You may be wondering, if you already have the My Bloody Underground album, why you should be interested in getting hold of the Just Like Kicking Jesus EP. There are five tracks, sure, but one of them is already on the album, two of them are re-cuts of another track from the album, and the first pair are two versions of one an as-yet unheard track. Business as usual for The Brian Jonestown Massacre, then; Anton Newcombe isn’t averse to taking illogical actions, after all.
That said, if you’ve already got the album, you’re possibly a completist collector or fanboy (or possibly both), in which case the allure of four arguably new tracks is all the encouragement you need to snap up the Just Like Kicking Jesus EP. At the other end of the spectrum, if you’ve never heard of The Brian Jonestown Massacre at all you’re probably best off walking by without making eye-contact.
But what if, like myself, you quite like the band but aren’t obsessive about them?
On balance, I think I’d skip it. The opening brace of tracks are both called “Amazing Electronic Talking Cave”, but vitriolically subtitled as the “Learn To Speak Icelandic You Smug Shit Version” and the “English Version Provided Without Bravado For The Beans And Toast For 99p Set”. Both are a wall of effected noise underpinned by a lumpen drumloop; the former features female vocals (in Icelandic, of course), while the latter is blessed by Newcombe’s whacked-out mumble. Nothing unusual for The Brian Jonestown Massacre, then, but nothing much to write home about, either.
Next up are two versions of “Just Like Kicking Jesus”, the first of which takes that queasy My Bloody Valentine whalesong guitar sound and mixes it up with muffled loops of vocal snippets and percussion recorded on a dictaphone. Throw in some Newcombe-in-a-big-tin-shed vocals, and you’re right there - “Hungover Like Jesus After Dancing At Sirkus In Iceland”, as the subtitle would have it. Version number two - “Elsa Sings!” - features the female backing vocals and squalling guitar feedback over the top, before we close up with “Bring Me The Head Of Paul McCartney On Heather Mill’s Wooden Peg” exactly as it features on the album.
Now, if you like the way The Brian Jonestown Massacre sound on record, these aren’t entirely disappointing tracks when considered individually. What is disappointing is that the EP feels like a bunch of album offcuts - a case of DVD extras!!! syndrome - and I suspect that’s exactly what it is: some of the more solid cruft from Newcombe’s long sojourn of recording in Reykjavik. Which wouldn’t be so bad, but added to the contempt for the audience that the track titles suggest it’s just a shade too far. I feel like I’m being mocked.
And that’s a shame, because I really do like The Brian Jonestown Massacre, despite (or, perhaps, because of) their flaws. But they’re a much more exciting proposition in the live arena, and there’s nothing on the Just Like Kicking Jesus EP to suggest that you should part with your money for some unmissable rarity. Wait for the next album, and hope that it comes with a tour - Newcombe has some good mojo, but the best of it is not here.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: Brian Jonestown Massacre, Just Like Kicking Jesus EP, noise, psychedelic, rock, shoegazer
