m b v

My Bloody Valentine announce release of new album -guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb…
— Warren Ellis (@warrenellis) February 3, 2013

Loving the new MBV album. Sounds amaaaaazing.
— Charlotte Hatherley (@iamsylvertongue) February 3, 2013

Is the mbv record for sale or is it just streaming?
— Errors (@Weareerrors) February 3, 2013

All I know about My Bloody Valentine is that they're Welsh and sound a bit like Linkin Park.
— Robert Florence (@robertflorence) February 3, 2013

Plainly, everyone who is anyone is either talking or joking, or both, about the biggest music news of the year to date, not directly involving David Bowie.
Namely, the new

My Bloody Valentine

album, m b v, whose quiet release (escape?) softly echoes that of Sir David's latest song.
Not too many reviews yet though.
Let's see, I'm on to my fifth listen now, should be able to start collecting impressions.
Why not read along while you listen to it on their official YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBKjhgHGVZs&list=PLG9zGdKjNW2_S0nRfRmESBmYh3RR-3baU

(Oh incidentally, Robert's joke is that MBV are always being confused with Bridgend's finest metallurgists, Bullet For My Valentine.)

she found now

Solid Loveless territory.
I'm instantly reminded to turn up to 11 and blow my ears clear with a tin of Allsops Airduster for the full effect.
Ah yes, there ya go, hello old friends.

only tomorrow

Unremittingly shoegazing, with beautiful vocals, angelic in places.
Well, in one place really: the end of each verse.
And sporadically between verses.
Two places, then.
Nicely melodic guitar fuzzes in the breaks.

who sees you

A dissonance repeatedly reaching out, almost too slowly, too falteringly, and then only - just! - acquiring its goal on every turn.
We used to have to drill extra eccentric holes in our 45s to generate this kind of entertainment.
Like when you love chillies, and someone gives you picked jalapeños.
Not a home run, nor likely to grow on me.

is this and yes

Very pretty.
No surprises.

if i am

Good rhythm, shape and melody.
Getting the warp thing (pitch dip) better this time.
Some fine percussive effects shared across instruments.
Silly ending - well, anything's better than a fade.

new you

Possibly the most un-MBV thing they've done, erm, "recently".
Clear tracked volume-envelope rhythm guitar, keys, bass, drums, wtf?
Only thing making this cut recognizably theirs, is Belinda's singing.

in another way

Wow, some real originality going on in here.
Great guitar sounds, twisted drum loops.
Those strident slashing stabby guitar breaks have an occasionally Scottish flavour.

nothing is

Look out, here comes T-Bone Burnett on caffeine!
In an infinite ascending, crescendoing, percussive loop.
Mesmerising.

wonder 2

A mad drum loop phased into sounding like traversing high speed trains.
Two-way multiply-echo-tracked vocals.
Well that was different, maybe one of their best.

That's Yer Nine

What did you think of it?
Here's what I thought.
A worthy, if imperfect and untimely, sequel to its two decades senior Loveless sibling.
This is the band's Majora's Mask to their Ocarina Of Time.
Bottom line: it has earned its place in the top 60GB that resides permanently in my phone.

Verdict: 7.5 out of 10.

Come to Glasgow and catch them at Barrowlands on March 9th!