The seminal dream pop band, whose last album was 1991's Loveless, will do the only thing they can do that night: pick up where they left off.

With no new album (or even new material), Kevin Shields and company (arguably up there with Steve Jobs at the top of the can-do-no-wrong fanboy list) will dust off classics from their only two records (and a handful of EPs) to appease those that are (still) waiting to see if they ever really lived up to the hype, err, potential.

Their first tour in nearly two decades kicks off with a five-night, sold-out stand at The Roundhouse in London this Friday. Prior to this, My Bloody Valentine played two "rehearsal" gigs at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on June 13th and 14th that NME said, "wowed and delighted fans". It made headlines around the world, and fueled speculation anew regarding a forthcoming release. The answer? Ummm...no. But they will apparently be re-releasing re-mastered versions of their only two records on June 16th (this also from NME).

This isn't to say that they (meaning Shields) haven't been at least somewhat occupied. Outside of doing his best not to record an album, Shields has worked with Dinosaur Jr frontman J. Mascis on his solo album, contributed four tracks to the film score for Sofia Coppola's immensely popular Lost In Translation, and spent time playing guitar for and touring with Primal Scream (who are almost headlining Saturday night at the Green Stage).

With all that time between albums, one fan had time to write his Masters theses on the band's aesthetic and contribution to the rock music pantheon.

Me? I just want to feel the wall of noise as it reverberates off the lush mountains of Naeba, and you won't find me gazing at my shoes there, either.

I was going to post a YouTube link here to MBV at ICA, but the sound is so horrible IMO that...ahh WTF:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=H0GZH-lw_P4

Jeff