Composer Reacts to My Bloody Valentine - When You Sleep (REACTION & ANALYSIS)
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on When You Sleep
ORIGINAL VIDEO // • When You Sleep
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0:00 Intro
0:56 Reaction
5:18 Analysis - Is This Shoegaze?
7:42 Analysis - What Is Happening
13:12 Analysis - Lyrical Dive
18:24 Outro
#reaction #mybloodyvalentine #indierock
“Simple musically but complex sonically”
You say you don’t have the language to speak on it but that really sums up Kevin Shields’ musical intentions perfectly.
Yeah, somehow this song manages to present itself simple and yet obscure.
Listening to this song, isolated from the rest of the album, you’re not going to appreciate it as much, I’d say. The whole album creates a mood. There are a few songs on here that can stand on their own, but the whole is greater than the parts.
I agree wholeheartedly, this album is very much an experience.
100%
One of the only albums that I can think of that can really only truly be appreciated in a full listen.
Exactly. The LP is a complete experience.
yeah this song bursts out of nowhere like a giant lavender super nova. the context of the album really builds up to this song.
Drums were sampled and looped on most songs on this album as the drummer Colm was unwell at the time. I think the things that sound a bit like flutes were manipulated samples of guitar feedback.
Rumor has it they used flutes and then traced the notes with feedback
The fun part with Kevin is that we'll never know exactly what he did to make these sounds and I'm sure some choices were so spontaneous he's forgotten them.
Indie Rock is such a massive umbrella term that you could probably put 50% or more rock bands from the last ~30 years into the category. MBV are very much shoegaze (arguably THE most important/influential shoegaze band ever), but I can also see why some would label them indie rock. Really, indie rock was originally meant to indicate that bands were independent of the major labels, and such bands tended to be quirkier and odder than mainstream rock bands; but eventually indie rock basically became the most common, mainstream version of rock while most of the traditional major-label rock bands and genres faded away. As for MBV, they've always been a band I admired more than loved. I appreciate their sonic originality and experimentation, but the songs themselves never grabbed me much, and while the sonics are interesting they never pulled me in as much as, say, Cocteau Twins.
Yeah it's a fake umbrella. Shoegaze is its own thing but also shoegaze from Dublin (MBV) is different from like Ride (from Oxford UK way). Just enjoy the bands and keep recommending shit to one another. "Indie" is like "Alternative" it's fucking meaningless.
i love that MBV seems to go against all "good" production choices to make something that sounds aged and well worn and detuned. really brazen aesthetic choices.
This is shoegaze indeed, shoegaze can be considered a subgenre of indie as a bigger umbrella. Be ready for wild diversity when it comes to indie. I'd say indie is even wider than some of the post- genres we've had in the past. Although indie started as a tag for independent stuff, outside of genre in a sense, it developed into a certain aesthetic as it evolved. It remains wide in sound and most of the time the connective tissue is even thinner than say, hardcore influences on post-hardcore. I'd say most of the time indie rock shares two characteristics: 1) idiosyncratic vocals, rarely concerned with technique; 2) unusual/experimental/raw production. Now, there's definitely a lot of stuff that doesn't really match that criteria and would still be described as indie for multiple reasons (some historical, being part of a scene for instance, or even being part of a certain label).
Interesting. So indie rock is a catch all for a few different things that narrowed down into a certain sound.
@@CriticalReactions Yeah, much like alternative rock which kinda settled into a certain radio rock sound as it reached the mainstream but feels a bit meaningless if you try to look at it without context. Indie has several scenes and some of them are even in reaction/building upon previous/contemporary ones.
@@CriticalReactions it is definitely an umbrella term for sure
Yeah, I suggested Cardiacs because they were truly independent. Never signed to a label but releasing everything themselves - starting with cassettes only...
god I love this band. There is literally always something new to discover in every single song. I have listened to this album probably 40 times start to finish and I have never once noticed the oohs and ahs in the background
It takes hundreds of listens to properly dissect
The oohs are my favorite sound from this band. I listen to them the most. I think their pretty and they also kinda make me smile a lot
Vocals are are trippy because their voices sound so similar to each other. Bilinda said people always mix up who’s singing which part. Like most people think Bilinda sings come in alone but actually Kevin sings that one live.
Bass is playing the I-II-IV chord progression on the chorus, and it plays higher notes on the G string during verses. It's crunchy and very present, I can hear through my phone speakers 😅
Loveless is not to analyze.
Loveless is to immerse.
All the sounds in here are guitar through various pedals to sculpt the sound. Hence the name description.
"Indie rock" doesn't really even mean anything. Rock that's not on a major label? I think there's sort of this nebulous platonic ideal of "indie rock" but when the label gets applied to everything from Dinosaur Jr. to Neutral Milk Hotel to the Black Heart Procession to Wilco it kind of loses all meaning, at least in terms of being a sonic descriptor.
I would call this shoegaze/dream pop, for sure. MBV tends to lean both ways, sometimes on the same track (like this one) or sometimes push harder into one of those two directions. I don't think this style is really for you - songwriting-wise MBV are very simple stuff with lots of repetition, mostly relying on texture and atmosphere.
Agreed. If you're going to subscribe a sonic descriptor to "indie rock", it's basically saying "not overproduced major label pop" is about all you can say, other than perhaps typically guitar based, but, not always. And I say that (guitar based) pretty much only because that's the indie I listened too, lol.
My Bloody Valentine started out as a straight up indie band when that was a description of status not a sound, many different bands across many genre were considered indie. A song like ‘Lovelee sweet darlene’ illustrates how they shifted away from the jangly twee sound of their early stuff. When they released ‘You made me realise’ it was a seismic shift.. yeah, they pretty much invented what would become known as shoegaze, alongside bands like ‘spacemen three’ and ‘Lush’ who all owed a lot to the ‘Jesus and Mary Chain’ and of course ‘the velvet underground’.. great analyses, loving yr work
Spacemen 3 were doing their thing before JAMC. Their demo "For all the fucked up children..." was recorded in 84.
Colm plays on the ride. No hi hat. The hi hat songs are the sequenced 'dancey' ones. The 'rock' songs are played exclusively on the ride. But if I'm not mistaken, the whole drums were sequenced on this lp?? Also I don't know how you can't hear the bass?? It's pretty high in the mix. I saw them in 92. Colm did the double roll at the start of Only Shallow one handed. Absolute monster. Not technically difficult but just punk as ****. Then they did the 20 minute wall of noise. Sounded like an airplane taking off. I remember it vividly over 30 years on
Indie rock, in it's true and original meaning = independent label, not corporate, nonconformist music. It was never meant to describe a "sound"".
Shoegaze: a sonic chaos very well organized. My Bloody Valentine what a cool band...
I'm pretty late here, but I wanted to share this with you. A big part of shoegaze is the vibe, so sometimes the lyrics have no meaning at all and are just scatterbrained gibberish like those in this song if it fits the vibe. Often the story can be told in the vibe, at least in my experience of shoegaze. I hope this helps!
i love my bloody valentine
Possibly the best band of all time
oh, nice, you did a My Bloody Valentine song! :) Yeah, they pretty much defined the shoegaze genre. Fun fact, the album name is referenced in the opening video of Final Fantasy VII, it's the currently playing "movie" at the cinema.
And IMO, you're entirely correct. BM is a lot about that fuzzy guitar and wall of sound, which shoegaze does as well. It's usually a good indication if the metal is BM or not haha. I've mentioned it before, but there's a genre between, blackgaze. See bands like Deafheaven, and would love a reaction to Deafheaven - Brought to the Water.
Can you explain what notes/scale degrees that they're singing/emphasizing in the verse to achieve that dream melody and harmony?
Unfortunately my ears aren't great for picking out chord names but I'll see if I can find some sheet music for it get back to ya.
OK, here's the progression. It's broken up into two sections where the second is a little bit of a variation of the first. Each chord is for 2 bars, making the verse 16 bars long. The progression is:
I - VIm7 - IIsus2 - IVmaj9
V/VII - VIm7 - IVmaj9 - IIsus2
As you can see the second time through shifts the root for a the fifth (slash chord), keeps the second, and then inverts the order of the third and fourth. There is a technicality though in that it's actually an 18 bar verse because they return to the IVmaj9 after the IIsus2 on the second phrase as a way to extend the verse just a bit before hitting the chorus.
I'm not sure about the melody but if I'll look for that over the weekend and get back to you.
I think if you listen to the whole album it can help getting what it's going for
It was indie rock in 91 by definition- guitar music on an indie label following a recognizable stream from bands like Jesus and Mary Chain and Cocteau Twins. Is it "indie" today? Indie has changed in meaning and sound and become something different.
Damned, I added a long comment with a lot of details & songs quotes from this band & others, etc and it is frustrating I did modify a reference & youtube signaled me an error which finally erased almost 10 lines of comment....too bad, so not the courage to rewrite all so very shortly I'd day this is "Indie-Rock" for shortcutting genres, otherwise it is rather Noisy-Pop with a big Shoegaze basis & also some Grunge influence (Sonic Youth) & a big use of loops that is almost in drone music category..Some songs of the album are more Pop oriented with almost always this wall of sound, but it also displays their love for dissonance like in the most weird song of their debut album called "Soft as Snow (But Warm Inside)" that will make you think that "When you sleep" is an easier pill to swallow...Besides, if you want more "evident" Indie-Rock you should check out (but maybe also my music Playlists on my channel ?) strong bands such as The Pixies, Arcade Fire, Idaho, Warpaint, Beach House (even if it is mainly Dream Pop), Radiohead, Interpol, and of course the quite experimental & influental band Pavement...but this Noisy-Pop movement for me awes a lot to Post-Punks bands... (Joy Division, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, PIL, Sisters of Mercy, The Wedding Present, etc...).. Ok I've managed to remember half of my initial post...relieved
No synthesiser, just a madman on a guitar. This is a rich patchwork where notes bend out of tune, the vocals are completely uninteresting, or are they? There's a reason that Pitchfork has this rated as the best album out of the 1990s. It still sounds amazing more than 30 years later, and it's richness seems to have confused you. The album is worth a second listen.
the bendy lead melody is bilinda's voice being played on a sampler, not a guitar
I think this is Indie rock at the root of the split that became shoegaze. Punk-rock dream-pop, is what I’d call it. It’s a mood and textures. I think if not for having appeared in the Lost in Translation soundtrack, this band would have stayed more obscure.
I disagree. This band was made "famous" like most indie rock bands from this era. By the website, Pitchfork.
This album was at the very top of their best albums of the 90's list that was just recently revised. Before this, OK Computer was at the top.
Always interesting to hear reactions to cold listens to tracks from this album.
Yes it’s difficult to categorize but that’s not such an important issue for me because the categories are so broad and fuzzy, so while they can give us a first approximation, trying to fit things into them is never that enlightening imho. But if you do pursue this angle, it eventually becomes clear this is a unique album that stands alone, even from more experimental music.
What do the lyrics mean? is also a somewhat pointless question because it’s much more about the feeling it produces, than the ‘meaning’ of the lyrics. If there is a meaning, it’s poetic rather than literal, which is where you get to I think. In any case, the band have disavowed the published lyrics. Again, your reaction IS the meaning.
The disorientating qualities of the album - the lack of separation, the fuzziness, the haunting sonic qualities, the repetition are not flaws but its greatness.
‘I don’t have the language to speak on it’ is actually a great reaction!
As others have said, it works best in the context of the album. When this track arrives it’s like a tsunami.
To Here Knows When is probably their best and most interesting song
mix is way too clean! i'm joking mostly but.... the fuzz. When this record came out? Holy Shit. The rest of the record is terrific. Worth a try.
Yeah when this lp dropped it blew peoples mind. It blew me away. I actually listens to it for like 6 months straight. I finally decided I need to listen to something else but couldn’t find anything even close tho Loveless. The girl at the record store recommended I try Stereolab Mars Audiaq Quintet and that was a great recommendation. I actually heard Stereolab make fun of MBV by saying they should learn how to play their instruments. Lols. I’ve seen both bands a couple times and they’re really really great live. They both felt very arty live. I felt like I was seeing the velvet underground at andy warholes factory. Oh shit! I just realized that the record label probably was referencing that. Lols
It's rock released on an independent label.
The vocals? It's the same person, sped up and slowed down at the same time. The lyrics? Apparently, they spent a lot of time on that stuff... I think it's about a relationship that is in a bad state. Trust issues or can't understand each other anymore, but also some bitterness and hope etc.
That speeding up and slowing down is called Flanging. It was originally done on reel to reel machines. Now there’s pedals that simulate it.
I think they meant focusing on the differences of... like... your life... like introspection... I believe... lol idk and I just call the pop version of shoegaze "dream pop"
You should try a song from their third album. Who Sees You is a good example. I actually prefer the next song that came after the one you just listened to.
Yeah to be honest this probably isn't the best song to isolate from the rest of the album. "Only Shallow", "Come In Alone" and "Soon" are definitely better options to listen from this album if you don't listen to the whole album
i love songs that destroy pitch
wow for a composer you have avery facile ear...their are perhaps 20 or 30 guitar tracks...what you THINK are oohhs and ahhs are slowly bending guitar chords.....there would be no shoegaze if it wasnt for this,band....so anything afterwards in same genre that sounds similar are copyimg this.....how can u not hear the bass also...
perhaps try headphones?.....what you think is a synth is also treated guitars
ur wrong. the oos and aahs are bilinda butchers vocals, they're all across the album.
although there were probably 20 - 30 guitar tracks on the song, they come in at different sections, similar to much of siamese dream.
@@frankymcdonald7176 no.....I know u are right absolutely, I'm just addressing the insinuation he seems to be making that there are only a rhythm and lead guitar track
these are pretty simple lyrics that seem to be about a guy and a girl who get together every "once in a while" and the guy doesn't think they spend enough time together. I feel like you're just overthinking the whole song. Like you said it's a pop rock song with some fuzziness intentionally thrown in there and there doesn't have to be anything more to it.
You really just don't get it. Either this combination of noise and beauty thrills you or it just don't. Pulling it to bits isn't helping you understand it, you're just left with lifeless parts on the slab. It needs to be appreciated as a whole. Perhaps you need to be a stoner or ex-stoner. Maybe it helps if it is LOUD, they are notorious for the volume at their gigs. They go up to 12, Other bands tried copying MBV but they never reached their heights in my opinion.
can you react lose my breath by my bloody valentine
Your next video Will be,Listening taxman for the first time.
kinda close. this music is soooo unassuming. first thing you missed is that there are no synthesizers on the album. thats all guitar and vocals that you're hearing. lol.
Smashing Pumpkins
This is definitely shoegaze and ur description of "wall of sound" is the trademark for this band as well as Slowdive.
I really wish Kevin Shields would have relented on the follow up of this album instead of doing what he did and almost bankrupting Creation Records.
Out of all the bands I love I think this band is the biggest "what if" out of all of them. 🤔😢❤❤
there is no synth on this album
Shoegaze is not indie rock by any means.
It's definitely a kind of indie rock. 😂
Your knowledge of Indie Rock and Shoegaze is very lacking.
Completely agree. Most of what I cover on this channel is stuff that I've never even heard of before so I'm learning as I go.
that's the whole point of reaction videos. It's what makes the reaction interesting.
why would you want to see an expert on shoegaze react to this song??????
shoegaze. i could never get into this album.
"Indie rock" lmfao. It's like saying "food."