Kevin Shields is an Irish musician, singer-songwriter, composer, and producer who has released one collaborative album and scored the film Lost in Translation, in addition to a prolific career as a producer and mixer. He began performing in the late 1970s and formed the Dublin-based punk rock band The Complex with drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig and guitarist Liam Ó Maonlaí. Following Ó Maonlaí's departure, Shields and Ó Cíosóig recruited vocalist David Conway and formed a new band, My Bloody Valentine, in 1983.
After a number of minor mini-album/EPs and singles, the band released their first two full-length studio albums, Isn't Anything (1988) and Loveless (1991)—both of which pioneered an alternative rock subgenre known as shoegazing. During this time, Shields created a guitar technique known as "glide guitar", which includes extensive use of the tremolo arm while strumming and features reverse reverb sourced from his Yamaha SPX90 processing unit.
Following My Bloody Valentine's disbandment in 1997, Shields began a career as a producer and mixer, with a number of artists, including Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., The Go! Team, The Pastels, Le Volume Courbe and Spacemen 3. He co-produced and contributed guitar to two Primal Scream albums, XTRMNTR (2000) and Evil Heat (2002), and became a touring member of the band between 1996 and 2006. During this time, Shields composed music for the Canadian contemporary dance group La La La Human Steps and recorded four songs for Sofia Coppola's 2003 film Lost in Translation—which earned him nominations for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for Best Film Music, an Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) award for Best Music in a Film, and an Online Film Critics Society award for Best Original Score. In 2008, Shields released The Coral Sea, a collaborative live album with Patti Smith, on which he provided musical accompaniment to Smith's reading of her book of the same name.
Collaboration album Title Album details The Coral Sea (with Patti Smith)Released: 7 July 2008 Label: PASK (001) Formats: 2×CD, DD
Singles Year Single Album Ref 2003 "City Girl" Lost in Translation: Original Soundtrack 2017 "Only Once Away My Son" (with Brian Eno)N/A 2018"The Weight of History" (with Brian Eno)N/A
Contributions +List of solo contributions to compilations and soundtracks Year Song(s) Album Ref 2001 "Outro" Geographic Compilation 2003 "City Girl""Goodbye""Ikebana""Are You Awake?" Lost in Translation: Original Soundtrack
Guest appearances + List of guest appearances Year Album Artist Ref 1996 Strange Familiar Russell Mills & Undark Beyond the Pale Experimental Audio Research 1997 The Köner Experiment Hand It Over Dinosaur Jr. 1999 Subliminal Minded DJ Spooky Afterglow Dot Allison 2000 XTRMNTR Primal Scream More Light J Mascis + The Fog 2001 Gift Curve Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. Know Your Enemy Manic Street Preachers 2002 Evil Heat Primal Scream 2003 Live in Japan 2006 I Killed My Best Friend Le Volume Courbe 2008 The Hollow of Morning Gemma Hayes 2010 Wake Up the Nation Paul Weller 2013 More Light Primal Scream 2014 Auto Music Brian Reitzell
Production
Producing + List of producing work Year Album Artist Ref 1991 "How Do You Do It?" The Impossibles 1995 Appeal to Human Greed God 1997 Hand It Over Dinosaur Jr. 1998 Kicking a Dead Pig Mogwai 1999 Afterglow Dot Allison 2000 More Light J Mascis + The Fog 2001 Ear-Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr. Dinosaur Jr. 2002 Evil Heat Primal Scream 2003 The John Peel Sessions J Mascis 2004 American Whip Joy Zipper 2005 Blackrays Defence The Beat Up
Mixing + List of mixing work Year Album Artist Ref 1997 Unfair Kind of Fame The Pastels Autumn Sweater Yo La Tengo 1998 "No Flies on Frank" Damian O'Neill Kicking a Dead Pig Mogwai Illuminati The Pastels 1999 Only The Strongest Will Survive Hurricane #1 2000 XTRMNTR Primal Scream "Accelerator" 2003 Live in Japan The John Peel Sessions J Mascis 2004 Thunder, Lightning, Strike The Go! Team American Whip Joy Zipper 2005 Blackrays Defence The Beat Up "Ladyflash" The Go! Team 2006 Marie Antoinette Bow Wow Wow 2010 All Rise Wounded Knees 2023 House of Cards Eyedress
Remixes
+ List of remixes Year Song Artist 1996 "Londinium (Kevin Shields Mix)" Archive 1997 "Autumn Sweater (Kevin Shields Mix)" Yo La Tengo "Cycle (My Bloody Valentine Remix)" The Pastels 1998 "Magic Nights (My Bloody Valentine Remix)" The Pastels "La Piscine (My Bloody Valentine Mix)" The Little Rabbits "If They Move Kill 'Em (My Bloody Valentine Arkestra)" Primal Scream "Mogwai Fear Satan (My Bloody Valentine Remix)" Mogwai "Coming Up Roses (Kevin Shields Mix)" Curve "Pure Morning (M B V Remix)" Placebo "Rising Sign (My Bloody Valentine Mix)" Hurricane #1 1999 "Sweetness And Light (The Orange Squash Mix)" Lush 2000 "Take Me Through This Life (Remixed By Kevin Shields)" The Frank and Walters 2004 "Sinc (Kevin Shields Mix)" Mercedes 2005 "Thunder, Lightning, Strike - Kevin Shields Mix" The Go! Team "Huddle Flash (Kevin Shields Vs. The Go! Team)" The Go! Team 2006 "I Want Candy (Kevin Shields Remix)" Bow Wow Wow "Fools Rush In (Kevin Shields Remix)" Bow Wow Wow 2010 "Living Room (Kevin Shields Remix)" David Holmes Featuring Carl Hancock Rux 2016 "Get Over You (Kevin Shields 2016 Remix)" The Undertones 2023 "House Of Cards (Kevin Shields Rainbow Belts Remix)" Eyedress
See also My Bloody Valentine discography
References
Bibliography
External links