The Jesus and Mary Chain "Just Like Honey" (1985) (single)

Just Like Honey, 12'' single

release date: Oct. 1985

format: vinyl (NEG 17T)

[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: The Jesus and Mary Chain

label: Blanco y Negro - nationality: Scotland, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Just Like Honey" - 2. "Head" - - B) 1. "Cracked" - 2. "Just Like Honey (Demo - Oct 84)"

Single release by The Jesus and Mary Chain is the band's third and final single taken from its forthcoming debut album Psychocandy (Nov. 1985). The single follows You Trip Me Up (May 1985), which followed Never Understand (Feb. 1985). The A-side tracks also constitute the regular 7'' single issue, which was released in Sep. '85.

Mazzy Star "So Tonight That I Might See" (1993)

So Tonight That I Might See
release date: Oct. 5, 1993
format: cd / vinyl (2022 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,76]
producer: David Roback
label: Capitol Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Fade Into You" (4,5 / 5) (live on Later) - 2. "Bells Ring" (4 / 5) - 3. "Mary of Silence" - 7. "Unreflected" - 9. "Into Dust" - 10. "So Tonight That I Might See"

2nd studio album by Mazzy Star following nearly 3½ years after the debut She Hangs Brightly (1990). Since then, the band signed with Capitol after the Rough Trade division closed in the US, and it appears that although both Keith Mitchell and Will Cooper of Opal participate on the album, they are merely additional personnel, and Mazzy Star has become what it basically always was: the duo-project of composer, guitarist and pianist David Roback and songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Hope Sandoval.

At first, the album sounds much alike the predecessor, in tone and especially sound, as the style has become even darker and mesmerising with drone-like guitar-sequences with Sandoval's haunting vocal on top.

"Fade into You" became the band's first and only top-100 single in the US peaking at #44; however, the band may never have aimed at making hit songs and becoming mainstream artists, but the album is often found listed among the best Dream Pop albums ever made [Pitchfork's 30 best dream pop albums].

The album comes out as the aural version of a highly original dream landscape - both hauntingly beautiful and disturbing at the same time. Roback and Sandoval appear more laid back on this, although, some tracks are 'noise rock' influenced and the title track sounds unimaginable without thinking of "The End" by The Doors and (perhaps also) "Heroin" by Velvet Underground, but overall I find it bettering their debut. This is simply their best studio album.

Now, did anyone say Lana Del Rey? Well, I betcha she heard this one!

Highly recommendable.

[ allmusic.com, Uncut 4,5 / 5, NME, Sputnikmusic 4 / 5, Soundlab 5 / 5 stars ]

Fritz "Pastel" (2021)

Pastel

release date: Feb. 12, 2021

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: Fraser Marshall

label: Inertia Music - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Sweetie" - 2. "Arrow" - 3. "Pastel" - 4. "She's Gonna Hate Me!" - 7. "Die Happily" - 9. "Jan 1"

2nd studio album by Australian music project Fritz (stylised FRITZ) consisting of Matilda Murphy (aka Tilly Murphy) on vocals, rhythm guitar and bass, Cody Brougham on (lead) guitar, and with Darren James on drums. Or at least that's what you could think, and then in the band's music videos you may also see a (second) bass player and a keyboard player, although the band members apparently only count Murphy, Brougham, and James. Matilda is also credited as songwriter and composer. The band is based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, and before Pastel they released the self-promoted album FRITZ in 2017 - which makes Pastel the band's debut on an actual label.

It's music somewhere in between The Vaccines, Jezabels, and Dum Dum Girls with clear inspiration from My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Breeders and Swedish The Radio Dept. with a balance between light noise pop, classic dream pop and what perhaps should be referred to as pop-grunge. The album consists of nine songs with a modest running time of just under half an hour.

It may be the kind of music that sounds as if made in the 90s, but it has a naive freshness and unimpressiveness that could stem from the fact that the band members have only just stepped out of their teenage years. Musically, it could be described as somewhat narrow - both in terms of production sound and in the variation of the individual compositions - but it's nevertheless delightfully refreshing at a time when music is something that ideally requires a new producer (or preferably several) for each track, and where the compositions should ideally be piled up in countless soundtracks and advanced arrangements to perhaps cover up the fact that the good songs are basically missing. After a quick spin, you might feel like uttering 'was that it? I mean, the whole album?' And yes, it is kinda short, sweet and most of all, it sounds promising for the future, so we have another real alternative to Eilish (and bro), Del Rey, multi-billionaire West and all the other overrated and overproduced hitmakers.

Recommended.

[ 👍Awfultrackrecord.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Jesu & Sun Kil Moon "Jesu / Sun Kil Moon" (2016)

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon

release date: Jan. 21, 2016

format: digital (10 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]

producer: Mark Kozelek & Justin Broadrick

label: Caldo Verde Records - nationality: USA / England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Good Morning My Love" - 3. "Last Night I Rocked the Room Like Elvis and Had Them Laughing Like Richard Pryor" - 4. "Father's Day" - 9. "Exodus" - 10. "Beautiful You"

Collaborative project between British musician Justin Broadrick under his stage name, Jesu, and American artist Mark Kozelek under his stage name, Sun Kil Moon. The album is like Kozelek's collaboration Perils From the Sea (2013) with electronic musician Jimmy LaValle released on Kozelek's label Caldo Verde. Jesu emerged in 2003 as a trio after the break-up (2002) of the British industrial and metal band, Godflesh, but from day one it was Broadrick's idea and from 2007 Jesu has been a one-man project. Similarly, Sun Kil Moon was originally a band formed from the remnants of the Red House Painters (disbanded in 2001), which after a few years became Mark Kozelek's solo project. Kozelek and Broadrick have already been close acquaintances for several years, beginning when Kozelek reportedly contacted Broadrick back in 2007 about releasing music with Jesu on Kozelek's label Caldo Verde, which lead to the release of the Opiate Sun (2009) ep, which is also the first release from Jesu as a solo project, and later also the full-length album Ascension (2011). Kozelek also named his 2013 covers album Like Rats after the Godflesh song of the same name (the track is featured as the second cut on the album).

Stylistically, it's quite an original mix of shoegaze, noise rock and alt. folk, which is in no way surprising when you consider Broadrick and Kozelek's musical career. These are mainly compositions with lyrics and music by Kozelek and Broadrick, and with individual guest appearances from various vocalists, which include Will Oldham (better known as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, featured on "Fragile"), Rachel Ann Goswell of shoegaze band Slowdive ("Father's Day", "Exodus" and "Beautiful You"), and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse ("Beautiful You").

Apart from a single track where he also plays acoustic guitar, Kozelek is solely credited as vocalist, while Broadrick is featured as multi-instrumentalist. And it is also the latter's characteristic wall of sound, which forms the background for the music on Jesu / Sun Kil Moon, while Kozelek, with his characteristic vocals in the foreground, creates a form of traditional musical structure and acts as a counterpoint to the electric discharges, even if he occasionally indulges inspired by the wall of noise and almost manically spits out the words. However, it is Kozelek's stories that carry the tracks forward, while Broadrick's soundscape in a way represents the noise that Kozelek talks about.

It's Kozelek's more self-experienced short stories that press forward. The form is diary-like notes, or fan letter readings like on track #3, about what he does, who he runs into, and what they said and did in momentary glimpses that fill out the lyrics. In this way, Kozelek demonstrates the path he is on as a songwriter in terms of the narrative. To the astonishment and irritation of some - and to the delight of others - because it is indisputable that Mark Kozelek is a storyteller with something on his mind, even when he tells about apparently insignificant incidents.

All in all, it's an exciting constellation, albeit also a demanding album that doesn't reach the same artistic heights as Kozelek's collaboration with Jimmy LaValle.

[ allmusic.com, Drowned in Sound 3,5 / 5, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Lightning Bug "October Sky" (2019)

October Sky

release date: Sep. 6, 2019

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]

producer: Lightning Bug

label: selvudgivet - nationality: USA

2nd studio album by Lightning Bug is like the debut Floaters (2015) self-released and may be found on bandcamp. The band consists of songwriter and vocalist Audrey Kang, who also handles bass and drums, Kevin Copeland on guitar, and with Logan Miley on synthesizer and as sound engineer.

Stylistically, Lightning Bug lands somewhere in an indie pop sphere with a distinct shoegaze / dream pop touch, which brings to mind artists such as My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, and Flaming Lips without being a mere copy.

October Sky is quite an exciting and original release.

The Radio Dept. "I Don't Need Love, I've Got My Band" (2019)

L-R: Duncanson & Carlberg

I Don't Need Love, I've Got My Band (compilation)

release date: Aug. 23, 2019

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: (rec. by Johan Duncanson, Martin Carlberg)

label: Just So! - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Pulling Our Weight" - 3. "I Don't Need Love, I've Got My Band" - 5. "The City Limit" - 6. "This Past Week" - 7. "Deliverance" - 8. "I Don't Like It Like This" - 10. "Let Me Have This"

Compilation album by The Radio Dept. is basically two old EPs re-released as one album. Tracks 1-5 were originally released as the Pulling Our Weight EP, from Nov. 2003, and tracks 6-10 has previously been released as This Past Week EP, in Jan. 2005. The album has now been released on the band's own label Just So! (established in 2018 when they re-issued Pet Grief as their first album).

Well, this is what we get, when all we really want is new studio material from one of Sweden's most fascinating bands. I take it as a statement saying: 'Hey, but we're still around!'

The front cover is the first revealing the two members of Johan Duncanson and Martin Carlberg. Musically, it's quite naturally The Radio Dept. classic with melodic noise pop, indie rock, and shoegaze written all over, and then the two EPs actually fit nicely together, which makes it a most wanted album, despite being old material. It fits nicely as a natural companion to Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 (2011).

The two original EPs:

2003 Pulling Our Weight EP

2005 This Past Week EP

I Break Horses "Hearts" (2011)

Hearts [debut]

release date: Aug. 22, 2011

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,33]

producer: Maria Lindén

label: Bella Union - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Winter Beats" - 2. "Hearts" - 3. "Wired" - 5. "Pulse" - 6. "Cancer"

Studio debut album by Swedish duo I Break Horses consisting of composer and multi-instrumentalist Maria Lindén and percussionist Fredrik Balck. Five years earlier, Lindén helped forming the band Friska Viljor in 2006, and shortly after, she also became a member of the band Blackstrap. Fredrik Balck is former member of several bands including Aerospace and the band Strip Music, and after breaking up with these he was included in the trio Pueblo. Around 2009, Lindén came in touch with former Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde, who is one of the driving forces behind the independent record label Bella Union, and Raymonde offered Lindén to release her music and with Balck, I Break Horses became a reality.

All music is composed by Lindén, who in addition to singing also handles guitar, bass, and keyboards, while Balck is credited as songwriter and percussionist. The album consists of nine tracks and has a total running length of 40 minutes.

Stylistically, it's probably what you could call shoegaze revival deeply inspired by My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins without much new under the sun. These are original tracks, where the inspiration from classic shoegaze and dream pop is quite evident. The album garnered international attention and received enthusiastic reviews, but also criticism for not being particularly innovative. And yes, the soundscape is familiar and has been trodden many times in the 90s, and in that way Hearts doesn't bring anything new to the table, but the compositions are justified by offering something new to a style you may appreciate.

A somewhat anonymous but exciting start.

[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Mojo 3 / 5, Gaffa.dk 4 / 6, Under the Radar 4 / 5 stars ]

Mazzy Star "She Hangs Brightly" (1990)

She Hangs Brightly
release date: May 21, 1990
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: David Roback
label: Rough Trade Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Halah" - 2. "Blue Flower" (live on Later) - 3. "Ride It On" - 6. "Give You My Lovin' " - 7. "Be My Angel" - 10. "Free"

Studio album debut by American indie rock band Mazzy Star, which basically is the continued project of the band Opal (initially named Clay Allison) - a band with Kendra Smith (of The Dream Syndicate) on vocals and bass, and after her departure, the remaining members changed name to Mazzy Star, which here is made up by songwriter and main musical composer David Roback (former member of The Rain Parade), who is credited as guitarist, keyboardist and pianist, Hope Sandoval on acoustic guitar, organ, harmonica, xylophone, and drummer Keith Mitchell. Allegedly, Sandoval replaced Smith in Opal for the live tour after the band's debut album, and after some time touring as that unit, and as they were still contractually bound to a follow-up to the debut with songs composed and written by Smith / Roback ready to be recorded, but Sandoval had also initiated a composer partnership with Roback, and the decision was then made to trade the Opal follow-up contract with Rough Trade for the debut release with a bunch of new songs by Mazzy Star.

Stylistically, the band stands out as one of the prominent artists of what became known as the style of Shoegaze / Dream Pop with strong bonds and influence from 'noise rock' and the sound of Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. The sound is stripped from the element of noise rock and instead Mazzy Star focusses on the moody side, which also connects them with Cocteau Twins, who on the other hand played with a more layered wall-of-sound to create their visceral sound. Mazzy Star may start as a band but is primarily held together by its two songwriters, Sandoval and Roback, and the music is related to the Paisley Underground movement with bands like The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green on Red, and Thin White Rope amongst others. Hope Sandoval has her very own singing style and melancholic sound with bonds to Nico, Marianne Faithfull and Leonard Cohen, and followers like Cat Power and Lana Del Rey is mentioned as singers who owe much of their singing style to Sandoval.

I really enjoy the songs by Sandoval and Roback, who support each other quite nicely. Sandoval's almost mourning vocal is a fine balanced blend of periods and styles, but all with focus on a certain melancholy, and Roback's swirling guitar is another fine blend with reminiscence of Velvet Underground, The Byrds, Stooges, and then also contemporaries like Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), Jim & William Reid (The Jesus & Mary Chain) and Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine), and the production sound of She Hangs Brightly is somewhere in the neighbourhood of the same bands with strong spacious feedback on both vocal and guitars helps creating that "dreamy" atmosphere, which paved way for the style of dream pop.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, NME, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Select 5 / 5 stars ]

Easy "Magic Seed" (1990)

Magic Seed [debut]
release date: 1990
format: vinyl (MNWP 208) / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: John Fryer
label: MNW - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: A) 1. "Castle Train" (4 /5) - 2. "He Brings the Honey" (4 / 5) (live) - 3. "Cloud Chamber" - 4. "Damn Sugar" (5 / 5) - 5. "Sunny Day" (4 / 5) - - B) 3. "Between John & Yoko" - 5. "Magic Seed" (4 / 5)

Studio album debut by Swedish indie pop band Easy formed in 1987, Jönköping, Sweden. The band went through some changes in the line-up during the 1990s but here the band is a quintet made up by Johan Holmlund on vocals, Tommy Ericsson on guitar, Anders Petersson on keyboards and guitar, Rikard Jormin on bass, and with Tommy Jonsson on drums.

I don't remember why or where I came across the album but it's most likely a puchase from the early 1990s. I was hooked on shoegaze and dream pop and this is a great example of just this kind of music. Somehow the band succeeded in making a deal with the Swedish indie pop label MNW and hired the hot British producer John Fryer to produce the album. Most likely, I found his name on the back of the cover and knew it couldn't be all bad. At this point he had already produced albums for Cocteau Twins, Modern English, This Mortal Coil and Peter Murphy among others. I played this very album quite a lot for a period of time and I never really understood why the band never gained more recognition. Especially the A-side of the album is great. The sound is a bit one-dimensional in the long-run but it really consists of enough fine compositions to be a legendary ep of the genre. It's the only album I know of by Easy but they have many other studio albums. Their most recent release is a non-label album from 2014.

Recommended.

The Radio Dept. "Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010" (2011)

Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 (compilation)
release date: Jan. 25, 2011
format: 2 cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Johan Duncansson, Martin Larsson
label: Labrador Records - nationality: Sweden

Double compilation album by The Radio Dept. containing A-side and B-side singles released from 2002 to 2010 including online-only singles. Disc 1 is labeled 'A-sides' and disc 2 'B-sides'. The concept is great, and it really proves the strengths of this fairly unknown band. It's quite extraordinary how well it works as an album with tracks taken from three albums released over a seven year period and originating from various eps and single releases. Three tracks are taken from the debut album Lesser Matters (2003), one is from the follow-up album Pet Grief (2006), and three are from their most recent album Clinging to a Scheme (2010). It works, and it's great.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, PopMatters 4 / 5 stars ]

Lush "Split" (1994)

vinyl cover

Split
release date: Jun. 13, 1994
format: vinyl (CAD 4011) / cd (Deluxe Edition)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,90]
producer: Mike Hedges and Lush
label: 4AD Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Light from a Dead Star" - 2. "Kiss Chase" (4 / 5) - 3. "Blackout" - 4. "Hypocrite" (live) - 5. "Lovelife" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "Desire Lines" - 7. "The Invisible Man" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Undertow" - 2. "Never-Never" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Lit Up" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Starlust"

2nd studio album by English, London-founded band Lush. This is just another great album released in 1994, and it's just outside my personal top-10 favourites. The debut release Gala (Nov. 1990) compiles the band's first releases, a single and two eps. It's dark and promising shoegaze and the follow-up, which is the actual full-length studio debut Spooky (Jan. 1992) turned out as what seemed more like an unfinished Robin Guthrie-project.
Split has a fine balance between dream pop and indie pop, and it both comes with long progressive dreamy sounds as well as more direct almost power pop energetic tracks, all kept together by the same touch. The front duo is made up of Emma Anderson and Miki Berenyi who are both doing lead vocals and play guitars, with Phil King playing bass, and Chris Acland handling drums. The album is produced by Mike Hedges, who used to work with post-punk and gothic rock bands like The Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Bauhaus but also with more synth pop and new romantic bands like Associates, Thomas Dolby and that seems like a better choice than Guthrie's strong production signature of dream pop reminding me of album productions for This Mortail Coil and his former main band Cocteau Twins. After this, Lush released its perhaps least interesting album, Lovelife (1996), which indicated a change in style towards more indistinct britpop, and then the band's career came to a devastating end by drummer Chris Acland's tragic suicide in '96 and the remaining members then decided to call it a day. Berenyi featured on a few releases and then changed career, Emma Anderson continued in the duo-band Sing-Sing, and King appears to have chosen a way out of the backdoor of the business; however, and although being the band's lowest charting album, Split is a mighty fine album, and it stands as this band's most coherent and best effort, imho. The cd issue comes in a 2-disc Deluxe Edition with a 3-track bonus disc.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 ]

[ collectors' item - 1st pressing in NM condition from ~ €120,- ]

cd issue

Lush "Gala" (1990)

Gala (compilation)
release date: Nov. 13, 1990
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Tim Friese-Greene; John Fryer & Lush; Robin Guthrie
label: 4AD / Reprise Records - nationality: England, UK

Compilation album by Lush originally released by 4AD Records and produced by various producers: Tim Friese-Greene (tracks #1-3); John Fryer & Lush (#8-13); Robin Guthrie (#4-7, 14-15).
Tracks #1-3 have previously been released as the single "Sweetness and Light" (Oct. '90), produced by Tim Friese-Greene; tracks #4-7 are identical to the ep Mad Love (Feb. '90), produced by Robin Guthrie; tracks #8-13 were previously released as the Mini-album debut Scar (Oct. '89), produced by John Fryer; track #14 is a previously unreleased cover song, originally made by ABBA, and track #15 has previously only been released on the compilation album Gigantic! 2 - Nineteen for the Nineties featuring various artists and sold with an issue of the music magazine Melody Maker - these two tracks were also produced by Guthrie.
Imo, I've also found this particular album a strange and incoherent listen but knowing that these songs stem from various releases with individual (strong) producers, it's no really wonder it's such a varied release. It functions more as that of a musicial documentation.

The Radio Dept. "Annie Laurie" (2002) (ep)

Annie Laurie, ep
release date: Dec. 2002
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Johan Duncanson, Martin Larsson
label: Slottet Recordings - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: 1. "Annie Laurie" - 2. "Bad Reputation (Rugar Mix)" - 3. "Falafel" - 4. "Tåget"

Early CDr ep issued in a limited number released by The Radio Dept.'s own label, Slottet Recordings prior to signing with Labrador. For these recordings the band is only represented by the two guitarists, Duncanson and Larsson, and compared to the first ep these tracks are more experimental recordings written by Duncanson and Larsson (except track #1, written by Robert Burns), and all are solely played by Duncansson.
The digital mp3s have been made free for download on the band's official site.
The tracks are quite interesting in their own rights without being truly great.
More on the release here.

The Radio Dept. "Against the Tide" (2000) (ep)

Against the Tide, ep
release date: 2000 / 2002
format: digital (2002)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Johan Duncanson and Martin Larsson
label: Slottet Recordings - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: 1. "Against the Tide" - 2. "Liebling" - 3. "Why Won't You Talk About It?" (4 / 5) - 4. "We Would Fall Against the Tide"

First ep release by Swedish band The Radio Dept., originally released as a demo in 2000 and later in 2002 pressed and released on 7'' vinyl.
The first formation of the band goes back to 1995 when vocalist Elin Almered and guitarist Johan Duncanson started playing together as a teenage project. The two soon split but around '98, guitarist Martin Larsson (aka Martin Carlberg) and Johan Duncanson started playing together under the band name, and in autumn 2001 they were joined by bassist Lisa Carlberg and drummer Per Blomgren - and this four-piece was later expanded to a quintet by keyboardist Daniel Tjäder.
Both track #1 and #3 are also found on the debut album, Lesser Matters from 2003, and #2 and #4 are included on the compilation album Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 (2011).
Despite being self-recorded and self-produced 'lo-fi' compositions the potential is truly remarkable.

Mew "A Triumph for Man" (1997)

A Triumph for Man [debut]
release date: Apr. 1, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Damon Tutunjian; Mew (co-producer)
label: Exlibris / Evil Office - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Wheels Over Me" - 3. "Wherever" - 4. "Panda" - 7. "No Shadow Kick" - 9. "She Came Home for Christmas" - 11. "I Should Have Been a Tsin-Tsi (For You)" - 13. "Web" - 14. "Coffee Break"

Studio album debut by Mew originally released on the small Danish label Exlibris Musik in only 2000 copies. The album was reissued as a 2-disc version (with a bonus disc containing demo and alternate recordings) in 2006 by Evil Office, the band's own sub-label of Sony BMG. Unfortunately, I never came across the album back then, but I knew of the band around '98, alas without ever paying it much attention. The reissue album contains a bonus disc with demo and alternate takes. Mew formed in 1994 as a quartet consisting of Jonas Bjerre on lead vocals, Bo Madsen on guitar, Johan Wohlert on bass, and with Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen on drums.

The music is an original mix of indie pop, dream pop, shoegaze, and noise pop with inspirational sources from My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Star, and Swirlies [album producer Damon Tutunjian is part of this band]. The album has delicate blue-eyed pop-moments and fine progressive pop / art pop ideas - almost post rock elements, only I find that the album mostly functions in a sense of making sketching to something... more, but definitely full of sheer talent.

[ Sputnikmusic 4,5 / 5 stars ]

My Bloody Valentine "m b v" (2013)

m b v
release date: Feb. 13, 2013
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Kevin Shields
label: m b v (self-released) - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: 1. "She Found Now" - 2. "Only Tomorrow" - 3. "Who Sees You" (4 / 5) - 4. "Is This and Yes" - 5. "If I Am" (4 / 5) - 8. "Nothing Is" (4 / 5) - 9. "Wonder 2"

3rd studio album by My Bloody Valentine is what is regarded the final album by My Bloody Valentine, and it follows some 22 years after the band's most recent album, the acclaimed Loveless from 1991. Alledgedly, Kevin Shields had tired of how the music industry worked in terms of having decisive opinions on his music, which in this case has become a self-made product - self-produced, -mastered, and self-released. Yes, this is complete control.
Apparently, the majority of these tracks were initially recorded before the band split in 1997. Other recordings were presumably made in 2006, shortly before the band officially reformed in 2007, but ultimately, all tracks here are credited Shields, and it falls rather fine in the chronology despite following more than two decades after the band's most recent album. In 2013, Shields publicly said a new album was soon to be release, and seemingly, it had already been mastered, but then Shields the prefectionist took over, and another 8 years passed before the end-result was approved.
This is a modernized noise pop and dream pop release that finally came out some 22 years after its predecessor Loveless (1991), as Kevin Shields didn't work in ordinary ways. As was the case with the two previous albums, this also ended up in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", and really, it's a certified grower.
[ 👍allmusic.com, Spin 4 / 5, Pitchfork 9,1 / 10, The Guardian 5 / 5 stars ]

My Bloody Valentine "Loveless" (1991)

Loveless
release date: Nov. 5, 1991
format: cd
[album rate 4,5 / 5] [4,28]
producer: Kevin Shields and Colm Ó Cíosóig
label: Sire Records / Warner Bros. - nationality: Ireland

Tracklist: 1. "Only Shallow" (5 / 5) - 2. "Loomer" (4 / 5) - 3. "Touched" - 4. "To Here Knows When" (4 / 5) - 5. "When You Sleep" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "I Only Said" (5 / 5) - 7. "Come in Alone" - 8. "Sometimes" - 9. "Blown a Wish" - 10. "What You Want" (4,5 / 5) - 11. "Soon" (4 / 5)

2nd studio album by My Bloody Valentine originally released on vinyl by Creation Records and on cd by Sire / Warner. The band here is a quartet made up of main composer Kevin Shields credited on guitar, vocals & sampling keyboard, Bilinda Butcher on vocals & guitar, Debbie Googe on bass, and with Colm Ó Cíosóig on drums & sampling keyboard.

Loveless is perhaps THE best known and also the best reviewed dream pop, shoegaze, noise pop album ever released. It's enlisted on a variety of lists collecting all the best albums. The majority of the compositions were written entirely by Shields.

I purchased the album shortly after its release after reading an interview with Robert Smith of The Cure who mentioned the band as one of his personal favourites and for being a band with a highly unique sound. And that particular soundscape, as well as this album's sound, is highly dependent on Shields' guitar work. Listening to the album today, it's really no wonder how it found its way to iconic status. Post rock bands like Sigur Rós and Mogwai owe much to this and to the sound produced by Kevin Shields. Also, an alt. rock band like Smashing Pumpkins could most likely have looked to this, but also electronic artists and big beat performers like The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim may also have found inspiration in tracks like "To Here Knows When" and "Blown a Wish". The track "Soon" reminds me of something made by (electronic artist) The Orb.

My Bloody Valentine didn't sell that many albums with this one, i.e. at the time of the release, although, its status of course has helped music buyers to the attention of its existence in years to follow. The sound of the album is quite unique. Listening to its predecessor Isn't Anything (1988), the band's debut album, it's both evident that it's the same band but also that they have made a considerable progression into a more dream pop area, also suggested by the ep Tremolo released nine months prior to this. The debut album is more shoegaze and noise pop founded, maybe with references to Sonic Youth and a proto-grunge-sensation with a mix of garage rock and the sort of noise pop one could find on Psychocandy (1985) by The Jesus and Mary Chain.

After Loveless the band found itself without a record contract as the costs in producing and making this album were too much for the small independent label Creation Records. Furthermore, Shields' studio work apparently had been more than the label's management would tolerate again, and the band then signed with Island Records, who is said to have paid for building a new studio just for My Bloody valentine and for Kevin Shields. New material was on its way but Shields found himself struggling in his process of composing and in the end no new material was released. Also, Shields started to work with other bands, making appearances and producing for other artists, at least up until 2013 when finally a third full-length studio album was released. Loveless is the band's most deserved inclusion in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

[ allmusic.com 5 / 5 stars ]

=> needledrop review

Kitchens of Distinction "Folly" (2013)

Folly
release date: Sep. 30, 2013
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Kitchens of Distinction, Pascal Gabriel

label: 3 Loop Music - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Extravagance" - 4. "Photographing Rain" - 6. "Japan to Jupiter" - 9. "Tiny Moments Tiny Omens"

5th studio album and the first in nearly two decades by the reformed Kitchens of Distinction. The album is released on the newly-founded 3 Loop Music, and it follows Cowboys and Aliens from 1994. Since the band's breakup in '96, lead vocalist Patrick Fitzgerald continued solo under the name of Fruit although, both guitarist Julian Swales and drummer Dan Goodwin play on Fruit's first album Hark at Her from '97. Around the year 2000, Fitzgerald performed as Stephen Hero and he was part of the collaboration-project Lost Girls. Guitarist Julian Swales also contributed on releases with Stephen Hero, and drummer Dan Goodwin played percussion on the '96 album Lovelife by Lush and on the '97 album Lovers and Trippers by Sufi.
Folly is a full-length album of brand new compositions, although stylewise, they continue - mostly as if several years didn't go by, and in that regard it sound somewhat dated. And I'm not really impressed BUT then again: I never really was after two first brilliant albums I really had to adapt myself to their most recent release. Patrick Fitzgerald's voice sounds exactly as it did 20 years ago and so does Julian Swales guitar, and I wonder if that can be bad?! Up until now, I do find it a rather pale imitation of shiny golden days. Alas, the band dissolved once again in early 2014 after releasing its so far final 4-track ep, Extravangance (apr. 2014). Of the three, only Fitzgerald seems to have continued a career in music. Firstly, he continued as Stephen Hero, and he has released the Pop Tarkovskij collaboration album together with Paul Frederick as The April Seven [both born on that date], and then most recently he has been part of the lasting trio, Oskar's Drum.

My Bloody Valentine "Tremolo E.P." (1991) (ep)

Tremolo E.P., ep
release date: Feb. 20, 1991
format: cd (CRESCD085)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,75]
producer: My Bloody Valentine
label: Creation Records - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: 1. "To Here Knows When" (4 / 5) - 2. "Swallow" (5 / 5) - 3. "Honey Power" (4 / 5) - 4. "Moon Song"

4 track ep with one track from the forthcoming album Loveless to be released in November.

It's quite evidently much closer in style to the bands coming second full-length album than the debut Isn't Anything album from '88. The multi-layered dynamics are already here, but the production sound is somewhat murkier than what would succeed. Anyway, this is a very fine ep and the three tracks you won't find on Loveless could easily have been included on that without lowering the quality or the status of that album. "Swallow" has a beautiful ethereal touch to it, which makes me think of Lush cloned with Cocteau Twins, and "Honey Power" sounds much like the first drawing to the great opening track "Only Shallow" on Loveless, but as is the case with this song, all tracks generally lack the extra dimension of clever production.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

My Bloody Valentine "Isn't Anything" (1988)

Isn't Anything [debut]
release date: Nov. 21, 1988
format: cd / cd (2012 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: My Bloody Valentine
label: Creation Records / Sony Music - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: 1. "Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)" - 2. "Lose My Breath" - 3. "Cupid Come" - 4. "(When You Wake) You're Still in a Dream" - 6. "All I Need" - 7. "Feed Me With Your Kiss" (4 / 5) - 8. "Sueisfine" - 10. "You Never Should" - 12. "I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)"

Full-length studio album debut by My Bloody Valentine and the band's first on Creation.
The album was the second that I heard with the band after listening to their epic Loveless (1991). Despite being officially an Irish band, American Kevin Shields (guitarist, vocalist, composer) is the band's mastermind. He created most of the material on this album, either alone (six tracks) or with help from drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig or together with vocalist & guitarist Bilinda Butcher, and in retrospect Shield is near synonymous with the band name. Prior to this, the band released a number of singles and eps without bassist Debbie Googe and especially also without Bilinda Butcher who contributed in shaping their iconic sound from around 1987 when former vocalist Dave Conway left the band. So what lies before '87 is basically music from what sounds like another band, and with Isn't Anything they initiate a style that many bands and artists copied in the early nineties, which may be referred to as noise pop, shoegaze, and dream pop, and which much later led other artists (e.g. Mogwai, Sigur Rós) to exercise into post-rock.
Only in recent years, I have come across their mini-album debut, This Is Your Bloody Valentine (1985), which really seems far from the style on this and their earliest releases with focus on post-punk, gothic rock, and psychobilly. I recall that Robert Smith (The Cure) in the late 1980s referred to this band as one of his new favourites - and I often wondered if he had heard the style they came to abandon or the style that should become their trademark.
Isn't Anything is not as great as the iconic '91 album but it surely points in that direction - especially tracks #1, 4 and 7. Back in the 90s, I never really enjoyed this all that much, but I do understand its significance as a cornerstone in music history. Maybe, it's great music for background noise when painting or being in a creative process that involves craftsmanship with your hands instead of work that is dependent on more relaxed thinking processes. Anyway, I don't think the album is easy to let in with it's unusual compositions build on walls of heavy distorted guitars, but if you're capable of seeing it as complex music with another purpose than just echoing nice poetic chorus lines in your head, it may appeal to you. The album seems like caught between British indie pop, which was what Creation Records traditionally released at the time, and a much more unique sound of noise pop echoing Sonic Youth and primarily originating in the US, and which in any case had its roots in the post-punk movement. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com, Drowned in Sound 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]