85 / 97
23
REVIEWS
MUSIC
Various
T2 Trainspotting: OST
The Bodyguard
may be the biggest selling soundtrack
of all time, but the original
Trainspotting
OST is
arguably the coolest, an inspired blend of iconic faves
(Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Brian Eno) and Cool Britannia
(Blur, Pulp, Leftfield). The soundtrack to the belated
sequel wisely follows a similar template and even
tips its hat to the original by book-ending the album
with two reworked songs from the first movie: a brutish Prodigy remix of
Iggy’s
Lust For Life
opens proceedings, while Underworld bring the record
to a close with a steely retuning of their anthem
Born Slippy
. The British
dance veterans also provide the album’s most moving moment,
Eventually
But
, which features one of the film’s stars Ewen Bremner (Spud). Of the
newer artists, there are previously unreleased tracks from High Contrast
– the sardonic electro glam of
Shotgun Mouthwash
is one of the album's
highlights – and Young Fathers (
Only God Knows
), plus spiky contributions
fromWolf Alice and Fat White Family. Could have done without Queen and
Jason Nevins, but you can never go wrong with The Clash – represented
here by
White Man (In Hammersmith Palais)
– while Frankie Goes To
Hollywood’s
Relax
and Blondie’s
Dreaming
sound as vital and thrilling as
ever. Let's just hope the movie is as good.
(Universal) John Ferguson
Psychocandy
(1983)
The impressive debut (with Bobby Gillespie, later of
Primal Scream, on drums) wherein Scotland's Reid
brothers Jim and William introduced their brand of loud,
discordant, feedback-infused guitars to classic pop
structures. They drew as much fromThe Beach Boys
and Phil Spector's girl groups as the Velvet Underground. UK shoegaze
was invented here, and so was the sound of JAMC… which they would
subsequently refine.
Darklands
(1987)
Here the melodies went up many notches (the soaring
Happy When It Rains
), searing guitars occasionally came
down (the title track), and a tastefully-used drum machine
came in after Gillespie's departure. Influences were more
from Lou Reed's VU and solo ballads (
Deep One Perfect
Morning
,
Nine Million Rainy Days
), but behind the indie rock bluster JAMC
were essentially a dark power pop-rock band (
April Skies
). Critics were
unimpressed but they were wrong:
Darklands
is essential if you enjoy
shameless, fist-pumping indie rock.
Honey's Dead
(1992)
Critics were
right
to dismiss third album
Automatic
(1989)
which might have been retitled
Autopilot
, even if fans
loved it and Americans finally got it. The Yanks might have
recoiled at the opener on this next album. Reverence
offers “I wanna die like Jesus Christ,” and the album
divided critics and loyalists. Yes, the whispered menace and feedback
returned, but at its best this slewed straight into screamadelic grunge.
However it was great fun… and that was a rare commodity at the time.
It stands up.
The Power of Negative Thinking; B-Sides
and Rarities
(2008)
In this four-CD set, sources are displayed on the covers
(Bo Diddley, The Beach Boys, Motown, Howling Wolf,
Elvis); it's comprised of unexpected oddities (Prince's
Alphabet Street
?) alongside acoustic demos of their classic singles,
B-sides not on albums, and so much more. In fact, you could start here
and work back.
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
And also...
You can score the first five JAMC studio albums at JB
Hi-Fi in the budget-priced Rhino Original Album Series, which includes all
the first three above, plus
Stoned and Dethroned
from 1994 (with guests
Shane MacGowan of the Pogues and Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star).
Shoegaze sometimes but, given the right ingredients, JAMC were always
skygaze too.
Words
Graham Reid
The most unexpected thing about The Jesus and
Mary Chain's debut album was that they made it at
all.When they first started playing, their sets barely
broke the double-figures minute mark. In part that was
because they'd sometimes take the stage claiming to
be the support band, and get on and off before anyone
twigged. But albums they did make; half a dozen
between the mid '80s and late '90s, and now comes
Damage and Joy
this month, their first in 18 years. So
how to buy JAMC?
Mastodon
Emperor Of Sand
The Mastodon of today is not
the band that once enthralled the
scene with weighty tomes such
as
Remission
and
Leviathan
. They
are now more rock than metal.
Emperor Of Sand
supports this
observation, with cuts such as
ShowYourself
and
Precious Stones
taking the Mastodon sound into
territories reserved for classic rock
bands. All is not lost, as the group
can still lay down some meaty
numbers:
Andromeda
,
Sultan’s
Curse
and the progressive vibes
of
Roots Remain
, as well as the
album highlight
Jaguar God
, offer
some solid heaviness that may not
get heads banging, but at the very
least, will get them nodding.
(Warner) Simon Lukic
Steel Panther
Lower The Bar
Devout acolytes of Van Halen,
Mötley Crüe, and the rest of the
Sunset Strip illuminati, Steel Panther
isn’t parody so much as pantomime
– a loving, spectacular homage
to an era they’d make a deal at
the crossroads to resurrect. There
are plenty of reasons to be glad
it’s over, but the libidinal licks and
sprawling solos on
Lower The Bar
aren’t any of them. Anyone trying to
kickstart their heart in recent years
had to choose between watered
down, on-the-nose joke bands, but
Steel Panther are sincere – one
gets the sense they're probably
doing tequila shots in Beverly Hills
jacuzzis on the reg.
Lower The Bar
is a throbbing 11-track run through
relationship turmoil, alcohol abuse
and steamrolling over anyone
threatening to kill the party. In these
nihilistic times, why not?
(Kobalt) Jake Cleland