ALBUM REVIEW: The Brian Jonestown Massacre 'Revelation'

Psychedelic San Francisco rockers, The Brian Jonestown Massacre bring us their fourteenth studio album, ‘Revelation’. A mass spectrum of shoe gazing guitars and droning vocals that never quite penetrate the drowsy repetitive lead melody, it is about as hazy as the west coast hippy scene that they emerged from.

Lead vocalist, Anton Newcombe sacrifices the mic to Joachim Ahlund in rocking opener ‘Vad Hands Med Dem’. Diving straight in to a lengthy intro of rapid percussion and repetitive strumming, we are finally met by the distorted sonic lyrics sung by Ahlund. The introduction of brass is presented in this opening track adding an individual twist to the already sporadic layers of guitar and drums.

Reminiscent of a hazy summer’s day, an upbeat tambourine is met by that same brass horn in ‘What You Isn’t’. Lazy vocals drift occasionally in and out over the rhythmic chords and soft crashing symbols. A strong melody carries the song all the way through, one that you find yourself humming hours later, which can’t be a bad thing.

Their sound is nothing new by any stretch of the imagination, however The Brian Johnstown Massacre have made this Indie Psych genre sound so fresh and current. Considering this is their fourteenth effort, they have shown a consistency from start to finish; each song flowing comfortably in to the next.

Sounding as though it has come straight from a ‘Bourne’ soundtrack, ‘Duck And Cover’ has an electronic element, reminiscent of the bands ‘Who Killed Sergeant Pepper?’ album. Along with whirling synths, the dominant guitars are the backbone of this instrumental.

Sitting in the middle of percussion heavy tracks and eerie instrumentals, ‘Food For Clouds’ brims with hippy esque vibes. It is lighter on the guitar and less folk driven than medieval influenced Second Sighting.

Classic instruments play a key roll in what Newcombe describes as “mind-expanding psychedelia”. The brass featured in ‘Vad Hands Met Deem’, classic flute in ‘Second Sighting’ and strings in ‘Nightbird’ showcase Newcombe’s knowledgeable pallet of harmoniously cohesive instruments.

“I gave my soul to you, I held your heart so true”. ‘Goodbye (Butterfly)’ is a soulful conclusion to an album full of well-sculpted mantras. Recorded in his Berlin Studio, Newcombe has taken his time unfolding his genius, resulting in a more relaxed, and flowing album. As a collective, they have consistently released music that is true to them, though the time taken on this album shows that Newcombe has put love and devotion in to each song.

Ironically, this is his ‘cleanest’ album to date, yet when I listen to ‘Revelation’, I still imagine myself sitting crossed legged with a bunch of free spirited hippies, passing round a herbal hallucinogenic. Give it a go.

Natasha Moran