Cause And EffectFluff on the Needle : My Bloody Valentine Part One

A ridiculous amount has been written about this band and admittedly I have put off doing a Cause & Effect on them because I felt one part overwhelmed at the prospect of where to start and one part burnt out on the group that gets name checked as often as the Beatles. Clearly a band this influential to music today deserves attention but I didn't want to dare tackle them until I had an angle that I felt really inspired by. Some twenty hours of research later, here I am.

The story line of the next two shows about MBV is based off of one simple concept. Not all bands are born over night and in some cases it takes years for a group to really find their sound, their voices, and their production style. Some artist spend their entire creative careers fine tuning and experimenting. My Bloody Valentine is a poster child for this exact notion. They have a nearly perfect path to follow from start to finish and part one of my show will investigate the early building blocks to the band's sonic layers and playing style. I have really enjoyed placing their early records under a microscope and dissecting their sound verse the information found in  the endless interviews given by the band who have been very honest and open about where their influences each step of their band's journey.



A sub plot line tonight will be debunking a few MBV myths and misconceptions about their sound. Bands that are tagged as shoegaze or C86 do not all sound the same and what sets My Bloody Valentine apart from these bands (especially in the recorded form) is the combination of how they arrived at their very specific "fluff on the needle" sound. People assume it is all about their gear, their pedals, a billion overdubs, but in actuality it is more about their technique and philosophy of how they approach their guitars that sets them apart from the masses.

Tonight I will try my hardest to further explain Kevin's unique guitar playing technique, his love of tremolo, open tunings, and how their use of samples (reversed) makes them closer to Public Enemy than Chapterhouse. I can finally hear the difference between all of the bands that are endlessly compared to MBV and hopefully after tonight's show, you will too. And as title aludes, this show is part one of two about My Bloody Valentine so tune in next week, same day and time to finish out this special double Cause & Effect.

Missed tonight's show? Download it in full here!