Returning to their roots
Just when you thought The Brian Jonestown Massacre was running out of steam, frontman Anton Newcombe announced two new albums slated for release in 2018. The first of these releases, entitled Something Else, sounds like vintage BJM—complete with jangling percussion and guitar rhythms that sound as acid-doused as the group’s first records. What is different on Something Else, though, is this sense of heady production prowess that feels more than absent on the group’s earlier material. Some tracks don’t quite have the possessive grip as those retro-sounding songs on Take It From The Man! or even some of their more out-there concept albums (such as 2007s My Bloody Underground). Production-wise, Something Else seems to opt for, well, something else entirely. A mixture inspired more by ’60s psychedelia and shoegaze rock than any folk, blues or country combinations of past BJM releases, Something Else purports to herald yet another new era for the group—one that sounds like their grown-up younger selves.
Formed in San Francisco by Newcombe in the early nineties, The Brian Jonestown Massacre has released seventeen studio albums, alongside numerous EPs, live and compilation albums—all of which corner a distinct aspect of the rock n’ roll monolith. The group was even the subject of a documentary Dig! in 2004, alongside contemporaries The Dandy Warhols. Over time, as Newcombe’s interests developed, so too did the group’s sonic explorations. Later in their career, the group released a string of high-concept records (notably, an imaginary film score called Musique de Film Imaginé), which helped to punctuate their pioneering and ever-developing sound.
Having penned over 150 songs in a fifteen-year period, it would be a severe understatement to call Anton Newcombe merely a prolific songwriter; at 50, he’s become a focal point for a particular junction in indie rock music, attracting collaborators as far-reaching as Will Carruthers of Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized, and Ride’s Max Gardener (to name just a few).
Something Else opens with a relatively noisy track, the lead single, “Hold That Thought.” This song has Newcombe sounding pensive as he reflects on the ideas of home, loss and love, and as its title suggests, the instrumentation sounds busy—much like a person deep in thought but thirsty for answers. “Animal Wisdom” stands firmly on a punchy rhythm section, which allows the track to wander through reverb and a lengthy period of jangly instrumentation.
The third track, “Psychic Lips,” is by far one of the more introspective tracks on the record, complete with echoing vocals and lyrics that seem to feed into themselves. For the most part, Something Else is a refreshing take for a band—a man, really—who has seen and done it all. Some of the tracks here drag on a bit: such as “My Love,” which almost feels too cerebral. Whereas on other tracks, like “Fragmentation,” the instrumentation takes over from Newcombe’s wailing voice to deliver memorable moments of pure artistic articulation.
For the most devoted of Brian Jonestown Massacre fans, Something Else is sure to scratch that itch the band has been seeking to scratch for years now. The bulk of this album’s tracklist hits the intoxicating nail on the head (perhaps too hard at times). And with another 2018 BJM release soon to come, it’s looking like the outfit is back and firing on all cylinders.
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