My Bloody Valentine: Loveless
The cover says it all. A saturated, colourful shot of a guitar in mid-chord with the band name in barely-noticeable text: My Bloody Valentine. The record that represented the pinnacle of shoegazing after almost bankrupting the label that supported it, Loveless was a commercial failure at its release but it has stood the test of time and inspired countless other proponents of the ‘wall of sound’.
I’ll admit straight off that this review is damned hard to write because Loveless is very difficult to describe in words. It sounds so close you can almost touch it yet it reaches you from a distant point; soothing but at the same time an assault on the senses. Partly down to Bilinda Butcher’s cooing only-just-there vocals and partly due to the innovative musicianship and recording of guitarist Kevin Shields, Loveless sounds like nothing else.
Only Shallow bursts into life with a searing, quivering blast of distorted guitar before Bilinda’s whispering vocals drift through the noise. It’s good, very good, but only hints at what this album delivers: the idea that painfully loud sounds can be uplifting, catchy and beautiful. The gorgeous Loomer makes a grand entrance following some textured guitar loops and gives the impression of a sensual and epic vista with more half-heard lyrics and shimmering tremolo guitars. The word ’soundscape’ was created to sum up songs like this.
Touched is a short electronica intermission from drummer Colm O’Ciosoig that makes way for To Here Knows when. You can hardly hear the words but it doesn’t really matter: Shields’ delirious, droning guitars and Bilinda’s voice provide one of the many highlights to a record that plays out like a strange and beautiful dream. There is little structure to this song: it is intended to carry the listener along for the ride, and succeeds masterfully. When You Sleep is a more energetic affair with Shields this time delivering the vocals along with a searing melody that redefines the function of ‘lead guitar’. Similarly I Only Said demonstrates that, as astounding as it may be, Loveless is in actuality a pop record with its tight drumbeats and deceptively simple hooks amongst the more experimental aspects.
Come In Alone takes things to even greater heights in terms of expansive sound with the layers of overdriven guitar lines and dramatic drumming that can break hearts and eardrums in equal measure; as with the album as a whole, it begs to be turned up loud. Sometimes is more restrained in its acoustic guitar cutting through the thick, warm swathes of fuzzy distortion. Blow a Wish is brimming over with off-kilter harmonies and comforting sensuality; What You Want rattles along with a glorious, joyous rush of energy that harks back to their long-lost conventional rock roots.
Soon is a surprising conclusion after the slabs of chords and meandering atmospherics: the drumbeat, in a similar way to early New Order, causes it to blur the lines between guitar rock, pop and dance. It also wraps up an album that inspired so many other bands: Swervedriver, Ride and Sennen to name but a few. For all this, the painstaking production behind the quite ironically titled Loveless has brought about an album that needs to be heard by as many people as possible.
In Summary
Loveless does not tear up the rule book but has written its own: the guitar sounds are unrivalled to this day and few records convey such inense emotion. It is the kind of music that really takes the listener into its own separate world. Despite repeated persuasion and requests Shields and his bandmates have not been able to make a follow-up to this but in all honesty I don’t know how anyone could top such an achingly perfect record.
Tracklisting
- Only Shallow
- Loomer
- Touched
- To Here Knows When
- When You Sleep
- I Only Said
- Come In Alone
- Sometimes
- Blow a Wish
- What You Want
- Soon
Leave a Reply