Way way back in 2013, when I had a lot more hair, a few more brain cells and began this journal (imagine, at that point I had FOUR journals going! I thought I had arrived!
) I mentioned that these albums were getting one shot to impress, but that later on I would attempt to relisten to them and see if my mind had been changed.
That never happened.
Until now.
It seems five years is a long enough time to reconsider my reactions to these albums, so I'm starting what was always going to be called, and why change it now, it's a good name for a section
In point of fact, the first album I reviewed was in 2013, so really we're talking nine years here, almost a decade. Here's what I had to say about it back then.
Title: Loveless
Artiste: My Bloody Valentine
Year: 1991
Chronological position: Second album
Previous experience of this artiste: Nothing
Why is this considered a classic? According to Wiki, this album invented shoegaze as a genre?
My thoughts
My reaction/immediate impression, ranging from Great, Good, Meh to Bad or Still waiting, or perhaps Other if nothing else fits.
One minute (or thereabouts in) ---- Good
One track in --- Good
Halfway through --- Other: frustrated mostly. Some good ideas but hard to make them out under the weapons-grade distortion.
Finished --- Still waiting, but maybe Other, ie frustrated?
Comments: I was trying to place the voice, and now I know. Though this will mean nothing to any of you, he's very very similar to the lead singer from another Irish band, the Stars of Heaven. I'm not mad about the heavy reverb and distortion, which seems even to be on the vocals, though I've read it is or was MBV's trademark. Makes it a little hard to listen to, for me, specially on the second track. Almost like listening to two albums playing at once, one slightly behind the other. Track three is a bit stupid, just a squealing guitar and then some orchestral style keyboard, a short instrumental if you can call it that.
Look, is this backwards masked or something? Because
To here knows when (huh?) sounds like that. It's just a mess. I must say I'm beginning to lose patience here people. Is it possible you have to be stoned to appreciate this? Cos it sounds like they are. So far, apart from the opening track, bloody awful. Right, and some growly guitar with a warped effect right at the end. Where's me tea? Sigh. On we go.
When you sleep has a nice melody in there somewhere but so much gets twisted and warped it's almost like MBV can't stand to have an ordinary song on this album. Right, now it's settling down a little. Sort of.
Jesus! What do they have against allowing the vocals to be heard? This is really annoying me now. I'm getting angry now, and you wouldn't like me when I'm ... oh wait, I already used that line. Anyway, there does seem to be some good, possibly great music in there somewhere but it's all buried under mountains of distortion, reverb, echo and singing that can't really be made out that it's just become a jumbled mess as far as I'm concerned. Although... I do like that fading out guitar riff that's been running all through the song, and the next one up,
Come in alone is actually listenable, with clear(ish) vocals, so that may make it onto my list of, so far, one favourite track. Actually, the previous one might squeeze in too, on the basis of that riff. Maybe.
Yeah, hold the phone:
Sometimes is good too; guitar's growly but not drowning out the rest of the music, and the vocal's good. Nice melody. Say nothing, say nothing, fingers crossed... Ah no.
Blown a wish brings all the feedback and distortion and hard-to-decipher vocals back. Oh well. Look, I know it's the way they do things, apparently, and I'm not saying anything against that, but it's making it hard for me to enjoy --- damn it, even listen to --- this album.
What you want has a vaguely Prefab Sprout feel to it, but again the vox are hard to make out --- yes, yes, I know it's intentional, not bad production. That's the whole problem, and why I don't see this band being a good fit for me.
Favourite track(s):
Only shadow, Come in alone, I only said, Sometimes
Least favourite track(s): Everything else
Final impression --- Kind of still waiting: I'll have to take a few more listens, but right now, I'd say good but not great.
Do I feel, at the end,
A) I wish I had listened to this sooner
B) I'm sorry I bothered
C) I might end up liking this
D) Not at all sure, have to wait and see
Sort C combined with D really. But I don't think I hate it. Or do I?
Okay, okay! Hold your guffaws! I had no idea what f
ucking shoegaze
was, never mind that this was a shoegaze album, perhaps one of the most respected. I was mystified how anyone could listen to this. What do I think now?
F
uck knows.
I have to listen to it again.
I'll get back to you tomorrow.