[MUSIC REVIEW] The Jesus and Mary Chain are Back - As Resurrected Savior or Stiff Zombie?

Thanks to the younger bands that built on their sound, The Jesus and Mary Chain is still a band that belongs to the present, but the first album in nineteen years hasn't really managed to the legacy they created. Instead they sound like a tired and pale cover band of themselves.

It's impossible to talk about The Jesus and Mary Chain without tackling the tricky concept of coolness. For that which separated brothers Jim and William Reid from all other indie bands when they popped up in the mid-1980s wasn't only that they had an innovative sound, wrote strong pop songs and gave legendarily unruly concerts. Above all they were simply terribly cool.

Just look at the video for the 1985 single "Just Like Honey." The band members look perfect in their black clothes, tousled hairstyles and deadpan facial expressions. They were uncompromising in their art, refused to tone down sing about things other than honey and candy. They had a band name that sounded meaningful and mysterious, but above all wayward and cool. They were outsiders from Glasgow, far from fancy London. They came from below and released their first single on the cutting edge label Creation, and they had no time for the fluffy synth sound that dominated contemporary pop music.

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Just Like Honey (Official Video)

After their classic debut album "Psycho Candy," The Jesus and Mary Chain however ceased to be musically creative, and after the sequel "Darklands," they also ceased to write glimmering pop songs. The only ambition that remained was to be a cool indie band.

But as coolness became more important for Jim and William than intoxicating melodies and a refreshing sound, they lost everything that made them interesting and vital. They became an empty shell, almost a parody of themselves. The band, which has always been characterized by the brothers' divisive fights, split up during the tour that followed the 1998 album "Munki."

Since "Psycho Candy" countless of ndie bands have been inspired by the irresistible sound cocktail of the album. The retro trends with garage rock and shoegaze after the millennium has kept the positive memory of the group alive, and more modern acts have successfully updated the sound with crackling electronics instead of traditional rock instruments.

"Damage and joy" has a polished and even 90's sound. The song material is not a cohesive unit, but made up of half new recordings and half scattered songs that Jim and William has written since 2006. It's not a lousy record, but the lack of development and inspiration is remarkable. It could have heated up in the song "Facing up to the facts," where the brothers confess their mutual hatred for each other, but the pseudo-cool rock just chug along as if on Prozac. We also get to hear a tired repetition of "Write Records Release Blues" from 1993. The romantic duet "Always Sad" where Jim is joined by Bernadette Denning, is truly lovely and perky. Oh how I wish I could say the same about the rest of the album.

The Jesus and Mary Chain may be resurrected, but rather as a rigid relic than a soul and a body with blood flowing through its veins.

 @SteemSwede

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Always Sad (official video)