The Jesus and Mary Chain
Blanco y Negro
The infamous debut album from the Jesus and Mary Chain was released in 1985
to serious acclaim. The album was described at the time as ‘a great citadel of
beauty’, and as the Scottish group prepare to release a limited edition version of
the album for record store day 2015, it’s clear that Psychocandy is still highly
relevant today.
When you listen to the album with today’s ears, its still incredibly bold and
exciting yet effortlessly simple. The album opens with ‘Just Like Honey’ and its
Ronettes inspired drum beat and from then on the album just gets louder as
more distortion is added to the guitar of William Reid. This distortion - as rotten
and horrible as it sounds - just works with the drums, bass and Jim Reid’s
monosyllabic, angry vocals. ‘In a Hole’ is a prime example of all these elements
combing to create something that will leave your ears ringing. Nothing today
compares to the sheer cockiness of a band like JAMC that wanted to create an
album like Psychocandy with its effortless hooks and arrogant aura. Sure, the
JAMC opened the floodgates for various shoegaze bands such as Lush and My
Bloody Valentine, but none of those groups were able to create an impact like the
JAMC did.
The album does take you on a bumpy ride, but there are subtle songs that give
the album depth and texture. Tracks like ‘Taste the Floor’, which has clean
melodies inspired by the Beach Boys. The song is still beautifully simple with
guitar sounds awash with reverb and no distortion, which proves that the JAMC
aren’t all about noise and destruction. They can create melodies which have and
will cause emotion to be felt by the listener. They still have the ability to change
the mood of the album to raucous whenever they want.
Psychocandy was released in 1985 and the album remains an iconic signal post
in indie music. It’s an extremely inspirational release that is still relevant today.
The JAMC are currently touring this album to celebrate thirty years since the
release in venues that have sold out. That in itself is reason enough to say that
Psychocandy is legendary.
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