest of the album been like that, it would've been amazing too. I mean, it's been 22 years and still nobody's come close to successfully reproducing Loveless. But that isn't how MBV play it. Instead, where Loveless was driven by relentless instrumental innovation, most of m b v is driven by strong songwriting, and supplimented by the still-all-these-years-later innovative production.
   
   All in all this album is as beautiful and affecting a masterpiece as it should be, even if it hasn't usurped Loveless's position as the greatest shoegazing masterpiece ever. A well deserved 10/10… Expand

   • Helpful? 6 of 8 users said Yes.
2. Alternativelove

   9

   22 years after making the seminal shoegaze album of the 1990's, no band came close to achieving the level of success with droning guitars and faded vocals, as My Bloody Valentine had. That is, until MBV. While it certainly is a step down from Loveless in terms of perfection, and is less erratically creative then the 1988 precursor Isn't Anything, MBV is still a step above all guitar rock today, because of the sound My Bloody Valentine has alone perfected. Whether it proves to be as timeless as it's predecessors may take another quarter century to determine, but surely this is a magnificent return, made by one of the most reclusive bands of all time.… Expand

   • Helpful? 5 of 5 users said Yes.
3. Gloone

   7

   Definitely not a bad album on the whole, although I think sentimentality may be partially behind the perfect scores it's receiving. As the eponymous, tripartite title suggests, this album is not really a cohesive work, but more of a collection of tracks from their long years of silence. As such, it's quite inconsistent. There's some really classic content here, and for that reason you should give it a listen; but there's also a fair amount of less worthy stuff.
   
   Loveless and its associated EPs were incredible achievements; the melodies were perfect and otherworldly, and yet the band intentionally obfuscated them behind layers of wonderfully creative noise.
   
   And there are indeed some glimmers of that magic here, especially in the first three songs, which also seem like they're the earliest content from the two-decade recording period, most resembling the band's previous work. "Only Tomorrow" in particular is the clear highlight of the album, with a swooning, feminine melody, alongside a pained, jagged guitar, swooping vocals, and finishing with a strange, sluggish solo.
   
   But after that, as we enter the more recent and unconventional side of the album, I find that things progressively lose their lustre. The melodies, surprisingly for this band, become quite forgettable and rambling; the harmonies and rhythms, bland. This reaches its nadir in the closer "Wonder 2", for which I really don't have much praise. The noise is still there, but now, instead of hiding brilliance, it almost feels like it's there to hide a lack of musical substance... and without the underlying crystalline beauty, the chaos becomes rather empty and uninteresting.
   
   However, the disappointment here is easily countered by how great it is to see My Bloody Valentine finally out of their rut. They've shown that they still have their ability to match their younger selves, and I eagerly await the planned EP of brand new content.… Expand

   • Helpful? 3 of 3 users said Yes.
4. Rubyglass

   0

   I wish Talk Talk had come out of retirement instead. M B V sounds like Loveless with all the substance removed. I would review it in detail, but despite having listened five times I still couldn't say what it sounded like.… Expand

   • Helpful? 1 of 12 users said Yes.

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