Isn't Anything

Though it's often seen as just a precursor to their magnum opus Loveless, in its own way, My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything is nearly as groundbreaking as their 1991 masterpiece. Not only was it the most lucid, expansive articulation yet of the group's sound, it virtually created the shoegazing scene and spawned legions of followers. The album's tightly structured songs still bore traces of M.B.V.'s previous incarnation as jangly indie-popsters, but Kevin Shields and company crafted wide-ranging experiments within those confines. Feed Me With Your Kiss' mix of bruising guitars, drums, and sensual boy-girl vocals define M.B.V.'s signature sound.

Three years before 1991's Loveless, My Bloody Valentine's masterwork of impossibly dense soundscapes, the Dublin quartet offered some fairly affecting dream pop on its first full-length album, Isn't Anything. Both worthy of Creation's "shoe-gazing" heritage and skewed enough to stand up next to pre-grunge guitar bands like Sonic Youth and the Pixies, the record makes the most of a group that hadn't yet found its bearings. And at its best, Isn't Anything hints at how great it will be when their sonic discoveries are finally honed. --Roni Sarig