10 Best Debut Rock Albums Of The 1980s

My Bloody Valentine are not for everyone.

Their songs aren't usually very rhythmic, nor are they full of memorable lyrics or catchy choruses. They can be quite abrasive sometimes, but that's what some people like about them. They were rulebreakers from the very start, as their debut album Isn't Anything from 1988 demonstrates.

From the single Feed Me with Your Kiss to fan favourite Several Girls Galore, the band presented a sound that wasn't available anywhere else. A mixture of traditional rock and brave new production techniques created songs that sounded like they were both floating in the ether and being dragged through mud by a pickup track.

Critics fell over themselves trying to praise Isn't Anything when it came out, essentially labelling it as the second coming of the rock messiah. Basically, if you wanted to be taken seriously as a music journalist in the 80s, you had to like this album.

Or else!

Essentially the beginning of the shoegaze genre (with a bit of early grunge thrown in for good measure), Isn't Anything didn't sell by the millions upon its release, but is now recognised today as an essential part of alternative rock's history.