Rocktrospectiva: The Weirdo And Quintessential "Tremolo E.P." Turns 35

Released on 20 February 1991 "Tremolo E.P." was an extended play by Irish-English band My Bloody Valentine, the EP spawned the single "To Here To Knows When". The EP was a critical success and topped the UK Indie Chart.

The EP featured the band more heavily utilising samplers, which allowed them to play back sounds on keyboard. Sampled sounds include guitar feedback, vocals, and a BBC stock sound effects recording used to create a low-end effect on "To Here Knows When", and a Turkish belly dancing track ripped from cassette on the track "Swallow". The title is a reference to the band's heavy usage of guitar tremolo and vibrato to create blurred, dreamlike tones.

Tremolo was the second of two extended-plays released during the prolonged recording sessions of My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze masterpiece Loveless. In contrast to its sister – the  heavier Glider – Tremolo forsakes indie/alternative stylings for abstract composites of sound produced by instruments that just so happen to also make rock music. The title refered to lead guitarist/vocalist Kevin Shield’s “glide guitar method” of strumming while applying tremolo/vibrato pedal effects, which gave the band its signature surreal sound.

Leading off with Loveless's most ethereal cut and first cut "To Here Knows When," this EP had little of the Isn’t Anything structured noise pop. "Swallow" featured the hyper-processed flute-loop sound that prominently featured in "What You Want" from Loveless. It was a bit lighter than anything on that album, with a much softer mix and a lack of heavy guitar reverb. "Honey Power" was the closest track to anything that was on Glider, featuring backwards-sampled guitar loops and a less abstruse song structure. The closer "Moon Song" was the only track on Tremolo to feature Shields' voice with no processing or after-effect; it’s easily the most surreal track on the album, featuring kaleidoscopic guitar samples and a curious jungle beat that hints at the group’s interest in dance music toward the end of Loveless and prior to their 1997 break-up.

Tremolo was interesting caused the addition of certain elements such as three codas to the end of each track but "Moon Song," all of which highlight the druggy, intimate atmosphere therein. Of particular note is the one on "To Here Knows When," which was different and maybe better than the final mix released on Loveless. These were not mere not sloppy interludes tacked onto the end; they underscored the phantasmagorical experience commonly listening to My Bloody Valentine's nineties work, and their short length provides the illusion that the listener is transitioning between dreams.

Videos were filmed for the songs "Swallow" and "To Here Knows When" under the direction of Angus Cameron. The single "To Here Knows When" reached number 29 on the UK Singles Chart and were described it as the most strangest single ever to chart.

Tremolo E.P. Track List: 

 

1. To Here Knows When (plus instrimental coda) 

2. Swallow (plus instrumental coda)

3. Honey Power (plus coda)

4. Moon Song