Review of Psychocandy (Jesus And Mary Chain)

Psychocandy is the first release by the Scottish Jesus and Mary Chain. The album is notable for being one of the progenitors of the shoegaze genre, which is epitomized by melding vocals with guitar noise while the musicians stared at their feet. The band consisted, at the time, of Jim Reid (Vocals, Guitar), William Reid (his brother, also Vocals and Guitar), Douglas Hart (Bass), and Bobby Gillespie (Drums).

I like this album quite a bit. Obviously drug inspired, the feedback noises and building of simple parts together to form a greater whole was, for the time, revolutionary. Despite what you might think with the feedback and squealing guitars, I find this an excellent album to relax to. It's very mellow in its oddness, which is nice. Some songs definitely stick out, like "Just Like Honey" and "Taste of Cindy", they tend to be a little more upbeat, as is my wont. I'd also like to draw attention to the drumming. It's not crazy, it's not flashy, but it is just right and it cements the entire album together.

In the negative, the album can feel a bit repetitive if you're not into that sort of thing. Many songs sound somewhat similar, especially the intros of "Just Like Honey" and "Some Candy Talking" have the same feel to me. I do like this album, but I rarely listen all the way through, unless I need calming down.

This album is a little over-hyped, I think, which is not the band's fault and that's why I didn't include it in the negative. It's a great album, but I much prefer the edgier sound of Munki, their seventh and last. All things considered, this album is definitely worth checking out if you haven't, and definitely worth giving another listen if you have.