This was going to be an original album review for My Bloody Valentine’s “m b v”, but somehow it just turned into a rant about the music genre in general, so here it goes…
“My Bloody Valentine, m b v, Self-Released
Ok, I missing something here? I’ve tried everything to listen to this disc, from listening to it on my computer speakers, living room stereo system, and wearing a set of headphones. And came up with nothing. Maybe there’s something to say about this genre, but this reminds me of the experimental music that I created years ago (yes, untalented “ME”), with fuzing, weird guitar arrangements, midi-like drums that just doesn’t quite work out”.
Yeah, I’ve been struggling with this album, I just don’t get it. I’ve also looked up similar bands of My Bloody Valentine from iTunes & Last FM, namely Sonic Youth, Deerhunter, Wild Nothing and The Radio Dept., all of which fall under the “shoegazing” genre.
Speaking for myself, “shoegazing” is a very hard genre to get into. I’ll take a few spins just to understand what the **** is going on, hoping the album will speak to me. Usually I’ll get a few songs out of it, but what leads me into this genre is the mystery of, and the reward of finally enjoying the album. You see “shoegazing” is like an ogre, (mind the Shrek reference), and like ogres, “shoegazing” is like onions: they both have layers.
Before I return to My Bloody Valentine, let me talk about a few bands I’ve encountered under the “shoegazing” genre. Lets start with Sonic Youth’s “Goo”, an album that came out about the same time as My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” (early ’90s). “Goo” is one of my favorites of that era. Sure the guitar’s sound like their out of tune, and the lyrics are a bit harsh, but to me it just works. Fast forward to today, where the genre has picked up, a band called Wild Nothing, and their 2010 release, “Gemini”. Another interesting album, that makes me go back to when the genre was young, literally. It may be a bit more atmospheric, and dreamy but awesome nonetheless.
And how about, “Bloom” by Beach House, an album that is sorta “shoegazing”, which our own HAFILAX reviewer, Jeff named it as one of his favorites of last year… What was he thinking? WHAT A DUMB ALBUM! Lol, j/k. I actually love this album. If I would have heard it a little earlier, it would have easily fitted into my top 5 of last year. So many good tracks, “Other People”, “Wishes”, & “Wild”. And the album is very very dreamy. See, ladies & gentleman, boys & girls, this is a great place for discovering new music.
Anyway, I’m a little off topic. I’ve got a little carried away with the genres from “shoegazing” to “dreampop”.
Back to My Bloody Valentine’s “m b v”, I wanted to try and get into this album, but the truth is, not all albums can be winners, or (emphasis on “OR”), you just can’t win em all.
