My Bloody Valentine Songs Ranked

My Bloody Valentine is an Irish-English band formed in Dublin in 1983. Since 1987, its lineup has consisted of founding members Kevin Shields (vocals, guitar, sampler) and Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums, sampler) with Bilinda Butcher (vocals, guitar) and Debbie Googe (bass). Their music is best known for its merging of dissonant guitar textures, androgynous vocals, and unorthodox production techniques. They helped to pioneer the alternative rock subgenre known as shoegaze during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Following several unsuccessful early releases and membership changes, My Bloody Valentine signed to Creation Records in 1988. The band released several successful EPs and the albums Isn’t Anything (1988) and Loveless (1991) on the label; the latter is often described as their magnum opus and one of the best albums of the 1990s. However, they were dropped by Creation after its release due to the album’s extensive production costs. In 1992, the band signed to Island Records and recorded several albums worth of unreleased material, remaining largely inactive. Googe and Ó Cíosóig left the band in 1995 and were followed by Butcher in 1997. Unable to complete a follow-up to Loveless, Shields isolated himself and, in his own words, “went crazy”. In 2007, My Bloody Valentine reunited and subsequently embarked on a world tour. They released the compilation EP’s 1988-1991 in 2012. Their long-delayed third studio album, m b v, was released in 2013. Here are all of My Bloody Valentine albums ranked.

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10. Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside) (Isn’t Anything, 1988)

“This song is respectfully about sex, but I’d say more in the derogative term, “making love.” Which I have to say, my recent experiences in bed with a guy I’m in love with have been compared to a euphoric high.”

9. Nothing Much to Lose (Isn’t Anything, 1988)

“Like most of My Bloody Valentine’s albums, this album can be described as noise rock with a heavy, heavy dosage of distortion. With a bit of a love orientated theme on this album (which I personally don’t mind) and music that makes you feel like you are on cloud nine, this album manages to piece together in the end.”

8. Blown a Wish (Loveless, 1991)

“”Blown a Wish” entraps the listener in a globe of lush, entrancing blissfulness, and it only expands throughout the song. “What You Want” may contain the record’s most ambitious gritty guitar, but the flute-like instrument with its simple melody hits the ears just as hard as anything else.”

7. I Only Said (Loveless 1991)

“That violin-sounding melody throughout “I Only Said” is really the only thing I need to remember about this record in order to entirely get why I like it so much. Has there ever been a song more perfectly designed for walking around outside like you own the place while simultaneously feeling like everything in the world is beautiful?”

See more: My Bloody Valentine Albums Ranked

6. To Here Knows When (Loveless 1991)

“Absolutely transcendent. Feels impossible to decipher but at the same time strikes a heavy emotional chord. Almost alien.”

5. Come in Alone (Loveless 1991)

“Opens with an incredible explosion of noise and packed with gorgeous melody. Heart-achingly romantic and nostalgic.”

4. Soon (Loveless 1991)

“A wonderful blend of shoegaze and dance music. One of the most unique and forward-thinking songs in the MBV discography.”

3. Off Your Face  (EP’s 1988–1991, 2012)

“Off Your Face is my favorite song here, and one of my favorite songs of theirs. It’s mysterious, sensual, gothic, orchestral, steely; like a sound of unrequited love. The guitar has such an atmosphere that it’s quite hard to pin down, and keep in one place. It’s really Belinda’s melancholic but somewhat poppy vocals that do it for me, the way that the overdubs of her voice sound like they’re growing out of each other.”

2. When You Sleep (Loveless 1991)

“The warm center of My Bloody Valentine’s 1991 masterpiece Loveless, “When You Sleep” is the album’s most immediately appealing track, but it was born of the same experimental mindset that defined the rest of landmark record. While just as densely layered and hazy, “When You Sleep” carries a more refined melodic sense than the songs that surround it.”

1. Only Shallow (Loveless 1991)

“Opening with a snare fill that gives way to a pummeling wall of noise, “Only Shallow” seethes and surges with layer upon layer of Shields’ warped guitar sounds. Disorienting, but strangely hypnotic, the song peels back in its verses to make room for the vocals of Bilinda Butcher. While her lyrics are (mostly) inscrutable, Butcher’s voice adds another hazily intriguing element to a track that sounded like little that had ever been heard before, but has been ceaselessly copied since.”