INDIGO
LOVELESS MY BLOODY VALENTINE
It didn’t take me weeks to write this review because I’ve been too busy with everyday life, anybody I know can assure you that’s never an issue. When I realized the challenge of critically analyzing my absolute album of all time, I shyed away from the responsibility. I thought I could never do it. Ever tried writing a review of your favourite album ever? It ends up being exactly what nobody wants it to be: over indulged, pretentious, selfish, biased bull****. And that’s exactly what this is.
You’ve heard it all before: Loveless is the greatest album of the 90s, a sonic masterpiece, an ethereal experience, a transcendent work of art; the best technical album to ever be released. Then you listen to the album and, unless you are able to satisfy a daunting number of factors, you don’t see what the fuzz is about. Indeed, you hear the fuzz, a whole bunch of noise, and you can’t make out any of the lyrics. The first time, the album feels like five people are playing the same power chords for over 40 minutes. Most likely you won’t even get to the end. The rhythms are robotic, sometimes nonexistent - there’s no reason for you to give a crap. The album isn’t offering you anything. No matter what people tell you, you just don’t hear it.
These are the reasons why everyone else likes it. Most people’s first experience with Loveless is that of a regular album. You know how that goes: your friend tells you this album is great, and critics tell you it’s great, so you buy it and you assume that serviceable speakers and/or earbuds/headphones will do. If it’s good, it should stand out on it’s own, afterall. And then you hear the high-pitched wailing of Only Shallow, Touched, I Only Said - all the songs are treble charged and practically unlistenable. You drop the album, labelling it “I don’t get it,” and going on with your life. A small percentage of those people will return to the album after hearing that constant listens will change everything, especially when better equipment is used to listen to it. An even smaller percentage of those people will take that advice and re-listen to the album. If they are lucky, they will be part of the even smaller number of people who crank the volume and let the album absolutely smother them; they feel like they’re within a coccoon, a womb, and it’s the end of the world.
Loveless is a world on it’s own - there are side streets and dark corners to explore. Thematically, Loveless is the constant battle between ugly and beauty. Bilinda Butcher’s soft, velvety, unintelligible voice is flanked by Kevin Shield’s hideous guitar. Side 1 (Only Shallow to I Only Said) is the battle itself, and Side 2 (Come in Alone to Soon) is ugly and beauty co-existing - the aftermath. The battle climaxes with Sometimes, a track that has nearly brought me to tears a few times.
Do this next time you’re listening to Loveless: get regular speakers and play any of the songs. As the song plays, turn your head one way - what do you hear? Suddenly the album sounds even more treble charged. Turn your head the other way and you’ll hear the vocals better - it’s astounding.
I personally believe that everyone can love Loveless. It’s the human experience embodied in music, even when there’s no single lyric to understand.
TO HERE KNOWS WHEN
10