Let the Record Spin

By YARA BEYDOUN, Staff Columnist

Artist: My Bloody Valentine

Album: m b v

Release: February 2, 2013

 After over 20 years, the band that has dominated the genre of shoegazing has finally released their third studio album. My Bloody Valentine, which formed in Ireland in the 80’s, has used distortion, pitch bending and digital reverb to define their classic sound. Their last album, Loveless, became iconic for its use of distortion to create an indistinguishable sound that resembled a mind-altering, noisy dream, to which Kevin Shields (vocals) would sing in a dreamy state. That was in 1991.

 MBV, the My Bloody Valentine’s latest album, is not too far off from the band’s previous efforts. It resembles their 90’s sound quite a bit (perhaps because part of the album was recorded prior to their breakup in 97). The first few songs on the album, such as the opener “We Found Now,” showcase this vintage sound with their roaring guitar noises. The rest of the album is the evolution of the band. Fast pace percussion and instrumentation are consistent to the end. Shields commented on this, saying even drum and bass (a genre characterized by its fast breakbeats) was an influence on one of the tracks. The album transitions from old to new very seamlessly, and My Bloody Valentine fans will not be disappointed.

 MBV will suck you into a cosmic vortex of colorful noise. But unlike Loveless, it won’t abduct you from our dimension.

 Key Tracks: “She Found Now,” “Only Tomorrow,” “If I Am,” “Wonder 2.”