The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Revelation
May 19 2014 (A Recordings)
8/10
Words: Alison Mack
Recorded and produced at Anton Newcombe's studio in Berlin, this 14th full-length work embraces the whole gamut of styles from country-blues through to shoegaze and psych rock that they have traded over the course of their 20-year history, along with snatches of eastern influences.
Taking over a year to make, it also features appearances from original band member Ricky Maymi, Joachim Alhund (Les Big Byrd), Constatine Karlis (Dimmer), Ryan Van Kriedt (Asteroid #4), as well as a vocal performance in Swedish by Joachim Alhund (Les Big Byrds) on the opening fast-running track 'Vad Hände Med Dem?' filled with guitars, tambourines and trippy vocal echoes. This sits surprisingly easy alongside more 'traditional' BJM such as the psych-rock ‘Xibalba’ and the industrial motorik vibes of ‘Memorymix’.
Instrumentals 'Duck and Cover' and the psych fluted 'Second Sighting' provide a midway stopping off point, supporting either side of 'Food and Clouds', with yearning guitar riffs in a fizzy pop setting that shows how the band are never ones to fight shy of a mixing up the sonic palette. 'Nightbird' is filled with a soft acoustic guitar, whilst the hypnotic 'Memory Camp', 'What You Isn’t' and 'Unknown' complete the multi-faceted approach that in theory may sound like a schizophrenic's heaven, but in practice reveal why, after two decades, The Brian Jonestown Massacre are still a force to be reckoned with.
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