i hate the sound of guitars

Breaking all kindsa rules: I haven’t even listened to this record all the way through once, and it’s already one of my favorites of the year. It’s got me bouncing around in my seat so much, I just have to tell someone about it right now!!! Manhattan Love Suicides (from Leeds; the name is a reference to a 1985 Richard Kern film) have only been around since 2006, and released only one LP, so this generous assemblage of singles, radio sessions, and compilation tracks (including this year’s EPs “Kick it Back” and “Clusterfuck”) is a bit of a surprise. It’s also a revelation — a huge step forward from the swell but not amazing debut record. It’s easy to to play the sounds-like game: Jesus & Mary Chain + Lush + The Primitives, with a dash of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. The facile triangulation of obvious influences doesn’t capture how good Manhattan Love Suicides have suddenly become at assembling bubblegum pop kernels in squeally, hissy, barbed wire coating. Shoegaze seems to be in the middle of a renaissance right now, and with this release Manhattan Love Suicides joins Asobi Seksu and A Place to Bury Strangers at the forefront of the sound.