It's been 22 years, aka longer than my entire life, for legendary Irish shoegazers My Bloody Valentine to release a follow-up to Loveless, one of the greatest LPs of the 1990s/all time. Seriously -- there are books about that album, probably thousands of bands directly inspired to start making music by that album, Sofia Coppola films whose sole purpose is to provide visual accompaniment to that album, and tearjerking essays all over the internet about its life-altering capabilities. It is sex and drugs and cotton candy and dreams and heavy rock music all at once. In 2012, reports surfaced -- including on this very site -- that the band was recording a new album, which they tantalizingly hinted could be finished "in two or three months."It took a bit longer, but given that nearly everyone assumed the reports were wishful thinking at best and a cruel prank by Kevin Shields & Co. at worst, that's just fine. Last night, the album went live on the My Bloody Valentine site. The site crashed within seconds due to high traffic, a testament to their rabid fan base (yours truly amongst the guilty parties, sadly pressing "refresh" for hours in the middle of the night). Now the site is up and running, and you can purchase the new album, entitled m b v (that's the cover art above) in three different packages: a digital download (FLAC, WAV, or MP3); a CD + digital download; or vinyl + CD + digital download. I am listening to it now; it's difficult to gauge quality from the first listen but while obviously not better than Loveless, it certainly holds its own. As dreamy and heavy as ever. Go forth and buy m b v! You've certainly been waiting long enough. Here's the tracklist below, and a Youtube of My Bloody Valentine's "Sometimes":
m b v:
1. She Found Now
2. Only Tomorrow
3. Who Sees You
4. Is This And Yes
5. If I Am
6. New You
7. In Another Way
8. Nothing Is
9. Wonder 2
