The Dial-Up Decade #1: My Bloody Valentine, Loveless

BY DREW DRAIN

Welcome to inaugural issue of The Dial-Up Decade. It is your time capsule to the music that defined my youth. For some of us, the 1990s was the era of CDs, mixtapes, and dial-up internet. But what about those that missed it all? Talking with a training partner at the gym over the last few months, I realized how much music has been lost to younger generations. It seems that every band or cultural reference I would bring up would be unknown. Gunnar, you never cease to amaze me with how little you know about the 90s, but I am happy that it gave me enough motivation to start this semi-regular column.

The column is going to be about more than just revisiting classic music from the 90s. It is going to be a way to introduce new artists and stories behind the music to a new audience. The 90s were possibly the most musically diverse decade. From the rise of grunge to hip-hop’s golden age, we will dig deep into a different aspect of 90s music and how it influences today’s music in each column.

So whether you’re a fan of the 90s or just becoming aware of, in my opinion, the greatest decade in the history of music, The Dial-Up Decade is my attempt to connect you with flannel shirts, Walkmans, and dial-up tones by introducing you to the artists who were instrumental in turning all of my teen angst into the middle-aged dad I am today.

In the debut issue, we will dive into Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. It’s an album that pushed boundaries and became a cornerstone in the soundscape of the decade. It is now widely regarded as not just one of the best shoegaze, named for the way guitarists would stare at their feer during live performances because of the multitude of effects pedals, albums ever made, but also as a defining record that shaped and essentially created the genre. Released in 1991, Loveless stands as a pivotal moment in music history, where the boundaries of sound were pushed to their absolute limits, influencing countless artists and leaving an indelible mark on alternative music.

To understand the influence of Loveless on shoegaze, it’s important to consider the landscape of alternative music at the time. The late 1980s and early 1990s were dominated by post-punk, goth rock, and the rise of grunge in the United States. My Bloody Valentine, led by Kevin Shields, was a band that had already begun experimenting with ethereal sounds, atmospheric noise, and a layering of effects that felt like a step beyond what was being explored by their contemporaries. However, with Loveless, the band moved into entirely new territory, creating a blueprint for what shoegaze would become.

Shoegaze is often characterized by its swirling layers of guitar, heavy use of effects like reverb and distortion, and the dreamlike vocals that are often buried beneath the instrumentation. Loveless encapsulates all these elements, and then some. Shields’ guitar work is at the forefront, creating a dense wall of sound that is simultaneously disorienting and hypnotic. It’s an album that seems to pulse with its own energy, creating an intimate and cosmic feeling.

The album is particularly noted for its innovative use of guitar. Shields employed a technique he called “glide guitar,” where he would bend the tremolo arm of the guitar while strumming, creating a fluid and woozy sound that became a hallmark of shoegaze. In Jim DeRogatis’s book Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock, Shields explained how he "virtually invent[ed] my own way of playing. It didn't come about in any conscious way. ... It felt playful, but on a much stronger level." The technique, paired with extensive use of reverb, delay, and layering, created a sound that felt like it was melting, washing over the listener in waves. Loveless is not an album you listen to; it’s an album you submerge yourself in.

In terms of production, Loveless was a landmark achievement. The album is notorious for its troubled recording process. To achieve Kevin Shields’ vision, it nearly bankrupted Creation Records due to the incredibly protracted production. When recording began in 1989, a quick turnaround was initially planned. Shields, the creative force, estimated just a few weeks in the studio; however, the recording stretched out for nearly two years with costs escalating for every experimental twist. The main challenge was Shields’ desire to achieve his specific vision that strained the technology available and patience of everyone involved. The costly studio rentals from the prolonged sessions drove the reported total costs to exceed ₤250,000, which was an incredible sum to a small indie label with a very limited budget. The result is an album that feels meticulously crafted yet spontaneous, a balance that is hard to achieve but essential to shoegaze’s aesthetic.

One of the key features of Loveless is its blurred boundaries—between melody and noise, between vocals and instrumentation, between structure and chaos. Vocals, often considered the most important element in pop and rock music, are de-emphasized on Loveless. Bilinda Butcher’s and Shields’ soft, ethereal singing is submerged in the mix, treated more like another instrument than a focal point. The lyrics are often difficult to make out, adding to the album’s overall sense of dreaminess and abstraction. This vocal style would become a key feature of the shoegaze genre, where vocals are often treated as part of the sonic texture rather than as the centerpiece.

This aesthetic of blurred boundaries extends to the songs themselves. While there are clear melodies and structures on Loveless, they are often obscured or warped by the layers of sound. Songs like “Only Shallow” and “When You Sleep” have an underlying pop sensibility, but it’s buried beneath a haze of distortion and feedback. This creates a sense of disorientation for the listener, where familiar musical forms are present but hard to grasp. In many ways, Loveless feels like it exists in a space between reality and dreams, a liminal zone where the rules of music are constantly shifting.

More than just an album that sounded different, Loveless helped to define the ethos of shoegaze as a genre. In this sense, Loveless was a radical departure from the dominant trends in rock music at the time, where the emphasis was often on aggression, rawness, and straightforward song structures.

Instead, Loveless embraced an introspective and immersive approach to music. It wasn’t about conveying a message or telling a story through lyrics; it was about creating a mood, an emotional and sensory experience for the listener. This focus on mood and texture over clarity and directness is one of the defining characteristics of shoegaze, and it can be traced directly back to Loveless.

While there were other bands contributing to the early shoegaze scene, such as Ride, Lush, and Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless stands apart as the album that crystallized the genre’s aesthetic and sound. Its influence can be heard not only in the work of contemporary shoegaze bands but also in genres like post-rock, ambient music, and even electronic music. The album’s use of dense layering, unconventional song structures, and atmospheric production techniques would become key features of many different musical movements.

The immediate aftermath of Loveless saw shoegaze gain popularity, particularly in the UK, but the genre was soon overshadowed by the rise of Britpop and grunge. Despite this, Loveless’s influence only grew over time. In the years following its release, the album became a touchstone for a new generation of musicians, many of whom were drawn to its unconventional approach to sound and its focus on texture and atmosphere.

Bands like Radiohead, particularly on their 1997 album OK Computer, took cues from Loveless in their use of layered guitars and atmospheric production. Even outside of rock, electronic artists like M83 and Ulrich Schnauss drew from the album’s dreamlike soundscapes and dense sonic textures. Loveless also had a profound influence on the post-rock genre, with bands like Mogwai and Sigur Rós incorporating similar approaches to texture and dynamics in their music.

In the 2000s and beyond, there was a resurgence of interest in shoegaze, often referred to as the “nu-gaze” movement, with bands like Beach House, Deerhunter, and Asobi Seksu clearly drawing on the legacy of Loveless. The album’s emphasis on sound as an emotional force rather than a vehicle for narrative or lyrics has proven to be its most enduring legacy.

Loveless continues to be a reference point for musicians seeking to push the boundaries of sound. Its influence can be seen not only in the resurgence of shoegaze but also in the broader landscape of indie music, where the focus on atmosphere, emotion, and sonic texture has become increasingly central.

Loveless by My Bloody Valentine is not just one of the best shoegaze albums of all time; it is the album that essentially created the genre. Its radical approach to sound, texture, and production redefined what music could be, laying the groundwork for the entire shoegaze movement and influencing generations of musicians across genres. From its innovative use of guitar techniques and production to its blurred boundaries between melody and noise, Loveless remains a groundbreaking work that continues to inspire and captivate listeners more than three decades after its release. It is a testament to the album’s power and vision that it still feels as fresh and otherworldly today as it did when it was first released, making it a true masterpiece of modern music.

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DREW DRAIN

Andrew (Drew) Drain is originally from Point Pleasant, WV, and he now resides in Chapel Hill, NC with his daughter. Drew works as a financial risk management professional to pay the bills, but his real passion is photography. He started taking photos of his daughter playing soccer as a way to resist the urge to coach her from the sidelines. Time behind the camera developed into a love for photography that he has paired with his love for sports and live music. Follow Drew’s Instagram, @Drew.Drain.Photo or his MaxPreps galleries, to check out more of his work or contact him if you need photos of your favorite athlete or performer.

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