Loveless (Re-mastered By Kevin Shields) (2CD) [CD]

This is a classic album, no doubt about it, but I'd like to say a couple of qualifiers here. In answer to the people who bought this having never heard MBV beyond their reputation who don't get it - fans of MBV don't like this to appear cool, show off to their friends, be "muso" or owt like that. MBV were one of the "big 3" indie/noise bands of the 80s/90s (Sonic Youth & Jesus & Mary Chain being the other 2) & in terms of alternative music created 2 unique LPS & 4 EPs, with their sound evolving to what you'll hear on this LP - a blend of noise & melody the likes of which had never been heard before and hasn't been since (not for want of trying by their many imitators, including Ride who wouldn't have sounded anything like they did in their 1st few releases without MBV).
It's not for eveyone, obviously, due to the whole noise part of the equation, but if you're going to buy something you should have some idea of what it is that you're getting. Yes, the vocals are low in the mix, but not to the point where they're completely unintelligible, and yes, there is a lot of noise over the melody. If you want to listen to something that isn't obvious or commercial & enjoy music you can immerse yourself in then this is quite simply one of the best records you'll ever buy. If you don't like music that has noise over the melody, doesn't have obvious hooks & sigalong choruses then don't get this, you'll be disappointed.
To be honest, if you're curious & have never heard MBV before & are wanting to take the plunge then buy the CD that collects their 4 EPs as it shows the group progress (missing out the twee C86 period collected on "Ecstasy & Wine") from indie/noise to something that can't really be classified & will give you an idea from the last 2 EPs what this LP is like.
Also, while I'm on the subject of honesty, I wouldn't bother buying this LP in this format as it's just the original remastered in 2 ways when there was nothing wrong with the original - 18 engineering credits, a torturous length of time in the making & contributing heavily to the bankruptcy of Creation with the cost of making it unsurprisingly not leading to a poorly produced LP. If there were extra tracks (when are they planning to re-release the Glider remixes FFS?) or a DVD this might be worth getting instead of the original but this seems a bit unnecessary.
Having said all that, I loved MBV from the first time I heard the "You Made Me Realise" EP & I'm of the opinion that this is such a good album that every home should have one & no self-respecting fan of alternative music can dislike it - it's genius & the theory that MBV went into meltdown because they couldn't top it is quite credible (especially in light of Kevin Shields somewhat disappointing new material on the Lost In Translation soundtrack) so I am massively biased :)

This is quite simply one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. Nothing else sounds remotely like it, even other MBV material. I bought it back in 1991 when it first came out and it has rarely been far from my turntable/CD player/iPod over the last 15 years.

Imagine it's early morning and your alarm clock has gone off. Then you realise it's Saturday and you don't have to go to work. You turn the alarm off and roll over, not quite awake, not quite asleep. The feeling you have at this point is what "Loveless" sounds like.

Buy it.

Now.

Before I heard 'To Here Knows When' on The Nations Compilation on Lamaq Live, I had been living on a diet of safe and reliable music, never straying too far from the constraints of Radiohead and the like. It took a while to register, I was tired at the time, I couldn't comprehend what I was hearing.

I still can't to this day.

Well, I went out and tracked down 'Loveless', I ended up getting it on the net, but when it finally arrived, it totally changed my slant on music. 'Loveless' is a hazy, dream-inducing wave of sound, with irresistable melodies, interwoven with barely there vocals, and pulsing drums. I had never heard such use of the electric guitar until I heard My Bloody Valentine...Kevin Shields rather than Matt Bellamy is my guitar idol now, and always will be. Nothing really seems adequate in comparison with this, not these days. Maybe other 80s greats such as The J&MC, The Pixies, The Cure, and others can (especially Disintegration, Robert Smiths masterpiece)...but until someone creates music that can make you tap your foot, whilst drifting off (Soon), music that can deafen you and make you smile (Only Shallow), and music that can take you to a different world alltogether (To Here Knows When), then 'Loveless' will have to do.

Someone once said in a review that 'Loveless' is like being back in the womb...but if it is, then I'm a Buddhist being reincarnated, because I can still feel heaven...