To kick things off, the answer to your burning question is “yes”: My Bloody Valentine’s moniker was borrowed from the mediocre 1981 Canadian slasher film about a killer in miner gear who comes out to exact revenge every Valentine’s Day.
Moreover, Kevin Shields—lead singer/guitarist/infamous perfectionist—corroborated this statement by adding that in the beginning, they “wanted to sound like a band killing their songs”. Interestingly, despite their best efforts to fabricate such a macabre shell, this is not who the Valentines are.
MBV is a contradiction. They’re simultaneously sexy and repellent, alien and familiar, hard and soft, warm and cool. The wild swirl of these elements culminates in their 1991 opus album, Loveless, a warm audible embrace that even refutes its title.
Everything you need to know to get you listening to My Bloody Valentine
They are the poster children of the shoegaze genre, a category not about fashionable footwear, but a tongue-in-cheek slur referring to musicians who relished “gazing” down at their floor pedals, creating walls of sound that kept them from interacting with their shell-shocked audience.
Due to their clandestine nature, mystery often accompanies My Bloody Valentine’s music. Indeed, the band is infamously reticent to give interviews, which only adds to their mystique. Was their deafening output simply a work of technical prowess and savvy, or was it something...otherworldly?
Shields could tell you, but where’s the fun in learning the magician's tricks? Playing “spot the influence” in bands like the Smashing Pumpkins, Nothing, DIIV, Whirr, and Peel Dream Machine is more entertaining.
The band's trajectory from humble Point A to Ear-Splitting Noise Scientists is a fascinating romp that spans decades, continents, and styles, with minimal bloodshed. Some say that the musicians are still at large, bending sound to their will and waiting for the right moment to resurface. Until that day, we will introduce you to My Bloody Valentine's magnificent oeuvre.
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