Boards

Don't expect it to better than Loveless, I just want it to be good enough to feel it was worth waiting for / releasing. That'll do me.

couple bangers

first impression was that it sounds more like Loveless than I thought it would
not saying that's a good thing or bad thing, just sayin'

who ever thought this band is mega overrated, it's not with this album that you will change your mind.

but my impressions on the first three tracks: very 'Loveless', but with a weird sense of more clarity in the production... anyone else think it sounds more Dinosaur Jr.-ish than expected (the guitar tones, mainly)

and my left ear is about 10 inches from my left bookshelf speaker. It's on quite loud. It sounds alright.

it's making me imagine the character select screen of some mega ethereal kart racing game

But I`d prefer it without vocals and more Jungle [last track].

i'm only five songs in, so far I thought the first two songs reminded me of the lost in translation one he did, ok but pretty basic. Third song seemed more familiar.

They seem like they could be the basic mangled guitar tracks on loveless, but then loveless would add a super manipulated sampled lead line that took it to the next level.

Effect wise it seems theyve cut back alot on the reverse reverb, I dont like the distortion on a couple of tracks (track 2 mainly), sounds like one of these really modern boutique fuzz with the cool names but sound like velcro

on 1st listen..

they should have called 'nothing is' 'filler'

Only Tomorrow is my favourite off it so far. So happy it has finally come out!!!!!!!11!!!111!

It's ok. Didn't exacty blow me away on first listen though. Hard to say it's a 'bad' album, but I found it hard to get excited by much on it.

As an MBV fan who prefers the You Made Me Realise/Feed Me With Your Kiss/Only Shallow side of the band, I'm not blown away. Tails off pretty badly too.

Last track BOSSED it.
The one before was amazing but I would have liked them to drop it out into a little coda with Bilinda cooing all lovely like over it.
Track one was a good introduction. Familiar yet not the same.

Aside from that it was a mixed bag. I have ZERO problems with them making tracks similar to Loveless (it's probably the greatest album of that decade, so...) And they've made an admirable attempt at mixing it up. is this and yes was absolutely lovely too.

In my dreams I might have expected to come face to face with God. Obviously didn't happen, but I'm still pleased with the album. I think it might be a bit of a grower too.

7.2/10

definitely my favourite thing on here. Other standouts are only tomorrow, who sees you and new you (that bass!). Kinda disappointed in the last 3 tracks though, all of them have the parts of classic MBV songs but they don't quite come together at the moment.

So far I'm not blown away, but still very glad this came out

I can't help but feel that had they released it mid-nineties then it would have been universally panned and then suffered the indifference that greeted Slowdive's Pygmalion. By waiting so long it's been released in an era where shoegazing is remembered fondly and not seen as a musical embarrassment, so good timing! They might make some money selling it themselves too. Clearly Kevin Shields foresaw all of this and isn't the indolent slacker that he was presumed to be but is a patient visionary instead...

Only Tomorrow and Wonder 2 are the other skyscrapers. The rest ranges from ok to good. Very good album, then. ThirstyDog's comment about how it 'tails off' seems mad, really, given that to my ears the last 3 tracks take it to the next level

It's nowhere near as good as Loveless. But probably it's a grower.

I miss the most a song like Soon.

To me, m b v feels like it should be played directly after the end of Soon on Loveless. I feel like I should give this record a lot of time before I make a real decision.

I had a huge expectation for this record, and it's delivering.

Everytime I listen to it I like it more and more.

but nothing really has the impact of the opening of Only Shallow. If it'd been a stylistic change it'd be foolish to compare but does seem ploughing the same furrow, which is doing it not too many favours.

Having said that they seem more understated and lovely, could well be a huge grower.

If MBV would have done a song like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvK_AY5gfeY
...on their new album, I bet that everyone would say it's a masterpiece. Right?

http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/TAW2013

*
I was surprised at the response for track 7. It's good, but certainly didn't strike me as so immediately: took me off guard (especially with that intro!) but has really grabbed me since. I'm sure the album's going to be a grower (like all of MBV's work, to be honest).

*
Am I right to think that the title of 'Nothing Is' is a funny little reference to 'Isn't Anything'? There seems to be a fair bit of knowing humour throughout the album: someone noted the potential of the wind tunnel sound of 'Wonder 2' being a possible bit of self parody, and the aforementioned intro to track 7 took me by surprise and has left me with a bit of a grin.

*
I'm glad someone raised that quote where people have said it's a stranger album than 'Loveless', and him saying he personally disagreed. Because it's sort of both: there are lots of strange and experimental things going on on this album, but the overall tone seems far more grounded and earthbound than Loveless's 'otherworldliness'.

*
I wasn't keen on the artwork at first. I liked the blue, just not the 'mbv' pasted over it. That's growing on me.

Has there been a longer gap between albums ever?

I was 19 when Loveless came out and it seems a world away. And a fair proportion of those buying the new album wouldn't have been born.

Crazy. The world is crazy. It is.

nearly $30 USD (with shipping) to buy the CD version of this?

But then I'm only halfway through 7 atm.

A lot of reviews are making Stereolab comparisons, and I can see why. The skittery drum'n'bass thing going on in 'Wonder 2' totally reminds me of 'Parsec' off Dots and Loops.

I was surprised by the dryer guitar sound at first, but it works really well and every song just gels brilliantly together. Can't wait to see them live now!

For self-titled?

Because M B V or m b v (how ever the fuck they want it to be capitalized) is really tedious to type.

I'm still underwhelmed. It's pleasant enough but it doesn't really add anything to their legacy and for once they are following rather than leading. First 3 tracks sound like offcuts from Loveless, and whilst I really like Is This And Yes & New You, they sound like Stereolab & St Etienne respectively. The noisier stuff is OK but it's the kind of stuff that Kevin & Primal Scream did much better on XTRMNTR, a mere 13 years ago.

Can't see me playing it even half as much as I still play the other two albums to be honest.

was Little Wonder 2

Those wobbly guitar pulses throughout the song are bliss. A lot of really nice things going on in this song, easily one of my favourites.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-entertainment/6-music-regrets-trying-to-be-good-2013020458456

I'D BETTER WAKE FROM MY DEATHLESS SLUMBERS AND GET THE ELDER GODS THEN I SUPPOSE.

It's good, but I wonder if I'll keep coming back to it. Thing is that I've got other bands scratching my MBV itches now- Tamaryn doing the ethereal shoegaze, The KVB doing the loud distorted noise and The History of Apple Pie doing the sweet harmonies. It's kinda arrived at the wrong time for me.

sounds like Lotus by R.E.M.?

Have had to crank my amp right up to get any decent volume...

and is this and yes sounds like it could be from the scenes in the roadhouse with the blonde woman singing

Had it on the headphones at high volume this morning & I emerged the other end feeling like someone had slipped something in my PG Tips. It's going to be an absolute monster if they play it live.

...by how accessible m b v is. was expecting it to be decidedly troublesome in that respect. but its not. a few listens in and i'm liking it.

Glossy. Minimal. Nice.

It just took some time to appreciate it.

album and so am feeling indifferent to it. I just hope their Hammersmith gig is better than their Brixton one.

makes me more excited to be seeing them in two weeks (though I didn't realise they'd released a date in Birmingham after I'd already compromised to see em in Manchester, which is a bit of a bummer - as that date would also make me seem like less of a terrible, terrible son).

Minor gripe though, I still get to see MBV. MBV!

and I can safely say that this was a brilliant follow-up to Loveless.
Obviously couldn't have expected anything to live up to that, but it's still an amazing album in it's own right.

But not this one. It demands to be heard from start to end and really is a fine follow up to Loveless. Well done Kevin.

...there's a great melody hidden under that guitar noise. It reminds me of a song, but I can't remember what song.

I went for the 320kbps download originally, but someone said it was just a 128kbps transcode masquerading as 320... and then I remember someone saying that they'd fixed it? Is that true?

If they haven't fixed it then I'll just upload my CD copy and deal with 256kbps VBR