loveless
loveless makes distortion as important as melody. The guitars of my bloody valentine keep moving even when the chords are held for a long time. Kevin Shields and Bilinda Butcher sing softly through them, often far enough back that their voices become part of the overall sound. The words almost disappear, but the emotional presence remains clear.
Only Shallow establishes the combination forcefully. The guitar sounds large and restless while the melody is surprisingly easy to follow. When You Sleep has a similarly immediate appeal. There is recognisable pop music beneath the distortion, without a neat boundary around it. The activity and softness strengthen each other instead of cancelling each other out.
To Here Knows When makes the boundaries much less clear. Voice and guitar seem to merge further into each other. The track maintains tension without needing a conventional rock structure. Sometimes follows a simpler, slower movement, giving the singing room to come through the guitar layers. Much of the difference lies in how the sounds relate to each other, rather than an obvious change of ingredients.
Soon places a clear dance rhythm beneath distorted guitars at the end. The connection works particularly well: the beat provides something firm while the surrounding sound keeps shifting. The record consequently has more variety than its dense presentation might initially suggest. Its quieter melodic side never requires a complete escape from the noise.
That presentation is also the main obstacle. Barely intelligible singing and persistent distortion can demand a lot, and the songs do not all reveal their strengths immediately. Their melodies make staying worthwhile. loveless connects sound and songwriting so closely that separating them becomes difficult. They achieve their effect together.
