Tremolo
A great companion to Loveless, the Tremolo EP contains that album's "To Here Knows When". A hypnotic breathy dream. There are great psychedelic interludes between the tracks that i wish could go on forever. "Honey Power" is one of their best songs ever. With MBV their EPs stand up on their own merits. The Tremolo and Glider EPs are both worth it!
A mini-Loveless
Any MBV fan will kick himself for discovering this album so late as I did. It's like finding a lost section of Loveless. Although it's an EP, Tremolo was clearly concieved of like an album; it's coherent, connected, organic. Other reviewers below have noted the transitions between songs (as on Loveless), but what they haven't noted is that "To Here Knows When," a song already on the aformentioned album, actually gets a different ending/transition here. The other three songs not only stand up to anything on Loveless, but actually surpass many of those excellent tunes. The creative process and decision making that went into this EP would likely be intriguing; however, MBV's relative prolificness in 1991 now makes one wonder if Shields simply shot his bolt and had little else to say after; this as opposed to the idea that he's an obsessive perfectionist (yea, that holds a lot of weight after 10 years without a new cd!). Apparently he scraped an entire album after bankrupting a label! But no matter: Shields and MBV have given us enduring works and all of the following are essential: Isn't Anything, Glider EP, Tremolo EP, and Loveless.Tremolo will send chills through your spine.
A My Bloody MUST!
Opens from a track from LOVELESS, widely considered to be their masterpiece. "To Here Knows When" is an etheral song with guitars that sound like they're phasing in and out of our plane of existence. Features a fantastically surrealistic ending that doesn't appear on the album. ****1/2
"Swallow" - is a B-side quality track but sweet and enjoyable nonetheless. Interesting percussion and a sound similar to modern (Eastern) Indian music. Like "To Here Knows When," its ending undergoes a radical transformation that serves as a segueway to the next song and sounds like working your way through a maze of clouds. ****
"Honey Power" - cool song from My Bloody honey Belinda Butcher. Features the kind of guitars I went crazy for on ISN'T ANYTHING. Instantly evolves into a stunning segue. *****
The ending of "Honey Power" brilliantly becomes the woozy "Moon Song," which is drunk on its own feedback. ****1/2
Good stuff! Fans will definitely want to get this one!
Loveless part 2
On Tremolo My Bloody Valentine create a mini-album that would be played right after Loveless and sound like a contiuation more than anything. Tremolo also is a great record all by itself, it grooves and moves in all the right places, and sounds like it was recorded through the same hazy druggy sensualness that graced Loveless. However at times the drums seem even lower in the mix than on Loveless, which adds to its' dreaminess, which I guess is the point, but really I think the drums should have been more prominent, but hey wahtever, it still sounds great. All in all I highly suggest picking this up if you're a MBV fan and already have Loveless and Isn't Anything.
Music to worship God with.
This is spiritual! This can be considered the long awaited follow up to Loveless. I can say being owner of more than 600 CD's that there is only a handful of bands who've left a long lasting impression on me like MBV. Today, the only band who are still together that has left this kind of impression on me is Sigur Ros. (not radiohead)
