2013, top 5!

1. Deafheaven - Sunbather
I was trying really hard to put a record a head of Deafheaven's Sunbather this year. It's been really hyped and it tops a lot of end of the year lists. At the end of the day there hasn't been a hype more justified than the one about Deafheaven in 2013. What a masterpiece they have delivered. A few words written earlier.







2. My Bloody Valentine - M B V
My Bloody Valentine 22 years later... Who could have expected that they would return the way they did with M B V? I wrote a few words about the album in March this year.







3. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Mind Control
On my Instagram account, I wrote "What would The Beatles sound like if they would have been around today and played stoner metal? Well maybe something like this brilliant album!". I still feel that this is a perfect description of the record and the band.







4. Subrosa - More Constant Than The Gods
The most dynamic sludge/doom record of the year. A lot has been written in alternative press about the album and the band line-up, with two violins in the mix and three female singers. There are so many elements on this record a part from the typical heavy incredible riffage that is always apparent in a great doom record. You also have some folksy in slow parts as well which make this the best doom record of the year!

5. Russian Circles - Memorial
The most beautiful album of 2013!

My Bloody Valentine - m b v vinyl

Yesterday it finally arrived, 22 years after the last album was released. My Bloody Valentines new album arrived in the mail!

I wrote a short blog about the album after the first listen a month ago.

When I wrote that blog I was perhaps a bit negative as I was hoping for some more material like the earlier stuff the band did, pre "Loveless". I still think that "You Made Me Realise" and some songs on "Isn't Anything" are the best songs the band has made, whereas "Loveless" is arguably the best album they made.

I've been listening to the album a lot the past month as I got a free download when I pre-ordered the vinyl and it has grown and grown. It's a perfect progression in the band's career and it is amazing how it is possible to pick up like this where you left of over 20 years ago. It feels like an album that was released just a couple of years after "Loveless". They are not in anyway repeating themselves but they are still on the path which started with some (in MBV terms) pretty straight forward material in the early days where started to experiment some on "Isn't Anything" and then with "Loveless" they went all out, with was possible at the time. I've read somewhere that Kevin Shields record the guitars for the album and then put effects, after effects, after effects and finally erased the original guitar tracks, so that it's actually the least guitar based guitar based album ever, if you know what I mean?

Side A on "m b v" it's pretty as straight forward as you could expect from My Bloody Valentine today, it's beautiful soundscapes and you can sense some sort of melodies, not as clear as on "Loveless" but just as beautiful. The B side gets really experimental with almost drone parts and repetitive drums and guitar loops that will get your girlfriend ask "are they finished soon?". Oh, how I wish it wouldn't! But it does eventually, after 46 minutes of musical beauty. I still feel the album finishes incredibly strong with the six minute monster "Wonder 2".

My Bloody Valentine - M B V

This morning My Bloody Valentine released their new album, entitled "M B V".

It was released digitally and to stream on Youtube. I pre-ordered the vinyl which also comes with the CD and an imidiate digital download. This is the first album they release since"Loveless" which was released in 1991(!). I've only had the chance to listen to the album once, but it sounds promising! This album sounds more "Loveless" than "Isn't Anything", I was maybe hoping for some more "IA"-stuff...

The closing song "Wonder 2" was the song that made the most impression on me on the first listen.