from the LP Loveless, Creation Records, 1991Damage to your eardrum has never been more acute or enjoyable, in my humble opinion, than when it’s happening care of Ireland’s noisy answer to the Jesus & Mary Chain, and, by proxy, the Beach Boys; at the beginning of their recent reunion gig for the All Tomorrows Parties festival, My Bloody Valentine’s techs were tossing out thousands of earplugs for the audience…how thoughtful. Though their style had changed frequently in the years prior to this LP, catchy melodies had always been heavily involved with MBV’s sound, whether they were right upfront or buried in the mix; Kevin Shields, the central songwriter and crux of the group, took painstaking measures in perfecting the layered vocal and guitar parts on this album, which proved to be such a wearying & meticulous job, in fact, that he has yet to release another LP since. I could literally compose a post for almost every single song on this album, so I’ve chosen this one mainly ‘cause I like the “Strawberry Fields”-inspired coda at the end of the track, nice balance.
