Editorial Review

With songs equal to those on Read more

Reviews (205)

Deathcab for Snoozie - whining set to music
I'm an indie rock fan but I guess I'm just not at all an "emo" fan.Every time I hear emo I think of whining set to music.This disc has a few catchy songs ("Title and Registration", "The Sound of Settling" stand out) but the rest of it is just so slow as to put me into a coma.If that's the desired effect then OK, but just not for me.I don't mind slow songs and think most good discs have a mix of uptempo and downtempo songs but the downtempo is just too heavy here.It doesn't suck by any means, just not my sort of stuff.The lyrics are good, but it doesn't overcome the overall mood.I worry about this generation if this sort of music represents their overall mood - things aren't that bad - wait til you get older and you'll see.Go listen to punk rock or something...

meh
Pure magic my a%!.This CD like the other Death Cab has a couple fantastic songs but it doesn't make the album 5 stars.Get the singles from the apple store and you're set.Don't waste your money on the full album unless it's 50% off.

The crossing to Atlantic
Does anyone else find it ironic that DCfC's album before they switched to Atlantic Records is called Transatlanticism?Oh well....
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. College Rock    3. Dream Pop    4. Indie Pop    5. Indie Rock    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Shoegaze    10. Twee Pop   

Editorial Review

My Bloody Valentine's entire career has been aiming toward the perfect guitar noise that Kevin Shields has in his head: a pure, warm, androgynous but deeply sexual rush of sound. Read more

Reviews (383)

Yes, this deserves every star.
I came to Bloody Valentine a little late in the game (late 90's) and I wasn't too enamoured with their other works. In fact, I had a difficult time getting into this album. I think this album is like one of those 3D puzzles where you really have to relax your eyes, or better yet, don't try and find the picture you're supposed to be looking for. Relax your brain, turn off your active listening, and then put this album on repeat. I found that in order to really get the initial experience of this album it should be on very low volume while your doing other "brainy" things. After a few hours of writing heady material, solving the world's problems, or replacing the brake pads on your car, somehow everything about Loveless will magically "click". Once I figured out how to introduce this album to people I have yet to have anyone call me back and tell me "they don't get it".

Brilliant & Revolutionary
I've owned this album for ten years now...I can't think of a more awe inspiring cd in my collection.I relisten to it from time to time and still in 2006 it seems ahead of its time and revolutionary.
As close to perfection as I've ever heard
What can I say about this album that hasn't already been said?There are a handful of albums that have altered the musical landscape with their genius, and this is definitely in that class.The knock-off bands are still coming out of the woodwork 15 years later.As close to perfection as I've ever heard... and maybe ever will hear... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative/Indie-Rock    3. Dream Pop    4. Ireland    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Shoegaze   

Reviews (32)

Take a risk and check them out
I first heard Kill Hannah on a tour with Clear Static and Shiny Toy Guns earlier this year. I was hooked with the first set I heard from them. (I went on to hear them twice more in the next 3 days.)
Buy this cd.
If you are unfamilar with Kill Hannah, then buy either of their albums available here on amazon.
Glam rock that shifts gears often enough to cause engine damage.
As elegant as it is over the top, as sophisticated as it is bombastic, Chicago based Kill Hannah's second major label offering balances between excess and subtlety while never letting one outweigh the other. High energy glam rock anthems like 'Love You to Death' and album's first single 'Lips Like Morphine' hold nothing back while slower and decidedly mellower selections like 'Black Poison Blood' and 'The Collapse' recall the pleasant, drawn out melodies of Smashing Pumpkins' later days. While this balance of polarized song styles makes for a varied and enjoyable record, sometimes the group delves a bit too far into each side. Some tracks go beyond being subtle, becoming dull and tedious ('Statues Without Eyes') while others are almost too over the top to be taken seriously (see the 80's synth pop excess of 'Crazy Angel'). Overall, Until There's Nothing Left of Us is a solid and enjoyable effort and the album's excellent last three songs more than compensate for its few steps in the wrong direction. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Emo    3. Glam Rock    4. Indie Rock    5. Neo-Glam    6. Pop    7. Post-Grunge    8. Post-Hardcore    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. Shoegaze   

Editorial Review

Perhaps you weren't convinced of the Verve's staying power until recently. Before the release of Read more

Reviews (245)

Bittersweet never sounded so good before or since...
So back in '97 I was driving along minding my own business when Bittersweet Symphony came on the radio and smacked me in the face. At least thats what it felt like. A pleasant smack. The kind that made me feel as if I had been zoned out all day until I heard the song and suddenly I felt alive! OK, maybe thats a bit dramatic, but you get the picture. I fell in love with the song, and even now 10 years later I still get swept up in the emotion of the song.
Don't Believe the Hype
But for "The Drugs don't Work," which is marginal at best,this album is boring...cookie-cutter, nothing original.

Nothing Bitter Here,It's all Sweet!
This album is a masterpiece!Most albums start out promising, then about three songs into it we lose interest and...turn it off.This album will surprise you,it get's better towards the end,"Neon Wilderness" is more of an intermission than an actual song,so you can't actually count that as a song,although I'm sure that there are some over zealous Verve fans out there that do,and that's ok.From the opening, soothing string arrangement of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" our hearts are held captive,then the whooshing rush of the full orchestra crashes in (this part,by the way,is the sample that Richard Ashcroft used and had to share writing credits with Jagger and Richards)and we are hooked without a doubt, to this beautiful song."Sonnet" is a touching ballad about friendship,"The Drugs Don't Work" isn't a song about drug abuse as the title may seem to impose,rather it's a moving ballad that Ashcroft wrote about the death of his father,it's difficult to listen to this song and not think of a loved one who has passed on."Lucky Man" is a brilliant song that Ashcroft dedicates to his wife when he performs it live.Simply put,every song on this album is a gem.Go out and buy this album now.Enjoy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Dream Pop    4. England    5. Indie Pop    6. Indie Rock    7. Pop    8. Popular Music    9. Post-Grunge    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop    12. Shoegaze    13. Space Rock   

Editorial Review

Cool, calculating, and Euro-trashy in the grand tradition of Roxy Music and the Eurythmics. Read more

Reviews (222)

GREAT ALBUM.
This is my favorite Garbage album. I like the songs MY LOVER'S BOX, DOG'S NEW TRICKS, ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS and STUPID GIRL. This album was also released as a boxed set of 45 VINYL RECORDS, each record containing two of the songs from the album.

"I can take you out with just a flick of my wrist..."
What a stunning debut from the band i know and love Garbage. I have to admit that my first album i purchased by garbage was version 2.0 (which i love), so after that i ran out and bought their debut and see how the band came about. 12 great tracks here, all worth a thousand and one listens to. This a very dark and angry album but in a fun and sarcastic way. Shirley Manson is a goddess of voice and words:"hey boy take a look at me, let me dirty up your mind, i'll strip away your hard veneer and see what i can find." from the song Queer. Another fabulous songs include only happy when it rains, not my idea, vow, milk, and of course their most popular song stupid girl (a timeless classic). The song A stroke of luck is so haunting and mysterious, i'm still a bit confused what this song is about but it is great:"You say that you'll be there to catch me or will you only try to trap me..." I like this album, very-understated than the rest of their albums. Nothing glossy or over-produced here, just very raw, emotionally-rattled songs that will make you think twice about ending a relationship with a strong-willed girl.

Great band, clever name!
While I was waiting in limbo between Debbie Harry's last solo album and Blondie's reunion album, into the void came a band that fit my need for great music perfectly.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Shoegaze   

Editorial Review

It's hard to not like a good-looking, female-fronted, Brooklyn-based band whose name translates loosely as "playful sex." The obvious vocal comparisons are to shoegazers and goths of twelve to thirty years ago—Siouxsie, Spirea X, Lush, Kate Bush, and the Cocteauu Twins. Singing in Japanese and English, vocalist Yuki's heavily reverbed voice is sensual and strong at the same time. But there's more of a manic, vaguely garage band energy evident on Read more

Reviews (7)

outstanding album!
whenever a new bands surfaces and mines old territory, the naysayers inevitably appear and begin to knock down the current in favor of the past.not only is comparing the present to past generally unfair and shortsighted, it's also amounts to a display on narrow-mindedness. no, asobi seksu aren't my bloody valentine, slowdive, ride, swervedriver, or any number of other shoegazer bands.shoegazing hit its peak nearly 15 years ago.those who hold on to as though it were some holy grail do themselves a disservice by refusing to properly acknowledge a band who has nothing but love for the aforementioned band.
Please enter a title for your review
This album gives new-school shoegaze a mediocre name, as did their debut. Asobi Seksu is basically a second rate Hartfield, who are a patchy band to begin with. Track 10 has a nice dissonant guitar part, and track 7 is more melodically spacey than the rest, but mostly there's too much monotonous strumming and not enough melodic focus or distinctive chord progressions. The vocals are strongly projected but lost in the mix, like they couldn't decide whether the vocals were supposed to be a focal point or understated. The vocals also particularly fail at contributing any distinct melodies. Mostly this album is just too bland to raise an eyebrow, although pleasant enough to be tolerable if you don't focus on it too directly

Beautiful floating pop rock
When I picked up this album today, I had never heard of this group, let alone heard any of their music.But I'm glad I got this album!This music is right down my line.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Shoegaze   

Editorial Review

Some albums really can change the world, and in 1989 this was one of them. The psychedlic dance extravaganza that was Read more

Reviews (221)

Overrated or Underrated?
This album may be considered overrated for anyone familiar with a some music-related publications, such as the New Musical Express (NME) and the British newspaper The Observer, which both placed it as #1 on a list of Best Albums and Best British Albums respectively. In another sense, it may be seen as underrated because when you mention "The Stone Roses", (unless, perhaps, you are somewhere in Great Britain or are talking to a well-versed music fan), nobody knows who you are talking about! At any rate, I feel that this album deserves attention.
answering mr. alan williamson
Mike and the Mechanics ushering in the Madchester scene? You must subscribe to Roling Stone magazine, 'lad'. "The Living Years" was just soft adult fake prog pablum created (or should I say, manufactured) by a bunch of aging second string hipsters with greying ponytails who couldn't usher in their own garbage tin from the street much less a new pop scene. In addition, they weren't even from Manchester, where you had to be from, to usher in the MADchester scene. Get it? The Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses were the real proginators of the Madchester scene.
Flawless
This is a flawless record. Everything is perfect. Not one song is bad.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Dance    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Britain    4. British Trad Rock    5. Britpop    6. College Rock    7. Indie Pop    8. Indie Rock    9. Madchester    10. Pop    11. Rock    12. Rock/Pop    13. Shoegaze   

Reviews (32)

Great CD, SHlTTY Vendor
1st: Long story short, ordered this CD 8-24-06, received 10-3-06.After a month I got upgraded to 2nd day air and it still took a week.Enough said.Beware of JR Electronics.
For fans and wannabes only
This CD is boring and derivative to the point of being cynical.
Great Music, But not a 'Best of'
I find it incredible the fact that I can now say that this is my favorite band right now.
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Subjects:  1. Garage Rock Revival    2. Indie Rock    3. Neo-Psychedelia    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rock/Pop    8. Shoegaze    9. Space Rock    10. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Two generations of head-rockers meet on Read more

Reviews (66)

Dreamy.
"Souvlaki" shimmers and floats.Layers and layers of hauntingly ethereal melodies and gentle, soothing vocals create shadowy dreamscapes in the mind of listeners.The excellent studio production allows for a full, rich sound that nearly bursts at all the right times.The overall mood of the album is sad, but not depressing or melancholy.Said sadness usually comes in the form of a vague overtone of loneliness ("40 Days" is a prime example of this) My choice track is "Souvlaki Space Station," which showcases beautifully hollow reverb guitar and paints a mental image of floating through starry skies.If you prefer your shoegaze in relatively abstract form and appreciate pure atmosphere, "Souvlaki" is perfect for you.
That's Good Shoegazing
Indeed, Souvlaki by Slowdive is a shoegazing mainstay.Though not as highly acclaimed or as widely regarded as My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, Slowdive's second album is, in my humble opinion, the second best record the shoegazing subgenre has to offer.In fact, among the sub-subgenre of shoegazing, dream pop, Souvlaki is about as dreamy and ethereal as anything, MBV included.The album opener, "Alison," is a highpoint.A truly beautiful song.In fact the first four songs are absolutely breathtaking.Throw into the mix "Altogether" and "Dagger" and you've got a mesmerizing record here.An aboslute must for shoegazing fans.

Very nice - but definitely not five star material!
This is most certainly a lovely album, and definitely Slowdive's most diverse. But one of the previous reviewers is correct in identifying that there are actually a couple of not so great moments on here. I always thought that "Alison" never really gelled with the rest of the album, and I'm sure they could have done a better job of "When The Sun Hits" if they had put in a little more effort!
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Dream Pop    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Shoegaze   

Reviews (21)

Couldn't Hold My Attention
I came to Red Sparowes (through Isis) with very high expectations, and I was not entirely satisfied with this record.Too often, in my view, this record sacrifices emotional content for pretty composition and dreamy soundspace.In many ways, this record retraces the navel-gazing excesses of 1970's prog rock.
Best Album of 2005
While most of the user reviews have been glowing, I am surprised at the handful that accuse Red Sparowes of doing nothing "new".In the limited, narrow world of instrumental (or pseudo-instrumental) post-rock, the Red Sparowes certainly stand head over heels.This is heavy music without being heavy.The melodies are delicate and each composition is carefully crafted.These nuances are even more pronounced when they play live.It is inspiring for an old fart like myself to see kids up on a stage that are channeling a much different energy than the usual trucker-hat, tight pants, tiny t-shirt world of Arcade Fire or Devandra Sufjan Etc.This, in itself, is certainly "new".What Red Sparowes do that no other current band does (and if you can think of any, let me know) is channel the early spirit of '80s goth music.Many of their songs have a similar feel as to a lot of the grandiose introductions on the Cure's "Disintegration", which is, truly, a majestic and beautiful thing.I just hope, with as much energy as these guys have and as committed as they are to other, equally adventurous projects, that Red Sparowes are around for a long time.

Epic soundscapes!
Quoth the track titles when put together:
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Subjects:  1. Ambient Pop    2. Avant-Prog    3. College Rock    4. Dream Pop    5. Experimental Rock    6. Indie Pop    7. Indie Rock    8. Instrumental Rock    9. Neo-Psychedelia    10. Pop    11. Post-Rock/Experimental    12. Psychedelic Pop    13. Rock    14. Rock/Pop    15. Shoegaze   

Editorial Review

One of the finest albums to arise out of the shoegazing trend coating the early 1990s, Read more

Reviews (38)

Mezmerizing . . .
The first 3 songs are hauntingly seductive.A *must play* for passionate make-out sessions (where I first heard the songs, myself . . . thank you, Jonathan).Highly recommended (the kissing AND the music).The next day I did a search on the Catherine Wheel, and discovered that it was a medieval torture device (sadly named after St Catherine, who died while being tortured).I've never heard why the band chose the name (or why the band broke up), but lead singer Rob Dickinson is still touring.He grew up in the UK; he's touring the US this year (2006).Back to the CD, the guitar riffs are divine.You will soar!

Absolutely brilliant
The pure beauty and melody this album has is haunting.It's a sin and a shame that so many great bands are swallowed up by the music industry's greed due to their promotion of more "marketable" bands. This album has pretty much everything you can think of that is supposed to be melodic rock. There aren't many more words I can saybecause of all the other great reviews.If you are thinking about getting this album, stop reading right now, go up to the top and purchase it.You WILL NOT REGRET IT.

Fermented in history.
My first Catherine Wheel disc was "Happy Days", and while I do like that album, I picked this up because I was craving more of the shoegazer type sound. For the most part this is what I wanted. The infamous "Black Metallic" was the initial highlight, but after more listens I like most everything. "Indigo Is Blue" and "She's My Friend" are both wonderful, and I love "Tumbledown" and "Bill And Ben". However my current favorite track is easily "Flower To Hide", possibly because it reminds me alot of a good Lush song. Overall I hesitate to call it the masterpiece some do, but it is damn good. Now if they could just drop a "Best Of" album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Popular Music    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Shoegaze   

Editorial Review

Ride was an essential element of the wall-of-sound, trippy, melodic shoe-gazing movement of the early '90s. Read more

Reviews (48)

A classic from end to end...
Few times can you think of albums recorded as recently as fifteen years ago as classics, but Ride's "Nowhere", with its emblematic cover and its load of anthemic tracks, constitutes just that: a classic album, from end to end. Influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, the album kicks in with the distortion-heavy "Seagull", leading into songs as huge as "Dreams Burn Down" and as deep as "Paralysed". The end result is an overload of shoegazing material that turned out to even influence Radiohead's very own Thom Yorke, who was a fan of the fan before he scored his later successes.

;alsdkfheohgvask
This is a pretty decent album for a bunch of young pretentious snots. I didnt care for it too much when it first came out, but on retrospect, and after hearing it again, I think it stands the test of time and sounds better in my ears than when I first played it. Of course, the vocals are still a little "lite" for me, but the playing is exceptionally decent. A heir to My BloodyValentine? I would dispute that. If you're looking for shoe-gazey music of quality, you might want to check out Bowery Electric "Beat", later Slowdive "Slouvaki", early Verve "A Storm in Heaven", or even Swervedriver.

Ride's best, but what is that saying?
Ride and shoegazer fans love this album, but for me the only two songs worth anything are the Cocteau Twins influenced "dreams burn down" and the glorious "Vapor Trail," for which I deserve a commission from the band since every time I play it for anyone they always go buy the album themselves. A super excellent song, now a timeless shoegazer classic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Dream Pop    3. England    4. Indie Pop    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Shoegaze   

Reviews (14)

3.5 Stars: My first taste of The Verve
I first heard about the brittish emo rock group 'The Verve' after listening to their hit song that had made the radio stations over and over again for a long period of time here in Australia. Their song 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' is one of the best songs ever made and its melody is surreal and enchanting. I purchased this album for that reason, it had this song on it and I really wanted it. "This Is Music" is a album consisting of 14 songs that became The Verve's singles betwee 1992-95.
SUPRISES INSIDE
OK, look, i'm a Verve fan and am biased for the most part.My favorite verve songs wont fit on one cd, however this is a must own.
BETTER TO OWN ALL THREE COMPLETE ALBUMS
The Verve are no one-hit wonder, this is the only 90s Brit band that has three consistent albums. Better than all my other favourites, Suede, Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Dodgy and Lightning Seeds. What's missing here are great tracks like Rolling People, Weeping Willow from Urban Hymns and old gems from A Northern Soul and A Storm in Heaven. Go ahead, buy all three Verve albums, money well-spent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Dream Pop    4. England    5. Indie Rock    6. Neo-Psychedelia    7. Noise Pop    8. Pop    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. Shoegaze    12. Space Rock   

Editorial Review

It would be easy to dismiss B.R.M.C. as another bunch of Britpop wannabes. Their amalgam of fuzzed-out vocals and chugging guitars over layers of droning feedback immediately brings to mind the Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream. But the band's wanton attitude easily compensates for its lack of originality. Plucking its name from the Marlon Brando classic Read more

Reviews (100)

a well-executed nod to Jesus and Mary Chain
This CD is actually quite great in its own right but unfortunately it really does sound too much like Jesus and Mary Chain.To the band's great credit, all of the tracks are strong and 98% of bands out there can't ever achieve that goal.The studio recording is exceedingly well-done too.The signature droning bass can make portable ear-buds distort the bass; so these tunes are best heard on a good soundsystem that can handle the bass.
This band knows what's going on
If anyone has every done any psychodelic drugs out there (and I know there's a few you that have), you will immediately recognize this band's angle.The album comes in slowly, becomes intense, and leaves as slow and easy as it started.Each song is a new feeling or idea that becomes intense and wrapped up in emotion.The music captures perfectly the pace of life, and how we as humans deal with life.The lyrics are just simply brillant.

Mediocre rock group, manufactured album
I've listend to the cd several times, since I realize that some get better with listening.I don't hate it.But it is nowhere near being even "good".Whoever wrote this band is as good as the White Stripes should burn in a musically igonorant hell. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Noise Pop    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Shoegaze    8. Space Rock   

Editorial Review

Five years before the group's Read more

Reviews (58)

Alot like Pink Floyd's More
VERY GOOD SPACE GUITAR ROCK.
A Soundtrack For Sunsets And Starry Skies
Sheer bliss, a record full of wonder with Nick McCabe's hypnotic, soothing guitars as it's focal point. Richard Ashcroft's vocals accompany rather than lead through this ten track psychedelic voyage.
Gorgeous in places
'Star Sail' is great: starting off with dreamy chorals and near-whispered opening lines... then in with the cascading power guitars... thundering bass clipping like the audio on a Saturn V rocket launch... the murmered lyrics melting into the guitar feedback until the whole song is about to collapse, then... a magnificent resolve.It's amazing.'Slide Away' and 'The Sun, The Sea' are very strong.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Britpop    3. Dream Pop    4. Indie Pop    5. Indie Rock    6. Neo-Psychedelia    7. Noise Pop    8. Pop    9. Post-Grunge    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop    12. Shoegaze    13. Space Rock   

Editorial Review

Anyone familiar with Mazzy Star's ethereal, hypnotic music will find singer Hope Sandoval's debut album with the Warm Inventions a welcome return, with its haunting, spaced-out odes to melancholy. It's been five years since Mazzy Star's last album--the rich, evocative Read more

Reviews (43)

It's sad.It's sparkly.It's simply stunning.
With the music, Hope Sandoval's vocals, the album art, and the album cover of "Bavarian Fruit Bread" combined, this has to be my single favorite album.Hope, whether it was when she was with Mazzy Star or went solo with this project, has easily become my favorite vocalist.How could anyone not be drawn to that adorable voice?What's really great about this album is that her vocals become even more of a focal point on "Bavarian Fruit Bread."And what's different about the music here is that rather than the psychedelic bluesy sound of Mazzy Star, there's more of a low-key, folksy approach through the use of acoustic guitar, harmonica, and the glockenspiel.Simple, sparkly, and gorgeous.I wish all music was this good.
Dreamy......

Lazy summer ...
It's always been hard to try to put Mazzy Star (Hope Sandoval's first band) into any category.One could say they're rock or folk or "pop" ... mostly whenever anyone asks me I say they're "psychadelic" or "alternative" country, if such a thing does exist.
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Subjects:  1. Dream Pop    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Shoegaze    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Three years before 1991's Read more

Reviews (36)

A masterpiece in its own right
I don't usually take issue with Amazon's editorial reviews, but Roni Sarig makes two big blunders. First, he calls Isn't Anything "worthy of Creation [Records]'s 'shoe-gazing' heritage." Before this album, there was no such "heritage." This album created such a buzz in the UK, Creation used its producers and sound engineers to make pop bands like Lush and Ride sound as much like this record as possible ... this was the album that set off the shoegazer movement. Despite those efforts, though, no one ever managed to create an album that sounded just like this, not even MBV's follow-up. Second, Sarig and many other reviewers seem to think Isn't Anything is merely a step towards greatness. This album does not have the insane, orchestral density of Loveless, but for that reason it's able to deliver a much wider variety of pleasures. The bass-driven stop-start of "Soft as Snow," the relentless guitar attack of "Feed Me With Your Kiss," the pairing of quavering tremelo and creepy, childlike vocals of "No More Sorry" ... each of these tracks is a perfect, unique jewel. You can hear many of the tools Kevin Shields and his band would use to construct Loveless, but in a more spare arrangement that allows you to hear each element much more clearly. Many tracks make dramatic use of silence, something MBV never did later in their career. You can also hear the band flatout rock. You can't call "Feed Me," "You Never Should" or "Sueisfine" "dream pop" ... they're pure adrenaline. This is, to be sure, a more conventional rock album than Loveless, but it still sounds like nothing else. If it came out today, we'd be falling all over ourselves to praise it.

My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything isn't perfect
My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything isn't perfect. Although it is slightly more influential (in my opinion) then their moment of excellence, Loveless, it isn't as good. In some ways, it is much easier to listen to Isn't Anything if you forget about Loveless entirely. Then, you can appreciate the album for all it is: a near-perfect example of seamless distortion and faded yet sensual voices provided by Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher (unfortunately, unlike Loveless, Shields takes the spotlight on this album, and Butcher sings on only a few of the tracks).
Wow, that was dreamy.
I am one of the few who believe that "Isn't Anything" is leagues better than "Loveless". This is one of my favorite albums; therefore, it's one of the few albums I've actually purchased. "Isn't Anything" isn't really one of the most uplifting albums of all time, but it is undoubtedly original and I might even add, influencial.