Having long explored the ins and outs of
psychedelia
, the
Brian Jonestown Massacre
now delve deep into the gloaming world of
pop
.
Bravery, Repetition and Noise
is a darkly dreamy album, rich in atmospheres, layered in waves of sound, moody
for disillusioned people. The album's antecedents are clear, the gloomy
post-punk
Brit bands whose angst shuddered out across the airwaves in the late '70s through the early '80s. Of course, many of those groups were as inspired by
as they were by
punk
's nihilism, pulling both strands into a doom-laden,
experimental
sound quite distinct from anything that had come before or since.
BJM
uses this as their touchstone, lovingly re-creating the moods and atmospheres of the past. The vast vistas of
"Open Heart Surgery,"
for example, is so
Cure
-esque that it seems to have been ripped right out of the hands and mouth of
Robert Smith
"Just for Today"
is
Echo and the Bunnymen
transplanted to San Francisco circa 1967, which is where they really wanted to be half the time anyway. Brighter numbers are still capped by dark clouds, musically and lyrically, poppier melodies are snatched out of the sun to bask in the shadows, while there's even a handful of more acoustic
ballads
to give the whole concept a twist.
Bravery
may have started at
's knees, but by the end shimmers into a category all its own, and its all the more enjoyable for it. ~ Jo-Ann Greene