THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN

Darklands

$11.98 CD

 DARKLANDS, the Jesus & Mary Chain's 1987 follow-up to their revolutionary debut album Psychocandy, pulled back from the feedback-drenched frenzy of its predecessor but was equally brilliant. Still pulsing with reverb but sparer and more prone to hooks, it delivered signature songs including “Happy When It Rains,” “April Skies” and the title track. 

 Rolling Stone noted, “The paradox of simple tunes bathed in cacophony may have originally generated notoriety for the group; the strength of these enticing songs from the dark side is reason enough to stay excited.” Overall, JAMC's sophomore album further revealed the Glasgow-based shoegazer icons' relentless exploration of the meeting ground between melody and feedback.  

 With brothers William and Jim Reid at the lead, the Jesus & Mary Chain formed near Glasgow in 1984. Later that year, their seminal debut single “Upside Down,” and riot-inciting live shows, made them a sensation in the U.K. A year later, JAMC teamed with Blanco Y Negro/Warner Bros. and issued the momentous single “You Trip Me Up” and the debut album Psychocandy, #71 on Spin Magazine's list of top 100 albums from 1985-2005 and #268 on Rolling Stone's “500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.” The group's unique Brian Wilson-meets-the-Velvets-and-the-Stooges sound influenced the course of alt-rock worldwide with that and five subsequent album releases, as well as nearly two dozen singles. Though the Jesus & Mary Chain disbanded in 1999, their legend looms large. Their sound blares on 

Selection # 436156