I take two months away from The Tracks, and the unthinkable, nay the unimaginable, nay the impossible happens: My Bloody Valentine completes AND releases their long-lost follow up to Loveless (1991)… head asplode.

Well here I am and here is m b v. Obviously I’d be a fool if I said it’s better than Loveless, but then again, who cares? It’s 50 minutes of incredible guitar work, amazing production, and that drifting, dream-like sensation that only Kevin Shields and co can create. It’s 50 minutes of more My Bloody Valentine fergodsakes, and it rocks. So let’s get the inevitable comparison out of the way: If Loveless was an album of redefinition, this one is all about evolution. The opener, “She Found Now”, starts in familiar Loveless-esque territory, but with each successive track comes a new wrinkle–a semi-guitar solo here, an increase in tempo there. By the end, m b v morphs itself into a pulsating, frantic ocean of sound that retains the band’s trademark density but takes it in a whole new direction. Check out the final track, “Wonder 2″, above. It’s Animal Collective but with balls.* 

So if you haven’t already, buy this album. It’s rare that a new release can make you appreciate its predecessor while still standing on its own. It’s rarer still to accomplish such a feat following an album like Loveless, which if we’re being honest, is more than any of us could have ever dreamed for with m b v. And who knows, if a new MBV album is the kind of thing that happens when I take a mere two-month break from The Tracks, just imagine what’s in store for us when Scott returns from his year+ hiatus… Zing!

* I know, I know, an unfair comparison for both bands.