One doesn’t need to read Simon Reynolds to realize that retromania has been a propulsive engine in pop music history. Nevertheless, there was a time where going forward and breaking new musical frontiers were some of the most readable narratives of pop’s libretto. And guess what? All of its protagonists had a fucking guitar on their hands. When it was released in 1991, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless was obviously received as a great and colourful chapter of an on-going history previously written by innovative bands like The Beatles, Can, Joy Division, The Smiths and the Pixies, just to name a few. What we didn’t know then was that it would be the last. My Bloody Valentine’s new m b v is a shock, not only because two decades of waiting made my generation pretty suspicious about anything that came out of Kevin Shields’ mouth, but because it personally made me realize that two decades of Britpop, rock’n’roll revivalism and electronica flirts really didn’t quench my thirst for some loud, kick-ass, innovative and experimental guitar mayhem. My Bloody Valentine: thank you for reminding me that.
Well, I've been listening to it for a week now. It sounded pretty bad when in the beginning: repetitive, too clean and over-adorned and I really didn't connect with the flute, female vocals and sax arrangements. But then it happened what happens with Owen's songs: they grow on you. Three days ago I woke up with a melody in my head and I went straight away to my Girls CDs to play it in my stereo. That's when I realized the melody I was humming was Love Is In The Ear Of The Listener. Today, I simply love it and I do think Hank Above Skies is spot on with the Serge Gainsbourg comparison: this is Owen's Vue de L'Éxterieur.
Django Django and Liars' WIXIW were my favorite records this year. I've listen to at least half of Stereogum's Top 50 and it feels weird to not have these two albums in it. Love you just the same, Stereogum.
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