Over the past few decades, there have been so many rumors that Kevin Shields — the musical svengali/guitarist behind classic dreampop/shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine — was finally getting his act together to release a new album, it was hard to believe when reports surfaced late last year that said record was finally on its way.
The wait has ended. On Saturday night, the seminal band — which originally reunited in 2008 after years of inactivity and played some gigs in Europe and the U.S., including an hour-long set at Coachella in 2009 — unveiled m b v, their first full-length album of new material since 1991's Loveless. Described at the time as a little Sonic Youth, a little Cocteau Twins and a little Jesus and Mary Chain, their sound has been often imitated, but never duplicated.
The new album is available on the band's new website, and it's also available in its entirety on YouTube.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 6, 2013.