My Bloody Valentine-Geek!

My Bloody Valentine’s debut mini-album This is Your Bloody Valentine was released in January of 1985 to very little fanfare as it led to the departure of keyboardist Tina Durkin as the band went on a brief hiatus. Settling in London for a change of scenery, the band gained a new bassist in Debbie Googe. The band that would also consist of vocalist Dave Conway, guitarist Kevin Shields, and drummer Colm O’Ciosoig would join Googe in creating an EP that the band hoped at the time would give them a break as it was entitled Geek!

Produced by My Bloody Valentine and songs written by Dave Conway and Kevin Shields, Geek! is a record that is similar to band’s previous debut in their fascination with post-punk and the noisy guitar sounds of the Jesus & Mary Chain. The 13-minute, four-track record, in its 12-inch setting, shows more of the noisy guitar work that Shields was developing though was still mired in the post-punk and indie-pop sound that the band was flirting with at the time. While the record shows a band still trying to find an identity in the early stage of their career. It’s definitely their worst output of their entire discography.

Opening the record is No Place to Go that features noisy guitar sounds with rockabilly riffs, a steady upbeat rhythm, and Dave Conway’s baritone vocals as he sings very silly lyrics as it’s definitely the worst song the band has ever created. Moonlight is another upbeat track with swirling guitar noises with acoustic guitar washes and a bopping rhythm. Conway’s low-register vocals play to its lyrics though its production is very muddled with not much emphasis on its bass and drums as the guitars drown out everything else.

Love Machine is led by its driving yet chainsaw-sounding guitars with its upbeat yet walloping beats and Conway’s vocals as he sings very silly lyrics that really have no power. The closing track Sandman Never Sleeps is a more upbeat, rhythmic track with its pounding beats and driving guitar as Conway sings dark lyrics filled with nightmarish imagery that is quite silly.

Geek! is not a good record from My Bloody Valentine due to its very muddy, lo-fi production that doesn’t allow a lot of the instruments to sound properly. In fact, it’s pretty much their worst recording of their early career because there’s no real sense of direction and the fact that Dave Conway is not a very good vocalist. It’s a record that only hardcore MBV fans should check out so they can hear what the band was trying to do at the time. In the end, Geek! is truly a poor EP from My Bloody Valentine.

My Bloody Valentine Reviews: Studio Albums: (Isn’t Anything) - (Loveless)

Compilations: (Ecstasy & Wine)

EPs: This is Your Bloody Valentine - The New Record by My Bloody Valentine - Sunny Sundae Smile - (You Made Me Realise) - (Feed Me With Your Kiss) - (Glider) - (Tremolo)

© thevoid99 2011