Putting on a show which could cause hearing damage is distasteful, but also impressive. My Bloody Valentine remains a mixture of both, decades on from the release of their second album, Loveless. A shoegaze powerhouse which still presents new depths to noise rock. A demanding, in-your-face album where the shoegaze fundamentals come immediately into play, creating a wonderfully constant depth, Loveless remains a high point for the band. Not just because of the dissonance they navigate through but the distant sense of romance and emotionally charged instrumentals found throughout. You could not ask My Bloody Valentine for a more complete project than this. For decades, it would stand as their final release, before m b v. That, too, is held in a similar awe as Loveless still is. This appeal of a band coming in with a confident, overlapping vision, and sharing that with listeners. You cannot ask for more.
Opening song Only Shallow is a magnificent scene-setter. It’s the only chance to hop off the ride before it starts moving. If it’s not for you, then venture no further. But what a loss it would be not to experience the likes of Come in Alone and Sometimes on the B-Side. An unnerving transition can be heard on Touched, an instrumental piece which has that longing bubble up for just a minute, before it’s planted firmly in the ground once more by To Here Knows When. Those early moments on Loveless are built not just on that shoegaze flourish but on the psychedelic twang. That’s crucial to how the guitar leads a listener, with each song sounding as though there is no end in sight. It’s a pleasant journey that will only occasionally kick you in the ribs to check you’re paying attention. My Bloody Valentine mastered shoegaze as a search for deeper meaning. There’s no concrete idea of where we should travel or take our minds, but this is a soundtrack to introspective moments.
Absolute agony is what gives these songs their edge. Not some facsimile of already available heartbreaks, but real, aching moments. Recording the album over two years, instrument by instrument, is how Loveless gets its sound. It’s also how you can allegedly nearly bankrupt a record label. Hindsight is everything, but the urgency initially required of My Bloody Valentine around this time is comical. There is no chance you get a song as affirming of the genre and the band’s fundamental beliefs as When You Sleep in five days. Loveless stands tall as an album made through sheer spite, a willpower which transcends the physical and mental possibilities. You can hear it all come together on I Only Said, this magnificent showcase of shoegaze at its very best. After such full-on instrumental work, Sometimes feels like a reprieve.
It’s far from the softer touch of shoegaze elsewhere but it does offer a different side to My Bloody Valentine. An album which can still pride itself on being ahead of its time. It still sounds inventive, a complete powerhouse which casts a shadow over their peers. Staggering, emotionally revealing moments spread across an easy album to connect with and yet almost impossible to pull apart. Instrumental tightness and an unwavering theme are what keep Loveless as a benchmark album. Returning to Loveless is easier the more you listen to it, and yet it keeps its charm intact. It’s not the lyrics that matter, as proven by Blown a Wish, but the feeling a tight instrumental or sudden, new sound can make. That’s the core of Loveless, an album which is aided by turmoil, but not defined by it.
