Artist	Song
My Bloody Valentine	Never Say Goodbye
My Bloody Valentine	Strawberry Wine
My Bloody Valentine	Can I Touch You
My Bloody Valentine	I Don't Need You
My Bloody Valentine	Safe In Your Sleep
My Bloody Valentine	You Made Me Realise
My Bloody Valentine	Slow
My Bloody Valentine	Thorn
My Bloody Valentine	Drive It All Over Me
My Bloody Valentine	Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)
My Bloody Valentine	Lose My Breath
My Bloody Valentine	You Never Should
My Bloody Valentine	I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It)
My Bloody Valentine	Don't Ask Why
My Bloody Valentine	Off Your Face
My Bloody Valentine	Honey Power
My Bloody Valentine	Only Shallow
My Bloody Valentine	When You Sleep
My Bloody Valentine	Come In Alone
My Bloody Valentine	What You Want
My Bloody Valentine	Soon
My Bloody Valentine	Map Ref 41¦N 93¦W [Wire cover]

Comment:

A single artist mix I've been wanting to make for years, but kept putting off (in part in the frustrated hope that perhaps, someday, Kevin Shields would produce something new). Finally pulled the trigger.
I view My Bloody Valentine in a similar light as Neutral Milk Hotel: a relatively brief existence, just a couple albums (one good, one timeless), a few singles and ep's (a fair number more for MbV than NMH if you count the early efforts), and an almost unrivaled emotional whallop every time I listen. In the case of MbV, I feel a particular bond with their first full-lengther, 1988's Isn't Anything (albeit a weaker album than 1991's breathtaking Loveless: I had just started my first year of law school (with all the fear and disorientation that entails), my long-time college girlfriend was living several thousand miles away (yes, we survived, married 16 years now), and the brutal Chicago winter had just descended. Picked this album up unheard based solely on positive press, and the off-kilter, disorienting sound just perfectly captured my state of mind at the time.
For the mix, I skipped over their early, vinyl-only releases, as they really hadn't found their direction yet. By the time of a pair of late 1987 ep releases, it sounded like they were moving in a jangly, paisley pop direction, pleasant if relatively bland. Just a year later, the next ep (followed by Isn't Anything) announced a major shift, incorporating a UK shoegaze sound that blended Jesus & Mary Chain sonics with the Pixies' twisted pop sense. A few more EP's pushed the bounds ever further, until 1991's climactic Loveless pulled out all the stops, with a sonic barrage that still stands alone. Not something I can listen to all that often, but every time I do it's fresh and energizing. And then they pretty much vanished (save for a stunning contribution to an otherwise forgettable 1996 Wire tribute album). Reemerged on the Lost In Translation soundtrack, and have apparently started doing the reunion tour thing, but still no word on whether anything more will be forthcoming. And maybe it'd be best if they just left the legacy where it stands...

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