When I first listened to Isn’t Anything after having enjoyed Loveless, my reaction, like many, was both surprise and disappointment. Loveless was excellent. This isn’t very similar to Loveless, so it must be bad. Or at least not very good.

I was wrong. I was so fascinated by My Bloody Valentine’s sound in general that I gave this album a few more spins, and one night as I was in the waiting room of my college waiting to see an academic adviser, I flipped on Isn’t Anything on my MP3 player and it hit me: this is fantastic.

What put me off about Isn’t Anything suddenly became obvious to me. Whereas Loveless was an album that felt very warm, Isn’t Anything feels very cold, detached. Once I embraced that same emotion the album hit me. I still don’t quite enjoy it as much as Loveless, but Isn’t Anything is one of my top albums and I’m nothing short of grateful that My Bloody Valentine kept taking their music in new directions rather than just making everything sound like Loveless (though that likely wasn’t intentional, as Loveless came last, but I’m sure you get my point).

The detachment of Isn’t Anything certainly isn’t something normal. In fact, it’s something paranormal. Disturbing, really. Schizophrenic. Mental disorder and sexual indulgence are two constant themes in the lyrics of Isn’t Anything (which are much more stated than on Loveless). Both in sound and themes, Isn’t Anything seems to play off both the disturbing aspects of the human mind and its desires, and our utter fascination with them.

Of course, an album with interesting intentions means little if the accompanying music isn’t good. As usual, My Bloody Valentine deliver both. Though Isn’t Anything has a very unique sound, it isn’t all that complex when you dissect it. Dissonant, distorted guitars creating a smooth layered sound as the lovely vocals of Bilinda Butcher sugarcoat them and Kevin Shields’s plainly-delivered vocals drive home the detached feeling of the droning guitars. All of these factors combine to create something that is invitingly attractive on the surface and intriguingly ugly on the underside. Colm Ó Cíosóig’s powerful drumming seems out of place considering the delicateness of the rest of the sound, but at the same time welcomed by the erratic nature of the album as a whole. Debbie Googe’s bass is often understated but she still manages to deliver several grooving basslines that can very much surprise you if you pay close attention.

In its own way, Isn’t Anything accomplishes one of the great facets of Loveless by making something that roars as loud as it softly purrs. In this case, it is something that is as beautiful as it is ugly. Cold, insane. Heartrending and heartmending. Listening to this album makes me realize I’m much more of a normal person than I think I am. But if the members of My Bloody Valentine are crazy, then maybe that comes with a cost. I don’t think I’ll ever be as talented a songwriter or musician as them. I’ll just have to embrace the insanity I get from Isn’t Anything. Fortunately, the album compensates more than enough.