My Bloody Valentine's "m b v" a welcome return for long-dormant band

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If you've never heard My Bloody Valentine, you might be inclined to write off the group as nothing more than a bunch of noise. That wouldn't be too far off, though. My Bloody Valentine is a notoriously noisy band.

But to fans of the Dublin-based outfit? That "noise" is a thing of beauty — a type of controlled chaos, revealing new sonic textures with each subsequent listen.

When My Bloody Valentine announced the release of "mbv" last weekend, the news sent the Internet into a frenzy. The band's website was flooded with so much traffic, it delayed the release of the album by several hours.

And understandably so. "mbv" marks My Bloody Valentine's first collection of new music in 21 years. Such delays could have made "mbv" an epic disappointment — let's not forget the anticlimactic release of Guns and Roses' long-delayed album "Chinese Democracy."

But "Chinese Democracy" this isn't. In fact, part of the unavoidable beauty of "mbv" is how it's seemingly untouched by time. Album opener "she found now," with it's pulsating guitars and breathy vocals, wouldn't seem out of place amongst earlier My Bloody Valentine compositions.

The album was composed entirely by frontman Kevin Shields over the span of two decades. "mbv" is mostly devoid of contemporary influence; at times, the album sounds as if it was created within a cultural vaccuum.

But, small hints of cross-genre synthesis appear throughout the record — most notably in the drum and bass influenced rhythms of "if i am."

"mbv" is Shields' opus, a true testament to the power of the artistic process. Shields has not only perfected the My Bloody Valentine formula, but improved upon it as well. "mbv" has potentially opened the door for increased output from this otherwise reclusive band.

And if that means My Bloody Valentine fans have to wait another 21 years for the next album, then so be it.

Kat Bouza is the Arts & Culture producer for Annenberg Radio News. Follow her on Twitter @katbeee.