My Bloody Valentine Album: “Isn't Anything”

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.

With 1991's "Loveless", My Bloody Valentine produced a landmark album that would redefine the boundaries for independent music. Yet if "Loveless" was the "Revolver" of the early 1990's, then "Isn't Anything" was the band's "Rubber Soul"- the moment when the band took the game to the next level of sophistication, setting themselves another notch above the competition. This album, judged by the production values of 1988, was the great leap forward. The melodies are lush and beautiful but you have to go searching for them in the opiate fuzz of the shimmering layers of guitar noise. It is well worth the effort. The interplay of melody of distortion on this record is what makes this record so rewarding. The sweetness of the best tunes finds its perfect counterpoint in the drone and fuzz of the guitars. The mix of acidity and sweetness is just right here- a feature that is oddly reminiscent of the other great alternative album from 1988, Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation". Whilst My Bloody Valentine would raise their art one step higher with "You Made Me Realise" later in the year, they were already on the heights with this release. Buy this record, one of the best of the late 1980's and retire to a hazy, fuzzy, bittersweet nirvana.

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.

The lyrics are beautiful and heartfelt, the vocals are what really makes the album so dreamy. Kevin Shield's voice is like a blur, and I don't even know what a blur sounds like.

"No More Sorry" is what really made the album for me, personally, it just flows very well. This isn't really an album you'd want to just listen to the drumsticks hit the drums and the pics hit the guitar, no, you should concentrate very hard on the lyrics. Maybe, you'll even pick up the messege 'My Bloody Valentine' are trying to send across. Of course though, that's a different messege for everyone.

this is one of the most beautiful, sexy, and noisy albums i have ever heard. i enjoy it significantly more than their "loveless" or any other album by anyone for that matter. i don't really feel the need to describe in depth the album or compare it to anything. i can only recomend that if you have even thought about getting the album to do so.

I would have to say I prefer this album to "Loveless." The guitars don't fill up the speakers here as much as on that album, but there's still plenty of lush guitar noize to savour. It must be the unrestrained rocking-out which matches the dream pop that I really love - especially on the second side (beginning with "Feed Me With Your Kiss"). That side really JAMS in a gleeful kind of way - gives me a great feeling. "Sueisfine" is pretty trippy and I swear they're really saying 'Suicide' which is a twisted thing to repeat over and over. "Several Girls Galore" is kinda darker and sensual with bassier drums to match the seductive female vocals. "Nothing Much To Lose" is another highlight with absolutely spastic drums that do something different each time they cut loose. This song is one of several that takes dramatic turns, leading the listener to surprisingly different places - a bit like 2 or 3 songs in 1.

Side 1 has some real gems on it as well, but I'm not too crazy about the slower songs "Lose My Breath" and "No More Sorry." They're not great musically; they're quite a bit atonal in fact. However, I've gotten more used to them in time. "All I Need" is another slow one which might take some getting used to, but its brilliance shines through with its V.U. pulse and shimmering guitar backdrop. To be honest, Kevin Shields doesn't have the strongest vocal quality, but I dig it none-the-less. These minor drawbacks aren't nearly enough to deny this album the 5 star rating it deserves.