Release Radar: The Jesus And Mary Chain 'Glasgow Eyes'
Release Radar: The Jesus And Mary Chain 'Glasgow Eyes'
The Reid Brothers may be mellowing with age, but their sound hasn't.
Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to ‘Glasgow Eyes’ by The Jesus And Mary Chain
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I didn't have a new record from The Jesus And Mary Chain on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are. And I’m glad they did. Almost seven years to the day after their last record (2017’s ‘Damage and Joy’), the Reid brothers are back with their eighth studio release and one of their more solid records.
“The people that we were then, we still are. I think we’d be pretty comfortable with what we’ve become, but astonished to find we’re still doing it. But if you’re doing it because you love it and you’ve made a new record you think is as good as any that you’ve made, then why the fuck not?”
The Jesus And Mary Chain’s discography is marked with distinct guardrails: the feedback-drenched Psychocandy. The surf rock of the Barbed Wire Kisses compilation and the (relative) pop accessibility of Automatic.
Jim and William Reid wrote Glasgow Eyes while rooting through archival material for an upcoming autobiography. So, it stands to reason that a little bit of each era would surface here. Some songs point to specific dots on the line- like when Reid recalls the band’s self-immolation at a 1998 show, singing ‘Fucking up and then falling down/ but it punts me to the door / And I can’t see the ceiling ’cause I’m faced down on the floor’ on ‘jamcod.’
Others evoke a general era or record’s aesthetic. ‘Second of June’ draws a short line to 1994’s ‘Sometimes Always.’ Opener Venal Joy feels like the harder-edged side of Automatic, while ‘Jamcod’ would be at home on the softer side of Psychocandy. There’s no Hope Sandoval on this record, but there is Rachel Conti, and together, she and Reid put together ‘Girl 71.’ With strains of Darklands coursing through it, it is the record’s most optimistic–and poppiest—track.
A record borne of the past was bound to draw some from the past. Indeed, it would've been easy for the duo to throw on their Ray-Bans, give off some distortion, and put on a predictable record.
Instead, they pay homage to their previous records without rehashing them. More importantly, they also break new ground. Time has smoothed some of their edges (the brothers get along now!), and the band has never been afraid to color outside the lines and follow a musical thread wherever it might go.
Sometimes, that works, and sometimes it doesn’t—Glasgow Eyes is no exception–-but the fact that they’re putting out innovative, new-sounding material 40 years on is worth noting and appreciating.
As Jim Reid sings on ‘Girl 71,’ we've got what we need
Listen:
The Jesus And Mary Chain | Glasgow Eyes, 2024
Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this record!
Before you go:
Speaking of cool people doing cool things, I want to spotlight some of the people in our little corner of the ‘net and what they’re working on:
has partnered with Big Stir and Spyder Pop Records to put together an oral history (and album) of the Hollywood Geek Rock scene of the 90s & early 2000s. just released a CD as part of her In These Trees project.Ted Leo recently stopped by the
‘s Mama Mañana record label has a new release from Strange Magic slated for early May. If you like your pop hooks sugary, this is for you. has a new album coming out featuring work he did for Substack writer started a record store!As I write this, I’m almost positive I’ve forgotten someone. If that’s you (or someone you know), please comment!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
Thanks for the shout!
Thanks for this Kevin. I'm looking forward to their Brussels show next month.