Album of the Day

Arriving in the wake of a B-sides collection, the Jesus and Mary Chain's AUTOMATIC might have been easy to overlook in 1989 but its strengths are crystal clear today. Brothers William and Jim Reid produced the set and provide all the songs, vocals and instrumental work, leaning on synthesizers and drum machines as their rhythm section (with the exception of one cut featuring their tour percussionist). They get an able assist from engineer Alan Moulder; the future shoegaze great gives an industrial veneer to such indelible tracks as “Blues from a Gun,” “UV Ray” and “Head On,” which would later be covered by the Pixies. A fan favorite that just missed the U.K. Top 10, AUTOMATIC still “makes you wanna blow the stars from the sky.”