Artist......: The Jesus And Mary Chain
Album.......: Darklands
Source......: CD
Label.......: Blanco Y Negro
Cat.No......:
Genre.......: Alternative
Tracks......: 10
Bitrate.....: 965 kbps avg
Playtime....: 00:36:09 (261.MB)
Rls date....: 2016-11-26
Store date..: 2006-07-10
Encoder.....: FLAC 1.3.1
http://thejesusandmarychain.uk.com
01 Darklands 5:28
02 Deep One Perfect Morning 2:44
03 Happy When It Rains 3:37
04 Down On Me 2:36
05 Nine Million Rainy Days 4:30
06 April Skies 4:01
07 Fall 2:29
08 Cherry Came Too 3:06
09 On The Wall 5:05
10 About You 2:33
Released in standard jewel case with 16 page staple-bound insert booklet.
For those excited by the raw, feedback-laden wall-of-sound of Psychocandy,
the arrival of the Jesus and Mary ChainÆs 1987 Janus-faced sophomore record
Darklands might have come as quite a shock. The Scottish brothers William
and Jim Reid replaced their drummer with a machine ù seems he was busy
forming a little side project called ôPrimal Screamö ù and then proceeded
to confidently write, play and record a melodic, accomplished,
darkly-themed pop record more mature than even their critically lauded
debut. Crystal production quality, quiet in both mood and atmosphere, was
completely void of the crashing, cacophonous drugged out Beach Boys mess
that gave them their reputation and acclaim. When Jim was once asked in an
MTV television interview to explain why he thought critics were so excited
about the bandÆs sound, Jim responded very matter-of-factly, ôItÆs because
weÆre so fucking good.ö Though the interviewer laughed it off awkwardly,
Darklands would seem to have vindicated him of the arrogance.
Darklands seemed cleverly targeted for mainstream pop chart success and
performed as such, taking them all the way to the number five slot on the
strength of singles like the title track. A gentle guitar melody plucked
out on electric strings that sway like a warm breeze, the opening song
suitably establishes the surprise element. It was a long way from the
crashing, squealing, ôMy Little Underground.ö William takes lead vocals on
the track with lines such as, ôAs sure as life means nothing/ And all
things end in nothing/ And heaven I think is too close to hell.ö At the
root of the song the structure and lyrics are the same aesthetic drawn on
Psychocandy right down to the dragged out and irreverently pronounced
doo-wop filler in the latter half. But itÆs all cleaned up, the feedback
resolved into tight, naked chords, presented more accessibly. The Jesus and
Mary Chain was the kind of band that could get away with singing out a
lovely ditty with lines like, ôTake me to the dark/ I gotta get down on my
knees/ And I feel like I could die/ By the river of disease/ IÆm dying/
Yeah IÆm dying,ö and then strum through an entire verse of encouraging ôda
da da/ da da dooo.ö WhatÆs most remarkable is how well it all works; their
strength is in their conviction.
ôDeep One Perfect Morningö begins with the patter of a single tom drum and
simple, slow-burn strums. Jim sings vocals on this one and the track
highlights the true unobstructed level of songwriting talent of which the
duo is capable. While the ôDarklandsö track had all the elements of what
could have been a psychedelic rock ballad from Psychocandy played slow,
this one is not simply a translation. ItÆs delivered with a deep
conviction, rooted firmly in the unique sound of this record. The lyrics
are genuinely hopeful: ôAnd my thoughts are turning backwards/ And IÆm
picking at the pieces/ Of a world that keeps turning the screws/ Into my
mind/ And I can see a wide world/ For me to tame.ö It goes quickly from
Leonard Cohen-like baritone of JimÆs opening vocals to a soaring pop
ballad.
ôHappy When It Rainsö and ôDown on Meö turn out to be the real harbingers
for the up-tempo, contemporary alt-rock of the follow up, Automatic. The
pounding of the snare breaks free from the heaviness of the opening tracks
and lets loose with climbing guitar lines. The velocity of the buzzing
riffs stops just shy of the dance floor, preferring instead the headphones
of the nearby wallflower. The electronic drums and rock guitar play off
JimÆs upbeat vocals with solid but patient timing. The restrained delivery
of ôHappy When It Rainsö with its duality of positive melody and negative
themes would become the bands signature. Celebratory rock songs about love
and self-destruction played next to surf rock for a dried up beach. This is
further illustrated in ôDown on Meö ù a fast rock ænÆ roll song that still
somehow manages to sound introverted and self-reflecting largely due to the
interplay of the shared vocals. While Jim effortlessly sings the lead, the
signature sound of the brothersÆ pained growls and whines mix in subtly
adding tension and uncertainty to what should be an upbeat anthem.
ôNine Million Rainy Daysö is the most minimal and moving track on the
record. William takes over vocals again and sings out this perverse song of
love and devotion. ôI have ached for you/ I have nothing left to give/ For
you to take.ö The tone is set as a sad love song but quickly turns sour and
menacing: ôAnd the way you are sends the shivers to my head/ YouÆre gonna
fall down dead.ö The Jesus and Mary Chain would continue to play off this
theme of love as a cause of derangement and personal downfall throughout
their catalog.
ôFallö is the track most reminiscent of Psychocandy, devolving into an
all-out feedback tear-down, but itÆs easily forgotten as the light-hearted
love song ôCherry Came Tooö sweeps up the mess. But here again thereÆs an
odd sense of menace as Jim gleefully sings without a hint of irony or
drama, ôCherry scratching like a grain of sand/ The trigger itch of the
killerÆs hand/ Me and Cherry are so extreme/ Making love to the sounds of a
scream.ö To write it sounds almost comically malevolent, but the quality of
the guitar instrumentation and melody have you snapping, nodding and
tapping your foot to the sound of this unfortunate situation.
There is no element of Darklands that dates it save for the sound quality
of the electronic snare drum. But even the slight reverb only has the
effect of contributing to the overall cold, wet ambience of an album for
which distorted guitars, hi-hat and slow rock song structure lends a
quality which survives to this day. The records which followed all retained
some elements of what began on this record, but despite their merits never
quite met the same bar for end to end appeal. Each track could stand as a
potential single. Clearer than the songs of Psychocandy, warm and more
intimately delivered than anything on the highly produced records that
followed, the material on Darklands ranks among the Reid brothersÆ finest
work.