After 19 years, the battling Reid Brothers have finally dropped a new The Jesus and Mary Chain (TJAMC) album — and it’s great! Of course, the trademark TJAMC elements are all present — sardonic stream-of-consciousness lyrics, earworm melodies, distortion, fuzz tone, and a Velvet Underground/Beach Boys/Phil Spector sensibility … but there’s something more. Perhaps it’s the passage of time, orchestral and synth-pop flourishes, or the inclusion of a gaggle of female guest vocalists: Bernadette Denning on the winning “Always Sad”; Isobel Campbell on “Song for a Secret” and “The Two of Us”; the Reids’ younger sister, Linda, on “Los Feliz (Blues and Greens)” and “Can’t Stop the Rock”; and Sky Ferreira on the excellent “Black and Blues.” Standout tracks include the morbidly satirical Kurt Cobain–referencing “Simian Split,” the witty and word-play-infused “Presidici (Et Chapaquiditch),” and the instant classics “War on Peace” and “All Things Pass.”
The Jesus and Mary Chain Releases New Record
‘Damage and Joy’ Has Band’s Trademark Elements and More