I fear Dead Mellotron have tricked me. On Glitter, the second album, I routinely inspected the tracklisting again and again to see if words like Cupid Come or Sueisme are present, to put me back into a sense of place and belonging. Is this a performance art exercise on My Bloody Valentine’s behest, I begin to wonder.

The Valentine’s fever is particularly endemic on Making Up. The whammy bar, the click track drumming and the doe-eyed delivery of the words – it’s all here. With Oohahh it’s back to 1991s alternate world, dream-pop in extremis.

Conscious of a review being ruined by a one-track absent-mindedness I tried to give Babe the big chance. Despite the incongruity of the title, the song itself is like the tick of a clock or a metronome, willing you to dance with reckless abandon. This is a convincing feat, which is achieved in such sparse movement.

Can’t See is a stand out track resplendent with a sudden shift of shape into a wall of coercive sound. It then segues into Bye, perhaps an afterthought in what has preceded it sonically, as it seems to flail about wanting to know how to get back home. It’s a curious thing to observe, especially the dying swan piano denouement.

I’ve heard arguments deeming MBV to be disposable and wistful, that their legend preceded their material. Intentional or not, Glitter plays out in great swathes as homage, pastiche – out and out son and heir even – for yesterday’s children today. However, in terms of overall quality in a record, I like it. It’s more understated and free from the music press’s continual messianic reverence. Whether or not this is a positive step in Dead Mellotron’s attraction is a mute point worth gazing at your shoes to find the answer. Is this chutzpah in a shoegazing world?

-Michael Cornin-