walking upstream…
My Bloody Valentine
photo: ceoil · cc by-sa 4.0 ↗My Bloody Valentine
Led by the notoriously perfectionist Kevin Shields, My Bloody Valentine spent the late 1980s bending guitar noise into something like weather, using tremolo-picked 'glide guitar' and stacked, detuned layers to blur distortion and melody together. Their 1991 album Loveless became shoegaze's defining text, an almost impossibly dense, physically overwhelming record that reset expectations for how loud a pop song could be and still sound gorgeous.
the sound in question
1990
SoonMy Bloody Valentine
walk the tributaries ↓
Jesus and Mary Chain1980s · Noise pop / Alternative rock / Post-punk
The Jesus and Mary Chain's fusion of sugary pop melody with distorted, feedback-caked guitars is widely cited as a direct forerunner of My Bloody Valentine's sound, giving Shields' band a template for burying a pop song inside noise rather than around it.
listen: upstream & here
1985
Just Like HoneyJesus and Mary Chain
1991
Only ShallowMy Bloody Valentine
listen forListen to the fuzzed-out pop hook at the center of The Jesus and Mary Chain's 'Just Like Honey,' then My Bloody Valentine's 'Only Shallow' — both let a genuinely pretty melody survive underneath a thick, physical wall of guitar distortion.
The Velvet Underground1960s · Art rock / Proto-punk / Experimental rock
My Bloody Valentine's noisier, drone-heavy tendencies — especially the feedback-driven 'holocaust' section of 'You Made Me Realise' — sit in a lineage that traces back to the Velvet Underground's pioneering use of guitar noise as its own instrument.
listen: upstream & here
1968
Sister RayThe Velvet Underground
1988
You Made Me RealiseMy Bloody Valentine
listen forCue the squalling, out-of-control noise breakdown in the Velvet Underground's 'Sister Ray,' then My Bloody Valentine's 'You Made Me Realise' — listen for the same idea that feedback and distortion can be sustained as their own kind of songwriting, not just decoration.
Wire1970s · Punk rock / Post-punk
Kevin Shields has named late-1970s Wire among My Bloody Valentine's influences, and the band's earlier, more angular post-punk material carries some of Wire's terse, buzzing economy before Shields fully embraced the group's later wall-of-sound style.
listen: upstream & here
1977
Three Girl RhumbaWire
1988
Feed Me With Your KissMy Bloody Valentine
listen forPlay Wire's clipped, buzzing 'Three Girl Rhumba' and then My Bloody Valentine's 'Feed Me With Your Kiss' — listen for the same short, aggressive bursts of guitar noise pushed right up against a simple, driving rhythm.