Customer Reviews

Loveless

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's hard to imagine anyone having the guts to remake the entire Loveless album. It's even harder to imagine that capturing the intricacy of that album with piano, organ, flute, cello, overdriven Telecasters (or at least the overdriven Telecaster sound), steel guitar, bass and drums. Most noticeably missing from the list is distortion. While Japancakes' album is awash in reverb, echo, space echo, delay feedback (you get the point) the overall effect is the quintessential ambient americana treatment of the greatest glimmer rock/shoegazer album of the 1990s. While My Bloody Valentine's laborious studio production, seems to be the result of about two years of meticulous cutting and pasting audio tracks on late 80's studio equipment, Japancakes reminds us that Kevin Shields also had a keen, yet unorthodox sense of melody, counterpoint and working with variations on themes. Behind the distortion and unorthodox mixing style of the original, Japancakes prove, (as MBV fans have always felt in their guts) that underneath the noise Loveless is a delicate beautiful album filled with musical themes that may haunt you for years.

As the other reviewers said, if you love Loveless, odds are high you will love this. Admittedly, some songs are done better than others (To Here Knows When in particular is outstanding), but as a whole, the album is fantastic. I find myself listening to it just as much as the original these days--especially since it's a bit easier than the original to just keep on in the background while you're doing something else.

There's more than one way to love "Loveless," the great My Bloody Valentine album covered here song-by-song. You can marvel at the legendary layers of distorted sound that have a really peculiar effect on the brain of the listener. But, careful fans have always been aware of some incredible music under all of that sound. I've imagined for years that some musicians could come along and take a shot at a new way of playing these beautiful songs. It's not, of course, a substitute for MBV's classic, but a welcome new way of appreciating the original. Highly recommended.

Well the product description for this CD is right on, Without the layers of distortion this feels like a "easy listening" version to me. Don't get me wrong I really love it! It's a great take on such a classic album, and they pull it off really well. The slide guitar and violin for vocals are amazing!

MBV's Loveless has long slipped off my tongue as one of the greatest albums of all time.... easily and without hesitation. The defining moment for shoe-gazing as far as I am concerned... distorted swirling guitars mixed with vocals trying to surface the controlled chaos.... Well, Japancakes from Athens, GA has managed to recreate the groove without distortion, and without vocals... a completely instrumental masterpiece making Loveless fully accessible to those who appreciate a whole different kind of gaze. If you loved Loveless from MBV--this is a must purchase. And, while you are at it, try out all of the Japancakes... I did... and there is not an album that they have produced that I would not recommend. I just wished I lived closer to Athens...