My Bloody Valentine - m b v (2013/2021) [Hi-Res]

Released in 1991, Loveless made rock history for many reasons however this critical and public success did not lead My Bloody Valentine to follow up with another album. Even worse than that, Kevin Shields's band ceased its activity in 1997, only returning to the studio some 22 years later! So when m b v came out on February 2, 2013, no one knew what to expect. A few seconds are enough to realise that the band, with an unchanged line-up (Shields of course but also Colm Ó Cíosóig on drums, Debbie Googe on bass and Bilinda Butcher on vocals and guitar) was still fundamentally the same. A cathedral of guitars, dreamy vocals (She Found Now) buried under tons of saturation and reverb (Only Tomorrow), apocalyptic rhythm and repetitive patterns (Nothing Is) still remain at the heart of m b v. Between shoegaze and noise pop, a style he fathered almost alone (with perhaps The Jesus & Mary Chain and the Cocteau Twins), Kevin Shields proves here that his musical invention retains its modernity, and even its timelessness. More open and pleasant on a melodic level (the almost cheerful New You), m b v is less monolithic than Loveless but remains a masterpiece of My Bloody Valentine's admittedly very short discography. © Marc Zisman / Qobuz