Isn't Anything

Entertainment Weekly (7/9/93, p.50) - "...They nearly bury their somber melodies beneath surface noise. But unearthing the tunes is part of the listening pleasure..." - Rating: A- Q (7/01, p.88) - Included in Q's "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time" - "...Staggeringly dense....Unveiling the softest extremely loud music ever....Even the barely intelligible lyrics contained hidden traumas..." Uncut (p.91) - "'Lose My Breath' and 'No More Sorry' are smoldering beauties, highlighting Butcher's extinguished-torch vocals..." Alternative Press (7/95, p.88) - Ranked #46 in AP's list of the `Top 99 Of '85-'95' - "...ISN'T ANYTHING is the most important rock album of the '80s, barely nudging out PSYCHOCANDY....Guitarists Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher introduced a new aesthetic, creating unbearably sensual, alien environments through furious tremolo-bar wrenching and outrageous distortion..." Q (Magazine) (p.148) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is a record that heads straight for the inner ear, skewing, disorientating, toppling off balance. There are wonderful songs lurking here..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Today, it's still striking for its consistently dark, erotic tone, alternately woozy or aggressively ravenous..."

Though it's often seen as just a precursor to their magnum opus Loveless, in its own way My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything is nearly as groundbreaking as their 1991 masterpiece. Not only was it the most lucid, expansive articulation yet of the group's sound, it virtually created the shoegazing scene and spawned legions of followers. The album's tightly structured songs still bore traces of My Bloody Valentine's previous incarnation as jangly indie popsters, but Kevin Shields and company crafted wide-ranging experiments within those confines. "Feed Me with Your Kiss"'s mix of bruising guitars, drums, and sensual boy-girl vocals define My Bloody Valentine's signature sound, while "All I Need"'s weightless guitars and vocal melodies melt into a heady haze. Shields' unique tunings, tremolo, and miking techniques stand out on "You Never Should" and "Nothing Much to Lose," but Deb Googe's surprisingly funky bassline on "Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)" reaffirms that all of the Valentines contributed to their innovative sound. Indeed, many of Isn't Anything's disturbingly beautiful highlights come from Bilinda Butcher. On the wrenching "No More Sorry," she sings abstractly pained lyrics like "Your septic heart and deadly hand/Loved me black and blue," barely audible over a swarm of fragile yet menacing guitars, while on "Several Girls Galore" she's sexy, yet dazed and distant; it sounds like she's whispering in your ear outside of a blaring nightclub. The Valentines' dark side is especially prominent on the album, particularly on "Sueisfine," where the chorus slyly morphs from "Sue is fine" to "Suicide." Isn't Anything captures My Bloody Valentine's revolutionary style in its infancy and points the way to Loveless, but it's far more than just a dress rehearsal for the band's moment of greatness. ~ Heather Phares

クリエイションの看板バンド、マイブラ。美しいメロディとギターのフィードバックノイズ。そこへ男女ヴォーカルが混じり合い生まれる浮遊感と催眠的世界は唯一無二でしょう。この作品以降マイブラは神に近づいていきます。 (C)YKYM