Home  Reviews The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Thank God For Mental Illness
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Thank God For Mental Illness |
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Written by Hunter
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Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Thank God For Mental Illness
Many
are sick of this 60's revivalist movement that's infiltrated the
American music scene and with good reason. Most of it can only claim to
be a half-hearted regurgitation of a very influential sound that has
since evolved. Shouldn't this be considered a huge step backwards? In
some regards, yes, because few have convinced us that they're worth
their salt and done anything new with it. We wouldn't be so accepting
of a new man in black rewriting Johnny Cash songs and claiming to be
the 21st century jesus, would we? That said, we really can't neglect
some exceptions..
Meet The Brian Jonestown Massacre, a band of
musicians dogged at every turn. With more than 40 members having come
and gone since its inception you would assume their sound would have to
be a train wreck but Anton Newcombe, the brainchild of the entire
outfit is an entirely different breed of musician. It's been said that
if he could clone himself ten times over and exist as one solitary band
he absolutely would. He has a vision, an idea, an ever churning factory
of beautiful sound he absolutely can not compromise on. His ability to
play over 80 musical instruments masterfully is a testament to that.
This has, of course, created conflict and many see him as a despicable
character, myself included. I've personally felt his wrath and it
should be unforgivable on some people's counts, but it's so hard to
neglect what he does so well.
Anton has been hailed as the true
father of the revival, the man who doesn't just love this era of sound,
he lives in it. Let's listen to the flood of impassioned harmonica on
the track 'Ballad of Jim Jones' and the verse "I walked from New York
and back from L.A. I lived on a mountain and once by the bay," we get
the feeling we're listening to a man out of place and time. These words
aren't meant to be entirely autobiographical but they do ring true and
he embraces this freedom loving lifestyle. A man who makes good on the
words that he writes, not having any true home, just his entourage, his
travelling family. There are definitely those who call Anton the worst
kind of plagiarist, I couldn't disagree more. He's laying out the tune
of his soul and that's all that could be asked of any musician
anywhere. Perhaps it's this chaotic form he embraces which hinders the
band's ability to achieve any level of success but upon listening to
any one of their albums it's apparent that any element of control or
organization forced on them just might tip the scales and sour
something brilliant.. What has fueled and maintained the band's
existence for such a long period though is Anton's fresh ability to
bring these sounds about in an updated form, forging two eras of
influence seamlessly.
The band's proudest moment may perhaps be
the recording of 'Thank God For Mental Illness,' an album that cost 19
dollars to make, "including cab fare." It's a work that is so raw and
brimming with spontaneous mayhem and brilliance it captured me from the
very first track. We're treated to inspiring and punchy 60s pop folk
fare at its very best while crossed with the experimental tendencies of
spacemen 3 and even traces of glam goodness along the lines of T. Rex.
Not to mention the contemplative 30 minute plus track 'The Sound of
Confusion' blending lo-fi recordings of city life with subtle drone
rock to cap the fountain of Anton's endless inspiration, it's a strange
way to end an album and took a bit of courage to dive into but I was
strangely surprised with the end result. Is it for
everybody? Absolutely not. Having discovered this album during a very
long and ponderous greyhound bus ride, I can say with certainty that I
wouldn't trade it for a thing.
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