Throughout history, there have been many rock bands that revolutionized what it means to make music. The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Radiohead and Nirvana are just a few examples. These are the kind of bands that invent genres. When it comes to re-inventing the musical wheel in terms of genre, there is no better example than my bloody valentine. 

Fusing together elements of noise rock, dream pop and post-punk (along with a whole lot of guitar pedals and synthesizers), my bloody valentine practically invented the genre currently known as shoegaze. Taking its name from the fact that these bands would always stare at their feet while playing live, shoegaze was a breath of fresh air from the tired and dated era of hair metal that dominated the ’80s. The band and genre, although not well-known or received at all in their heyday, would now be looked upon by modern day critics and music fans as one of the most important and influential musical movements of all time. 

Over the course of a now 30-year-old career, My Bloody Valentine built up quite the impressive discography. Their sophomore album “Loveless” is considered by critics as one of the greatest ever made. They have recently announced that new material would be dropping by the end of 2021, but that never happened. The band has released nothing new since 2013. 

Here are five classic shoegaze albums to keep you tied over before my bloody valentine drops anything new: 

1.  “Souvlaki” by Slowdive (1993) 

Starting off this list is the second album from another shoegaze titan, Slowdive. If my bloody valentine is the noisy side of shoegaze, then Slowdive is the dreamy side. “Souvlaki” is a soft and sad album with occasional bursts of blissful noise to break the somber attitude. This is an album about dynamics, and Slowdive really knows when to be subtle and when to explode with sound. Every song on this masterpiece sounds like transmissions from a lonely astronaut and their ship lost in space. Key tracks such as “Alison” and “When The Sun Hits” are two out of many reasons as to why this soul-crushingly beautiful album is peak shoegaze. 

2. “Deathconsciousness” by Have A Nice Life (2008)

It is quite the surprise that such an independent record could feel this massive. “Deathconsciousness” has the key trait of many great shoegaze records: noisy to the point of head explosion. Seriously, if you have never heard the explosive drop in this album’s closing track “Earthmover,” you are not experiencing what music is fully capable of. Dark, moody and brutal, “Deathconsciousness” may turn away fans of the more “dreamy” side of shoegaze. However, that does not change the fact that this is an essential listen for anyone awaiting my bloody valentine’s new release. 

3. “Beat” by Bowery Electric (1996)

Shoegaze is usually mixed with another genre, and there is no better example of this than Bowery Electric’s “Beat” with its trip-hop influence (think early Gorillaz if you don’t know what I am talking about). The spaced-out instrumentals and hip-hop beats make this album sound way ahead of its time… like light years into the future. The hypnotic groove of this album’s title track will send anyone floating in mid-air. Crank it up and vibe.

4. “To See the Next Part of the Dream” by Parannoul (2021)

Taking this list overseas, Japanese band Parannoul have really created something magical with “To See the Next Part of the Dream.” Although it is significantly newer than any other album on this list, it is the perfect blend of the noisy and dreamy sides of shoegaze. One minute the album is cradling you with its cloud-like textures, the next it’s pummeling you to the center of the earth with ear-piercing volumes. Because it is new, it could be seen as a poser pick, but this album is and forever will be a landmark album in the shoegaze canon. 

5. “Loveless” by my bloody valentine (1991) 

A shoegaze album list without mentioning “Loveless” is like a greatest films list without mentioning “The Godfather.” It just wouldn’t work. What is left for me to say about this record that hasn’t already been said? It’s a classic. A landmark. A musical revolution. Those blistering opening chords of “Only Shallow,” the vocal swoons on “When You Sleep” and the hypnotic magic inside guitar riffs on songs “To Here Knows When” and “Sometimes” are just scratching the surface of why this album is as beloved as it is. It is the quintessential shoegaze album, and one of the greatest albums to ever grace this Earth. 

Edited by Shannon Worley, sworley@themaneater.com