My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything

A great album that I despised on my first listen. The first track sounded totally dissonant to me, and the others just sounded disorienting and noisy. I stopped the CD half-way and tossed it in storage. A month or so later, I decided to give it a second listen, and the difference in my perception was amazing. Everything that put me off the first time seemed to come through expressively, and the first track now sounds great to my ears.

I would have to say that My Bloody Valentine were a really influential band, and at the risk of cliche, "ahead of their time." Just look at the album cover -- I can't believe that's from 1988 because it looks like something that could have been released today. "Isn't Anything" makes clear that MBV were deeply rooted in rock, and some of the tracks on here are tainted yet relatively straightforward (punk?) rock songs. But the more interesting tracks are mixed in highly novel ways, with atmospheric, highly filtered sounds -- I'd call it "pretty noise" -- enveloping and transforming the traditional rock ensemble.

The fact that electronic instruments are apparent on some tracks (that has to be a drum machine on the first track, right?) isn't what makes this interesting as influential electronic music. What's really interesting here is the production style: mixing and manipulation of the recorded material as means of composition. This album doesn't seem to suggest that you're hearing a facsimile of a live performance; instead, it's a composition that exists as a unique work within the recorded medium. That is really the essence of electronic music.

The album does seem a little disjointed, like maybe the various tracks were recorded at different times or in different modes (different studios, setups, etc. -- I could be mistaken). But I don't really see that as a flaw, because it makes for interesting pacing and dynamic changes. You get stuck in a droning, washy track, then you're immediately jolted back into up-front guitar riffs. It's a difficult listen and may require some adjustment, but I think it's worth it.

MBV has definitely influenced contemporary electronic artists -- not surprisingly the "indietronica" acts in particular, but many others as well. Dntel's "Life is Full of Possibilites" has been one of my favorite records for several years, and certain tracks on that record are indebted to MBV. But in a broader sense, I think they really pioneered a new style of composition that pushed rock in a different direction, resulting in some of the most expressive "noise" I've heard.