The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Don't Get Lost
- Written by Rob Crozier
The preverbal undercover alternative rockers The Brian Jonestown Massacre are back again – this time with the release of new album Don’t Get Lost.
The band have seemingly been circa navigating the music scene for over the last 20 years. Always just enough out of the commercial limelight, they have seemingly and effortlessly achieved cult status. We get the feeling that’s exactly how they like it. With an ever revolving cast of the outer band members and the exposure via the cult film Dig they have become the band to know. They seem to also act as a musos reference point for those in the know – 1000s pints of real ale downed by 100s of bearded hipster all exclaiming: “What do you mean you've never heard of BJM.”
As if to ram hope this point the band have also confirmed that this album will be released on 180 gram yellow vinyl. The core of the band namely Anton Newcombe who oversaw the recording in his own Berlin studio, are still in place and this represents their 16th full studio album. Always a band that have been prominent and inclusive this release sees the band with a variety of guest. The wonderful Tim Burgess appearing as a guest vocalist on the track ‘Fact 67’. This is a brilliant bass driven track that pulsates and purrs along while Mr Burgess vocals are slightly distorted and slightly hidden to brilliant effect.
The album opens with ‘Open Minds Now Closed’, an eight-minute masterclass in their own style of shoegaze psychedelia. This track twists and turns with more intensity that some of their previous outings.
Tess Parks features as a guest vocalist on ‘Groove Is in the Heart’ which is nothing like its namesake from Deee-Lite. This is a much more sombre affair continuing the intelligence shoegaze theme. At times the track reaches an intensity with piercing guitars and vocals that are just this side of audible. It certainly concentrates the mind and challenges you as a listener to attempt some form of understanding of their craft.
One of the most interesting collaborations is via Throbbing Gristle, who provide vocals on the track ‘Dropping Bombs On The Sun’. These legends of the industrial music scene add to the wide-ranging and engaging nature of this album; the track itself is a calmer slower offering than both these bands have delivered in the past. The vocals are hypnotic as we enter an almost dream-like state, pulling you in as an ambient backtrack reassure your ears.
This more laid-back ambient feel continues along the album, most notably on ‘Geldenes Herz Menz’. Its smooth addition of a sexy saxophone enhances the dreamy vibe conjured through the twenty plus years that have seen frontman Anton Newcombe’s become and enthusiastic participation in the rock’n’roll lifestyle. This is no band thing, and a continuation of their cult status is surely cemented, always ensuring their musical content and direction remains intact.