October 24, 1996
Cited by Kurt Cobain and Billy Corgan as deeply influential to their sound, My Bloody Valentine wrote the blueprint for the sonic roar that would become the 'alternative' sound, not to mention the echoes of their sound that appear in similarly influential bands like Stereolab. Smashing Pumpkins' debut Gish, in particular, sounds at time like a carbon copy of Loveless, as if Corgan was inspired solely by this album.
Loveless is as amazing and unique piece of work. The band mines a vein of cacophonic sound similar to Sonic Youth, but whereas Sonic Youth's textured feedback can be grating and angry, MBV's swirls of buzzing chords and pulsing drums are ethereal in their beauty.
This is not conventional rock by any means. No guitar solos; Kevin Shields wields his six string like a soundboard, and with lightning strumming forms a grinding, surging cloud through which shimmering organ and steady, intricate drumming undulate. Bilinda Butcher's vocals are all but unintelligible, so her floating breathy voice becomes smeared into the maelstrom as just another melodic device.
Loveless is a mass of contradictions that lock into a seamless whole. This music is absolutely gorgeous dissonance, tidal force meshed with delicate melody. The opening cut alone, "Only Shallow", is a masterpiece of melodic discord; Butcher's vocals coupled with pulsing guitar ache with a sense of longing that words alone cannot convey.
That feeling sets the tone for the album, which can be heard as the sound of love unrequited. Whether it's the bitter despair of "Sometimes", the regret of "I Only Said", the impossible demands of "What You Want" or the joyous empowerment of the closing track, "Soon", Loveless is a moving, knowing document. It deserves its place as a watershed album for contemporary music.
- Jared O'Connor
gorgeous dissonance