My Bloody Valentine

 Kevin Shields spent his whole career trying (in vain) to recreate the magic of 1991's Loveless, My Bloody Valentine's second, and final, album. Such was its power and beauty it's hardly surprising. It combined the noise and distortion of punk, with a dreamy, reverb soaked melodicism. In a hugely influential union.
            Unbelievable success can stymie even the best artists. Look at The Strokes, for whom Is This It became an unsurmountable summit, and to a lesser extent, bands such as Broken Social Scene, whose incredible You Forgot It In People, still stands like a collossus over their, still good, recent work.
          But for Sheilds Loveless became his nemesis, many albums worth of material were thrown out, deemed inadequate against the mighty spectre of their old LP. And nothing was ever released again. Yes, that's right, nothing.
          Anyway, the song I've chosen to highlight is my favourite moment on Loveless. 'What You Want' is a piece of transcendent reverie that moves me every time. The intensity of the layered guitar squall and the sheer beauty of the melody make this song irresistible. This is five minutes of perfection as far as im concerned.  After the three minute mark, the guitars soar to an unworldly perfection that leaves me struggling for adjectives. Just listen. Ageless.