Why is it so different to every other shoegaze album?

To avoid needless subjective debate, I am not saying that it is better or worse than other shoegaze albums.
It's just so unique and no other shoegaze album is quite like it. I know most shoegaze albums that came after it are supposed to be copying it to some degree, but I don't think any of them succeed at it. They manage to release something similar but Loveless still has something that sets it apart. Is it the intoxicating pop tunes? The baggy/madchester sensibilities? The ambient codas at the end of several songs? The way it indulges in droning? the attention to detail? what is it?

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Kevin Shields

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I view it as a psychedelic pop record made by someone that was into noise-rock and post-hardcore. The "dreamy" aspects just happened to come about during the mixing process as opposed to being the main focus during the writing. Psychocandy is touted as an influence to a lot of shoegaze, but I don't get the impression Kevin was into it much. Most other artists approach the genre with a specific sound in mind and with influences that are actual dreampop or alt-rock.

Glide guitar, and (ironically) limited effects usage.

It's the heroin/crackwhore aesthetics

A huge part of it is the sampled feedback that fills out most of the songs. Kevin spent literal months just sampling guitar feedback and manipulating it. No other artists have really done that since, which is why it sounds so unique.

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nice opinions guys

>glide guitar
I had never of this. What song has clearest example of it?

its how he bends the chords he is playing with the 'wammy bar' so it sounds all warped. best example is the guitar sounding warped in soon or even to here kows when. its pretty much allover the album and even more prominent live

Ah cool, yea I hear it. I always thought that was tape speed manipulation on To Here Knows When.

if you wanna hear an even clearer example, put on LSD and the search for god's self titled album, the guitar is much more upfront since its alot less layered than loveless. ever since loveless thousands of shoegaze bands copied the technique from kevin

Will do.

>ever since loveless thousands of shoegaze bands copied the technique from kevin
exactly, so is not correct, it is not that technique which makes Loveless special to this day

I think it's mainly a production thing in conjunction with writing style. Don't forget due to the autistic brilliance of Kevin Shields it took over 3 years to record and multiple studios. The studio perfectionism goes far beyond the simple "dude wall of noise lmao" that other shoegaze bands go for. The writing is also important as without the unique production the song are still great.

I'll have to re-listen to this. I checked it out for the first time a few months ago and I found it to be boring as shit.

shoegaze is just a loose definition for a certain group of bands at a certain time in the UK and Ireland with a similar dependence on effects pedals
the only good "shoegaze" bands were the ones that weren't trying to be MBV. Lush made great tunes and sound nothing like them

you just KNOW

Aping someone's technique doesn't mean you'll sound like them.

Also many shoegaze bands that followed used effects that MBV didn't use (there is no wah, no tremelo, no phasers, and only minimal delay I believe on loveless). Loveless is definitely a studio as instrument album, and as says a lot of that comes from sampled feedback, along with reverse reverb, glide guitar and the lightest touch of synthesizer.

Has anyone here seen MBV live?
What's the Holocaust Section like?

The way Kevin produced it. He was obsessive and worked towards a sound he had in his head relentlessly. Compare this to other shoegaze bands who were lazily playing indie/dream pop with effects filled guitars. Listen to Loveless and notice the insane amount of layers and unique sounds heard no where else and compare this to literally any other shoegaze record and anyone can easily spot what pedals they’re using and replicate it (given they have the money). Looking up mbv playing live, they’re not even able to replicate their own songs very closely. I think if Kevin decided to do something in ambient, post-hardcore, or anything else, he’d have produced an important piece of work because he’s the kind of guy that, when given an idea, will pursue it to the end (or in his case, until he has a mental break down).

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yeah? ironically i have a hard time finding shoegaze that doesn't sound like it's a loveless ripoff

this

You mean that tries* to sound like a Loveless ripoff?
When Kevin Shields plays the guitar, you hear it in the first strum

It is sonically uncompromising in a way few music recordings ever are.

>The "dreamy" aspects just happened to come about during the mixing process as opposed to being the main focus during the writing
That's not the case. Kevin Shields has said in interview that the lyrics and music were meant to evoke a subconscious and dream-like state. Even You Made Me Realise has a dream like quality to it just not in the stereotypical shoegaze context.

They didn't use delay.

Maybe in the song structure but not so much in the glide guitar and FX.

It doesn't really sound all that different.

>no delay
Makes me respect it even more honestly. God damn