Another Bloody Valentine
Anton Newcombe, the face of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, is known as a prolific artist garnering notoriety in the underground music community for his musical aptitude as well as his destructive, often narcissistic behavior. After a quiet three years following the release of the last Brian Jonestown Massacre effort We are the Radio, Newcombe resurfaces triumphant with their latest project, My Bloody Underground.If the album’s title alone does not suggest the magnitude of Newcombe’s latest endeavor, the final product ensures that he has lost neither the eclectic prowess that originally catapulted him to stardom nor his flair for the dramatic. Fans will love the inflammatory track names such as the opener “Bring Me the Head of Paul McCartney on Heather Mill’s Wooden Peg.”
My Bloody Underground marks a return to the musical roots of The Brian Jonestown Massacre in the synthesis of psychedelic punk rock and droning shoegaze sounds found on earlier albums such as Methodrone and Give It Back! Drawing influence from bands including The Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain, Newcombe creates a more mature and complex sound despite what appears to be intentionally poor recording quality.
“Who Cares Why?” combines looped distorted guitar work comparable to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless with the steady Maureen Tucker-esque drums found on The Velvet Underground & Nico. Mark Gardner, former guitarist of the British shoegaze band Ride, co-wrote the track “Monkey Powder” with Newcombe, overlaying repetitive guitar drones with Anton’s vocal track echoing in the background.
My Bloody Underground will not pull The Brian Jonestown Massacre from the depths of obscurity within the mainstream. However, it marks a definitive addition to the band’s well-established catalog and is another testament to Newcombe’s musical prowess.
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