In 2013

It's feels very strange listening to a new My Bloody Valentine record after all of these years.

Between Loveless and m b v I would buy anything with a whiff of Kevin Shields on it.

Produced by Kevin Shields? (The Beat Up.) Buy it. Remixed by Kevin Shields? (If They Move, Kill 'Em.) Buy it. Sometime band member? (Primal Scream.) Buy it (I would have been buying that regardless). Soundtrack with Kevin Shields (Lost In Translation.) Buy it.

That formula even extended beyond Kevin Shields. (Snowpony.) Buy it.

It's good. It's very good. But I can't help but feel a little underwhelmed. I've been waiting for this follow up for over twenty years. That can make for some lofty expectations. Maybe I wanted that feeling I got when my fourteen year old self heard Loveless for the first time. But as I've learned with most of these "reunion" releases, it's never as good the second time around.

Hyper-criticism aside, I must be liking it because I've now spent $57.00 on this album. I initially bought the digital only because I thought the vinyl and compact disc prices with shipping were a bit high. Then a day later I kicked myself for not ordering the vinyl. So I went to do that. Which includes the compact disc. And a second digital release.

So if anyone wants that second digital release, let me know.

My Bloody Valentine - m b v. My Bloody Valentine Web Store.

Bloody Mix

Shields and Bell. If that doesn't convince you, nothing will.

Hurricane #1 - The Greatest High. Amazon.com. Used.

The Stories that Surround

There is no doubt my favorite stories about Shields and Co. are exaggerated.

That has never stopped me from passing them along. The way they were passed along to me.

An inordinate amount of folklore seems to follow the band.

1. Kevin Shields bankrupted Creation while working on the follow up to Loveless.

2. The band sold all of their equipment to purchase drugs.

3. Kevin Shields became a perfectionist. Scrapping the hypothetical album again and again. Becoming reclusive and Brian Wilson-like.

There might be some truth to these. Or none at all. I don't dislike the mystery of the band. Since the reality is probably a bit more pedestrian.

My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything. Christmas 1990s. New.

I'm a Fan and Own a Number of Releases, But I Am in No Way an Expert

I was told somewhere along the line that the EP was an aborted full-length.

Beyond that. I've never felt the need to dig any deeper.

Because on its own. It's incredible.

That said. A definitive answer would be nice.

So if any Shields-philes care to elaborate.

I'd love to know.

My Bloody Valentine - Glider. Wall to Wall Sound and Video or The Wall. New.

Justified Because It Was a Fest of Sorts, But as for the Other Shows, No

I had always said "If they get back together, I will see them play. Anywhere."

They did. I didn't.

I've said that about a lot of bands.

Stone Roses. Happy Mondays. The Libertines. Abba. The Smiths. Judge.

If given the opportunity. Each will likely end with the same result.

Making a trip. Spending the money. On any of them. Doubtful.

In the case of My Bloody Valentine. It was actually accessible.

Not even that pushed me to follow through on my proclamation.

I didn't even look into it.

I listened to but never saw them during their first run.

Here was an opportunity to change that.

Squandered.

My Bloody Valentine - Feed Me with Your Kiss. eBay. Used.