THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
''REVELATION''
MAY 20 2014
57:39
1 /Vad Hände Med Dem?
Anton Newcombe/4:41
2 /What You Isn't
Anton Newcombe/5:29
3 /Unknown
Anton Newcombe/1:56
4 /Memory Camp
Anton Newcombe/5:39
5 /Days, Weeks and Moths
Anton Newcombe/4:20
6 /Duck and Cover
Anton Newcombe/4:42
7 /Food For Clouds
Anton Newcombe/5:18
8 /Second Sighting
Anton Newcombe/3:41
9 /Memorymix
Anton Newcombe/4:36
10 /Fist Full of Bees
Anton Newcombe/5:46
11 /Nightbird
Anton Newcombe/3:26
12 /Xibalba
Anton Newcombe/3:23
13 /Goodbye (Butterfly)
Anton Newcombe/4:42
Review
by Fred Thomas
Decades into a brilliant (and brilliantly obscure) career, the Brian Jonestown Massacre outlived a lot of the bands they inspired, even those that rose to greater acclaim than Anton Newcombe and his rotating cast of a backing band ever would playing his songs of perfectly tattered psychedelia. Revelation is the 14th full-length from the project, with Newcombe having been one of the only constants over the years, this time in complete control of writing, recording, production, and most of the performances as he laid down these tracks over a two-year period in his Berlin studio. Newcombe is joined by a scant few guests, including original BJTM member Ricky Maymi laying down a little guitar, as well as some minimal help from members of Les Big Byrd, Asteroid No. 4, and Dimmer drummer Constantine Karlis. Much like 2012's Aufheben, Revelation is a pastiche of old and new influences, trading in some of the Krautrock influence and extended jams of the albums before it for murkier experiments with Eastern folk (as on the crumbling lo-fi acoustics and woodwinds of "Second Sighting"), ornate goth rock with subtle horn arrangements ("Fistful of Bees," "Food for Clouds"), and a whole lot of strung-out psychedelia. Worshiping at the altar of both the Stones in their most woolen production moments and the narcotic euphoria of Spacemen 3, the standout tracks on Revelation happen when Newcombe does what he does best. "What You Isn't" rides a sinister groove with minimal changes signaled by horns and feedback exchanging lines deep in the mix, calling to mind a far more wasted take on Spiritualized. Other highlights include the looming acoustic guitars of "Days, Weeks and Moths" and the devilish folk of "Unknown." Without reinventing the wheel too much, Newcombe delivers another slice of his breed of highly evolved rock & roll genius with this album, further polishing his ever dangerous songwriting skills and offering a vivid spectrum of production, stylistic distractions, and psychedelic black holes for the listener to get swallowed up by.
MORE REVIEW
Biography
by Jason Ankeny
Named in tribute to the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist and his influence in introducing Eastern culture and music into the world of Western rock & roll, the Brian Jonestown Massacre formed in San Francisco, California in 1990. Some 40 different members passed through the group's ranks over the next half-decade, but the focal point always remained singer/guitarist Anton Newcombe, who, along with bassist Matt Hollywood, guitarist Dean Taylor, organist Mara Regal, accordionist Dawn Thomas, drummer Brian Glaze, and "Spokesman for the Revolution" Joel Gion, recorded the Massacre's 1995 shoegaze-influenced debut LP, Methodrone. A collection of early recordings, Spacegirl and Other Favorites, followed on the band's own Tangible label in early 1996, and was the first of four Brian Jonestown Massacre LPs to appear that year; next up was the brilliant Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request, a full-blown homage to the Stones' glorious psychedelic-era excesses. Recorded live in the studio, the grittier Take It from the Man! found the band exploring even broader territory. Finally, the year ended with the release of Thank God for Mental Illness, a showcase for their strong country and blues leanings.
In 1997, the BJM -- now consisting of Newcombe, Hollywood, Gion, Taylor, guitarists Jeff Davies and Peter Hayes, and drummer Brad Artley -- resurfaced with Give It Back! After signing to TVT, they released Strung Out in Heaven the following year, but the band and Newcombe's own eccentricities kept them from staying on the label. After a few scattered EPs, they resurfaced in 2001 with Bravery Repetition and Noise, distributed by Bomp. And This Is Our Music followed in 2003. Despite a continued lack of major distribution, the Brian Jonestown Massacre earned the largest profile of their career in 2004, when the band became the unlikely focus of an award-winning documentary, DIG!, which charted the trials of Newcombe and those of his rival, Courtney Taylor, leader of the Dandy Warhols. The We Are the Radio EP followed in August 2005. Three years later, the band reinvented itself with My Bloody Underground, featuring yet another lineup and a hint of shoegaze and noise pop. Who Killed Sgt Pepper? followed shortly thereafter, being made available in streaming format at the end of 2009 and receiving an official release on January 1, 2010. By this time, DIG! was fast becoming a cult classic, and even though the lineup had changed many times over since the movie premiere, Brian Jonestown were as popular as ever. In 2012, Newcombe announced that he and Matt Hollywood would be teaming up again to record what he considered his most cinematic record, Aufheben, scheduled for release that May. In 2014 the project's 14th full-length album, Revelation, materialized, featuring tracks toiled over in Newcombe's Berlin studio between 2012 and 2014.
''REVELATION''
MAY 20 2014
57:39
1 /Vad Hände Med Dem?
Anton Newcombe/4:41
2 /What You Isn't
Anton Newcombe/5:29
3 /Unknown
Anton Newcombe/1:56
4 /Memory Camp
Anton Newcombe/5:39
5 /Days, Weeks and Moths
Anton Newcombe/4:20
6 /Duck and Cover
Anton Newcombe/4:42
7 /Food For Clouds
Anton Newcombe/5:18
8 /Second Sighting
Anton Newcombe/3:41
9 /Memorymix
Anton Newcombe/4:36
10 /Fist Full of Bees
Anton Newcombe/5:46
11 /Nightbird
Anton Newcombe/3:26
12 /Xibalba
Anton Newcombe/3:23
13 /Goodbye (Butterfly)
Anton Newcombe/4:42
Review
by Fred Thomas
Decades into a brilliant (and brilliantly obscure) career, the Brian Jonestown Massacre outlived a lot of the bands they inspired, even those that rose to greater acclaim than Anton Newcombe and his rotating cast of a backing band ever would playing his songs of perfectly tattered psychedelia. Revelation is the 14th full-length from the project, with Newcombe having been one of the only constants over the years, this time in complete control of writing, recording, production, and most of the performances as he laid down these tracks over a two-year period in his Berlin studio. Newcombe is joined by a scant few guests, including original BJTM member Ricky Maymi laying down a little guitar, as well as some minimal help from members of Les Big Byrd, Asteroid No. 4, and Dimmer drummer Constantine Karlis. Much like 2012's Aufheben, Revelation is a pastiche of old and new influences, trading in some of the Krautrock influence and extended jams of the albums before it for murkier experiments with Eastern folk (as on the crumbling lo-fi acoustics and woodwinds of "Second Sighting"), ornate goth rock with subtle horn arrangements ("Fistful of Bees," "Food for Clouds"), and a whole lot of strung-out psychedelia. Worshiping at the altar of both the Stones in their most woolen production moments and the narcotic euphoria of Spacemen 3, the standout tracks on Revelation happen when Newcombe does what he does best. "What You Isn't" rides a sinister groove with minimal changes signaled by horns and feedback exchanging lines deep in the mix, calling to mind a far more wasted take on Spiritualized. Other highlights include the looming acoustic guitars of "Days, Weeks and Moths" and the devilish folk of "Unknown." Without reinventing the wheel too much, Newcombe delivers another slice of his breed of highly evolved rock & roll genius with this album, further polishing his ever dangerous songwriting skills and offering a vivid spectrum of production, stylistic distractions, and psychedelic black holes for the listener to get swallowed up by.
MORE REVIEW
Biography
by Jason Ankeny
Named in tribute to the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist and his influence in introducing Eastern culture and music into the world of Western rock & roll, the Brian Jonestown Massacre formed in San Francisco, California in 1990. Some 40 different members passed through the group's ranks over the next half-decade, but the focal point always remained singer/guitarist Anton Newcombe, who, along with bassist Matt Hollywood, guitarist Dean Taylor, organist Mara Regal, accordionist Dawn Thomas, drummer Brian Glaze, and "Spokesman for the Revolution" Joel Gion, recorded the Massacre's 1995 shoegaze-influenced debut LP, Methodrone. A collection of early recordings, Spacegirl and Other Favorites, followed on the band's own Tangible label in early 1996, and was the first of four Brian Jonestown Massacre LPs to appear that year; next up was the brilliant Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request, a full-blown homage to the Stones' glorious psychedelic-era excesses. Recorded live in the studio, the grittier Take It from the Man! found the band exploring even broader territory. Finally, the year ended with the release of Thank God for Mental Illness, a showcase for their strong country and blues leanings.
In 1997, the BJM -- now consisting of Newcombe, Hollywood, Gion, Taylor, guitarists Jeff Davies and Peter Hayes, and drummer Brad Artley -- resurfaced with Give It Back! After signing to TVT, they released Strung Out in Heaven the following year, but the band and Newcombe's own eccentricities kept them from staying on the label. After a few scattered EPs, they resurfaced in 2001 with Bravery Repetition and Noise, distributed by Bomp. And This Is Our Music followed in 2003. Despite a continued lack of major distribution, the Brian Jonestown Massacre earned the largest profile of their career in 2004, when the band became the unlikely focus of an award-winning documentary, DIG!, which charted the trials of Newcombe and those of his rival, Courtney Taylor, leader of the Dandy Warhols. The We Are the Radio EP followed in August 2005. Three years later, the band reinvented itself with My Bloody Underground, featuring yet another lineup and a hint of shoegaze and noise pop. Who Killed Sgt Pepper? followed shortly thereafter, being made available in streaming format at the end of 2009 and receiving an official release on January 1, 2010. By this time, DIG! was fast becoming a cult classic, and even though the lineup had changed many times over since the movie premiere, Brian Jonestown were as popular as ever. In 2012, Newcombe announced that he and Matt Hollywood would be teaming up again to record what he considered his most cinematic record, Aufheben, scheduled for release that May. In 2014 the project's 14th full-length album, Revelation, materialized, featuring tracks toiled over in Newcombe's Berlin studio between 2012 and 2014.
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