𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖉𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖘 ── blog featuring thoughts & music of THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE , an american psychedelic rock band formed in 1990 with over twenty - five albums. kept evil by 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖆𝖓.
favorite albums : take it from the man, spacegirl, strung out in heaven, thank god for mental illness, & pol - pot's pleasure penthouse
i’m not dead … i am NOT dead!!! whilst bjm remains my overall hyperfixation, the interest comes and goes in waves, as does my motivation to talk about them. or anything in general, really. but that feeling of adoration for this band never truly goes away and i’m absolutely feeling it now <3 anyway. hopefully i’m gonna get some new posts up, do an album review for thank god for mental illness ( one of these days lol ) and uh. who knows! the bjm world is my oyster. but here are some of my uhhh, overall plans?
review some of my favorite songs & explain why they resonate so strongly with me
continue the album reviews !!!
work on my bjm concert archive…,..
order more vinyls from hollowbody & reverb
find out what radio station the diane perry tape originated from
lots to come !! does anyone see this account but me? nope. but i vow to carry the nonexistent bjm tumblr fandom on my shoulders
album review : their satanic majesties' second request
released: june 1996
genre: psychedelic rock
and here we are to one of bjm's most popular albums! i think it's pretty solid, though i can't think of every track off the top of my head or anything like that, so i'll have to see after going through it. of course, this is the album that holds anemone, so it makes sense that it would be so popular. but let's dive in!
all around you - intro
this is the same as the outro, but we have a fun little voiceover to the music... this is for sure anton talking out of his ass but i love it. i think this is definitely somewhat inspired by the intro of sing this all together ( the first track off the rolling stones' album, their satanic majesties request ) which is also cool. i mean obviously, the album is literally named after it. this is giving kind of culty vibes and i'm surprised i've never actually listened to this? i reaaaally like the voiceover it's giving me everything, his voice slowly becoming more and more manic. good shit! i really enjoyed this, especially the lyrics like "the love we share / it's a secret for everyone." very much enjoyed...
rating: 9/10
cold to the touch
it's been a loooong time since i listened to this song. this is giving 60s, it's really good lol. and the tambourine ofc <3 but the chorus is great, the 'wooo!' is fun. i love when they just yell random shit. solo slaps as always, there will never be a bjm solo i don't love i think ... also anton's kind of whispered voice is reminding me of matt hollywood, i wonder if he wrote this song. i wouldn't be surprised, it's got that very sultry vibe matt's songs usually bring. but, who knows! good song, i enjoyed it much more than the last times i've heard it.
rating: 9/10
donovan said
the beat on this one is really good, very eastern inspired for sure. which i guess makes sense that something like in india you would be on this album lmao, i forgot how much this album brings in that sound. "she took just a tiny sip / now she's starting to trip" I LIKE THESE LYRICS. and the way anton sings "i wonder what she sees in you" ughhhhh it's good ... i've always enjoyed this song, the way the lines are sang and how it all flows together, and the soloooooo?!?? i can't tell if it's a synth or like an actual violin or something ... either way i really like it. so i'd give this one a good rating! it's not my fav on this album, but i do listen to it every now and again.
rating: 8/10
in india you
speaking of in india you ... here we have it again! it's soooo much better suited to this album than methodrone idk what was going on with that decision but, yk. whatever. the song itself is pretty good, the name is self explanatory when listening to it lol. the little beat drop is good, i like the vocals ... this is probably the same shit i said on it earlier tho ( unless i just complained about it, which i might've done ). probs my least fav so far but it's not bad or anything like that.
rating: 7/10
no come down
MATT HOLLYWOOD! i listened to this song for the first time like two months ago and i really enjoyed it, but, again. matt. his voice does hit every time and the tambourine coming in ... phewwww. the riff is good and i like some of these lyrics. and the switch up then it going back to being slow?! i love it. his vocals on the "if there's a god in heaven" are good i fuckin love his voice UGH. it's not even like his voice is that amazing it just has this quality to it i really enjoy. also i like the line "i got the holy spirit breathing down my neck" his little religious lyrics are fun, the second switch up is really good. anyway kind of a long song, almost six minutes, it does feel a little long but overall it's a solid track!
rating: 8/10
(around you) everywhere
okay synth ?! very short kind of interlude, sounds very similar to all around you. it's giving their satanic majesties request lol. the horns are good, but yk, it's just ... instrumentals. not much to comment on here. also my spotify fucking crashed right after this song played that's weird. thanks ANTON.
raring: 5/10
jesus
I FUCKIN LOVE THIS SONG. for me this is absolutely a hit, i think every single part of it works so well and all of the different solos make me go crazy. the lyrics and the way they're sung are also??? SO GOOD???? "missed my connection to the second resurrection / on a close up inspection / i lost my direction" WHAT THE FUCKKKK the lyrics have no right being this amazing. i do think this song is a little long, at least for me personally, but truthfully every other part makes up for it so ... it gets an extra point from me. god the soloing is just so fucking good. "i turned to jesus when i lost all my friends / and the good times all ended, with my money i spent it" idk something about the way this shit is sung makes me go insane. then the "have mercy please jesus" being sung in the background of the outro solo.... fuuuuuuck.
rating: 10/10
before you
another kind of short interlude, longer than (around you) everywhere tho. again with the eastern kinda influence! honestly i don't have much to say on this, it's alright. it gets a shrug.
rating: 5/10
miss june '75
ohhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHH. matt. matt matt matt you never cease to amaze me with your songwriting. this is a matt hollywood song through and through and i fucking adore it. it's slow, sensual, has the matt-esque suggestiveness of it all ... yeah. i know these lyrics by heart not even gonna lie and this is a fun, but simple, love song to play on guitar. do you want to hear me talk about solos again? because the solos in this song are great. anyway we get to the kind of main course and i really love the line "the way she dances makes me lose my mind" ughhhhh.... idk. something about it! his voice is so good here. i will say i usually skip the rest after "the two brightest stars up in heaven" just bc it's literally matt singing about having sex but. yk. interesting listen! very long song, but if you just listen to the first five minutes you'll be good and get the gist.
anemone
the greatest hit on this album, the most popular bjm song ... anemone! i actually have no clue who sings this one, i heard it was anton's wife, katy, but idk what was going on in 1996 so i can't really say that with any sort of confidence. anyway this song is just great. do i even have to describe why??? the intro, the riff, the solos, the bass. the tambourine literally makes this song what it is. and the vocals are great, i really like her voice. i also like this song live, it's soooooo good, i think i may actually prefer anton's voice on this track but the studio version really is great. the outro with anton and her singing "now that you're not around," UGHHH so good. this was the first bjm song i ever heard and what i think should be most people's first foray into the band! it pretty much perfectly encapsulates their sound. so, obvs, this gets a perfect score.
rating: 10/10
baby (prepraise)
another random instrumental ... yeah. idk why this reminds me of something that would be in the shining LOL.
rating: 5/10
feelers
mooooore eastern type stuff. idk if that's a sitar or what but i like the sound! i am not actually sure i've ever heard this song, very simple lyrics tho. i honestly don't have much to say, it's my least favorite on this album up until this point. another shrug.
rating: 6/10
bad baby
interesting little intro. interesting song in general ... i do like it tho, it's kind of soft and has a nice beat. the vocals are also good! this is pretty long, like eight minutes long, which i don't love but. whatcha gonna do. also has a percussion ass outro which is pretty cool. but this gets the same amount of love from me as feelers did.
rating: 6/10
cause, i lover
I DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE THIS AT FIRST it's from thank god for mental illness ... or i guess technically it's from this album but it appears again a little differently on the next album. i really like this song!!! it's short and sweet but very country ish. good stuff.
rating: 9/10
(baby) love of my life
short ass instrumental again. literally i have nothing to say here! not too huge a fan of these types of tracks tho.
rating: 5/10
slowdown (fuck tomorrow)
weird track .... it feels very beatles. it's alright, not loooving it or anything like that but it does align pretty well with the 60s feeling a lot of this stuff is going for. not much more to say!
rating: 6/10
here it comes
i really like this song!! it's not too long, and the music is great and so are the vocals. very calm and vibey ... the lyrics are also cool, it's just overall a good song, not my favorite on the album but definitely a nice one to listen to. that solo too ... UGH!
rating: 9/10
all around you - outro
this is the all around you i usually listen to! but i may have to start taking a listen to the intro one too lol. it's pretty much the same exact song minus the voiceovers, with some other changes. i think they probably could've left one of these off the album, it doesn't seem all that needed to put the same song on here twice, but hey ... i like this one, surprisingly i like the intro one better tho!
rating: 8/10
to crazy to care - bonus track
this song is ALSO on thank god for mental illness, it's a good one and i love it!! i don't think it's necessarily fit to be on this album, but it's a bonus track and apparently with bonus tracks bjm doesn't give a shit. clearly. look at spacegirl... ANYWAY good, short song!! i'll go into it more on the next review.
rating: 9/10
there we have the album! this album was a little longer than the previous one, but not by much. i don't think i've ever listened to it all the way through like this, so it definitely put the whole thing into perspective for me. there's a lot of psychedelic rock vibes and eastern influence in here, it's a great album, mostly the misses lie with the interludes though. i don't think they were all that needed, or they could've been a little more interesting. the first half was also better than the second half in my opinion. but either way, this was very good! i actually have a greater love for this album now having heard all the genres and themes tie in together.
hits: anemone, jesus, miss june '75
misses: feelers, bad baby, all of the interludes
overall album score: 8.5/10
there we have it! next up is thank god for mental illness, which i've been looking forward to this whole time. expect it soon!!
we've finally made our way out of shoegaze and into the depths of bjm's most notable sound, which would be rock! most notably garage rock, for this album at least. some of this stuff is very rolling stones esque ... which i adore. also, without diving into it, i would say this probably stands to be my favorite bjm album, but we'll see after reviewing each song!
on to the tracks...
vacuum boots
this is a fun little song to start us off with! i didn't really used to enjoy this one but it definitely grew on me with time. the verses are really good and i luvvvv anton's voice on here. "you do what you like, if you want you can ask me" IDKKKK some of these lyrics really hit. not in the poetic spacegirl way but more so in the like ... confident rock-y way. this song is pretty short, a perfect length in my opinion actually, almost coming out to three minutes. the guitar is just really good and!!! yeah it hits. i love it, there's literally not one thing wrong with it!
rating: 10/10
who?
this is a preeeeetty good song. it's not my fav on this album, but it's not bad by any means. basically the same length as vacuum boots as well. i like the 'who' parts in the background and this is a song i would tbh love to see live. just everyone singing that high part ... UGH! anyway this gets a very good rating, it's fun and catchy and the guitar parts are great, especially the solo kind of moment near the end. i only give it a point off bc it doesn't always hit for me, i don't listen to it that often, but it's definitely not a song you'd skip when listening to this whole album! it's enjoyable for sure.
rating: 9/10
caress
this song is veeerryy groovy <3 i also like when songs mention in the lyrics that it's a song ... like "i put them all together when i made this song" smth about it hits always!! the 'oh yeaaah's in the background GET ME they're just really fun to sing. this whole song is FUN. this whole album pretty much is!!! the tambourine is doing everything for me i fucking love how heavily featured it is in every single one of these songs. anyway the soloing is great this track is just very danceable i feel like. "i know the meaning of rock n roll / i'll tell you all about it 'cause it's in my soul" YEAAAH BABY THIS IS ROCK N ROLL!!!! great stuff.
rating: 10/10
(david bowie i love you) since i was six
awwwwh UGH this song ... is so nostalgic and mellow and just gives off this really sad but loving vibe. i adore the vocals around the "there's a fire in your eyes" part and afterward, especially "yes i'm sure, it shines in you." anton's voice ROCKS here!!! kinda shaky and raspy and fuuuck it's just great. i don't listen to this one all that often, but when i do i always really enjoy it <3 it's just a song for a certain kind of vibe i think. but it works well on this album despite not necessarily following the more fast, upbeat sounds of the other songs we've heard so far. but uh yeah i'm giving this a good rating!
rating: 9/10
straight up and down
i never listen to this song and tbh i'm not sure why! anton's voice is fucking great here and the music itself?? is so good?? obviously this is an objectively great song bc it was literally used as boardwalk empire's intro theme, which i have yet to watch that show but i've been meaning to for this song alone lol. the riff is catchy and i like the kind of far away effect of anton's voice ... and how once again raspy it is! i love when he sings like that. i'm pretty sure this is the song bjm played on the diane perry tape where someone called in afterward and asked if it was the rolling stones <3 so obvs we can see the influence here. the solos work really well, it's a longer song but not too long, pretty perfect i think.
rating: 10/10
monster
this reminds me of david bowie for sure ... especially with the music itself and the vocals. the chorus is good and once again, the tambo is carrying as it always does. thanks joel. this track is definitely slower but not a skipper, honestly i'd venture to say there's NO SKIPS on this album at all. i think every song is pretty equally enjoyable! to me, at least. but depending on who you are, it's probs not for everyone lol. tracks like fucker and cabin fever are def made for certain kinds of people. BUT ANYWAY. yeah good song! not my fav fav but i like the david bowie influence here.
rating: 8/10
take it from the man
I FUCKIN LOVE THIS SONG. tambourine carrying, the "yeah"s in the background, like ??? WOW. and the lyrics are so good, there's too many to comment on but some of my favs are "it's just like i said / they're fucking with your head" "you ain't safe in your bed / or even when you're dead" and "i seen it coming down / so i headed out of town" AGAIN !! with the confident lyrics it just speaks to the rock-y vibe so much. anton's voice once again works so well and has that sharp edge to it that especially gives this song that push it needs. AND THE HARMONICA?? don't even get me started. i love a good harmonica solo, or harmonica in the background, ANYTHING with a harmonica i fucking love. so this is just great for me.
rating: 11/10
b.s.a.
i will not even lie to you right now, this is my favorite fucking song on this album. perhaps one of my favorite bjm songs of all time, it's definitely in my top 3. i told you guys i was gonna talk about matt hollywood a lot and here's our first genuine matt hollywood song!!! the airy, raspiness of his voice makes me want to throw something through a wall it's that good. the guitar in the background doing those little notes is soooo the rolling stones I JUST LOVE IT. and ofc the tambourine .... so simple yet it brings so much to the song. "but i feel so warm when i'm in her / when i'm in her arms" THE WAY HE SINGS THIS ....i could die. truly. i love the lines "she goes off like a shotgun / she's got me begging on my knees / she's like a kiss from jesus / made me forget my disease" SOOOO GOOD. matt hollywood i have a feeling you wrote this, it's very much his style. the instrumental with the "woo woo" is fucking phenomenal also. i'm not sure what b.s.a. stands for, maybe the main chorus lyrics? not sure. anyway when we get to the "stop running away from me" i fucking nearly lose my mind every time. everything after is so amazing i can't even fathom how this is a real song. absolutely amazing track, nothing else on this album beats it honestly.
rating: 1000000/10
mary please
okay well this is a very close contender for beating b.s.a. LMAO. this song fucking slaps, the riff is insane and i truly cannot believe an actual living breathing person came up with something this amazing, i just ... wow. anton's voice has that soft, longing quality that works with the lyrics, almost exuding disappointment but love at the same time - "sadly i remain in love with you." like !!! that makes me fuckin FEEL THINGS. the raspiness coming in after the chorus ... wow. wowowowow. that riff / solo returning and blowing my mind as it always does. what a great fucking song.
rating: 110000/10
monkey puzzle
this may be my least favorite song on this album but it's not bad at all. i'm pretty sure this is anton singing but also....? idk? the voice is so raspy. but i'm pretty sure this is anton idk who else it would be, it's not matt. ALSO THE COWBELL??? fucking crazy good. give me all the tiny percussion instruments i love them. anyway this song is a bit long for me so i usually don't end up listening too much, i also don't loooove the voice that's being put on. but overall it's a quality song and very complex and rich, it has a lot of stuff going on!
rating: 7/10
fucker
okay i have a soft spot for this song <3 idk why but i really like it, it's insanely simple but it's kinda funny and also sad and like ??? idk. "fucking bitch, you tried to drag me down / talk about me all around the town" oh anton. your songwriting never ceases to amaze me. i truly love it tho, it's absolutely hilarious despite the more somber tone. "if you fuck me i will fall apart" damn. DAMN. like okay wow..... anyway i truly do enjoy this song, it gets a good rating from me, it's def not for everyone tho. thankfully it's short enough to be the perfect amount of enjoyable.
rating: 8/10
dawn
harmonica coming in CLUTCH!!! not a whole lot of lyrics on this song but it's also pretty short so, yk, there's that. i actually didn't realize how short this song was until just now lol. this song is pretty good, though, it's a simple little song with some different guitar stuff going on in the background ... vocals are fine. harmonica gives the song an extra point in my eyes. not much to say on this one, i am not having a whoooole lot of feelings abt it.
rating: 8/10
cabin fever
ohhhh matt hollywood <3 there you are again. truthfully i fucking love this song, it's a longer one ( almost eight minutes long ) but some of these lyrics hit so hard and the chords are just GREAT. like, when listening you don't really hear how depressing these lines are but then you look at them and you're like ... oh! this is about depression and alcoholism and wanting to die! idk i just really love the dark lyrics coupled with the not too dark music?? like yes the chords are somewhat somber but they don't really hint at what this song is gonna be about lol. also the solos are fucking great. "i have this room that's got no windows only walls" ONE OF MY FAV BJM LYRICS EVER. something about it is so fucking sad i just love it. "it's easy when you realize / you're nothing, you're nothing." sooooo good. matt's voice on the "please don't ask why, i think it's time we say goodbye" part WOOOOWWOWOW. then we go into the even more depressing part of this song, both musically and lyrically, and it's just uuughhhh. so good. so many great lines i wish i could comment on them all. i'll just end it with exactly what the song ends on, "i don't wanna die / too fucking young to say goodbye" that ALWAYS hurts me and the way he sings it?? just great stuff here. it's not for everyone but fuck if i don't love this song!!!
rating: 11/10
in my life
this song always cracks me up. it's soooo fucking funny talking about hating someone and wanting to kill them like this is so anton coded. i know his ass wrote this one. anyway i really like this song and it's pretty short and the music is good, especially the solo in the middle. a little bit country influenced it sounds like! but the rest of the song is def rock. good song, i have never once found anything wrong with it and i do listen to it when it comes up on my playlist lol. so! this gets a pretty good rating, it's not my favvv but i like it a fair amount.
rating: 9/10
be song
this song .... wow. another true fucking banger. not all that long but the beginning riff and those chords??? THE B TO AN A# TO AN A??? fucking killer chord progression right there. this is also very much stones esque, this actually might be the song someone called in and asked abt being a rolling stones song .... i don't quite remember. either way it was smth from this album! lol. which adds up. this song also slaps on the diane perry tape, which i'm not going to actually review because it's not necessarily an album, just a live show with some studio stuff thrown in, but the live version of be song on there ... kills me. it's so good. anyway the solo on THIS song is also fucking great with the "oh yeah" before it??? KILLS ME. and the tambourine ugh. UGH! what a fucking song. also i like the beginning line "you try to break my heart in two / but that's okay, that's what you do" SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!! JUST! HITS!!
rating: 10/10
my man syd
a song about syd barrett! i assume. always love some good pink floyd mentions tho. i listened to this song a pretty good amount earlier this year, it has an interesting little riff but i do like the song! another short one tho. it's not the greatest on this album but it's nowhere near bad. it just doesn't compare to smth like b.s.a. or mary please lol.
rating: 8/10
straight up and down - long version
straight up and down but for eleven minutes! uhhhh yeah this is literally basically the same song just extended, sounds a little different tho and i actually really like the introductory solo. vocals are ... interesting. i definitely like this better than the revisited version of spacegirl tho. i don't think this necessarily needed an extended track but these guys were just jamming out. i can't blame 'em too hard. i do like when we get into the actual extension with the new lyrics, it's good! and i like anton's vocals here. also the "ooo ooo"s at the end are literally just like the ones from sympathy for the devil... I SEE YOU GUYS. anyway, good stuff! i actually really like this extended version after having listened to the full thing, it's a great track.
rating: 9/10
and that, ladies and gents and anyone else, is take it from the man! i reaaaaally fucking love this album and it completely lived up to my expectations, the music is mindblowingly good and even the shorter / simpler tracks really keep my attention. like, to me, there is genuinely not one bad song on this album! it's a no skipper through and through. i don't even think there are any misses on this album, not one song scored below a 7 which ... would generally be my criteria for a miss lol. and that's the first bjm album so far to have this many high scored tracks! i will give my hits tho lol, i can't help myself. but, overall, this is a fucking incredible album and the fact that this came out alongside two other phenomenal albums in the same year is just ... insane to me. thank god for 1996!
hits: b.s.a., mary please, take it from the man
misses: none!
overall album score: 9.5/10
NEXT UP! their satanic majesties' second request! i don't actually know how i feel about that album so it'll be interesting to listen to in full. i'm mainly looking forward to the last '96 album, but we're almost there so <3 yeah. anyway hope you enjoyed anyone reading ( probably future me ) aaaand stay tuned for more!
next up we've gooooooot methodrone! this blog's namesake, of course, as well as the first album with an official release date. i think this album has some good songs, some not so good ones too, but let's dive in and see where this leads us! also i sat down and listened to this whole thing without any breaks i think that makes me a true music snob ( or just someone with no life ). buuut anyway!
on to the songs...
evergreen
hey, i told you guys we'd be getting evergreen again. here it is! as usual, i love the warped sounds at the beginning going into the actual music, the vocals are good on both sides, and i love when they duet on the chorus. this version is a tiny bit longer than pol pot's, but it definitely is the perfect length and for sure achieves that shoegaze sound. i also like anton's singing at the end. not much else to say. great song!
rating: 10/10
wisdom
i. fucking. love. this. song. i didn't really used to, but FUCK if it hasn't grown on me. the drums are perfect, the chords, the SOLO???? god it's just. fucking perfection. i love the lyrics they're so great, "you're the one thing i believe in," "my love is like a flower / daisies are always free / pulling out the petals", "i'll get my way or i'm going to kill you" SO MANY GREAT FUCKING LINES. and that solo just makes me melt it's amazing. genuine perfection. anton's voice is really great here, it works so well, completely encapsulates the vibe and theme of the song i think. especially the obsessive desperation of the "love me, love me" line. the ending is def kind of thrown at you! like oh yeah if you don't love me i'll kill you! it's just great, i really really really enjoy this song and truly never skip it when it comes up. very catchy, fun to listen to, and even more fun to play on guitar. absolutely flawless, definitely the best song on this album.
rating: 100000000/10
crushed
i had no idea this song, which we just heard on spacegirl, was also here on methodrone! i think ?? it's pretty much the exact same thing, and though it works pretty well on this album, it's maybe a little more suited to spacegirl just in terms of the lyrics. the main differences i hear have to do with the bass not being quite as loud, the drums being a little different, and louder / clearer vocals. aside from that, same shit! i like spacegirl's version better.
rating: 7/10
that girl suicide
you guys already know how i feel about this song <3 same version as spacegirl, just slightly less grainy. ethereal amazing wonderful etc. one of the best tracks on this album.
rating: 11/10
wasted
I LOVE THIS SONG!!! we've got the great matt hollywood bass line ( expect me to talk about this man a lot ) and the blasted chords ... shoegaze fuckin central. i like how it gets a little calmer then we go back to getting fucking blasted at "i want to know." also anton's vocals are great here. i just adore them so much. when he uses his more normal voice vs the accent i'm always blown away by how much i love his voice. same thing in spanish bee, which we will get to probably soon. i think it's in the last album that came out in '96. anyway, yeah! wasted is fucking great and hits every time, just a superb song.
rating: 10/10
everyone says
somehow i'm not sure i've ever heard this song???? what the fuck. that's crazy. anyway, holy shit here comes anton's more normal voice again... WOW WOW WOW. his voice fucking rocks here, i love it. very drawn out and raspy and shaky ... just amazing. i like the line "everything reminds me of something you said," that spoke to me not gonna lie. anyway, this is good! i've definitely never heard this song so this is a genuine first time reaction. you should feel lucky, there's not gonna be many of those. BUT i would give this a pretty good score, not my fav thing ever musically but i really enjoy anton's voice on here, so. added points.
rating: 6/10
short wave
nice little song. i've enjoyed this one since i first heard it, which was admittedly not that long ago ( like earlier this year ) so i failed in that regard. but i've heard it before unlike everyone says so, that's something! anyway i really love the drums and background guitar on here, kind of a similar thing to that girl suicide almost. vocals are okay to start, i like them much better on the chorus tho. catchy and easy to sing along to ( if i could figure out these fucking lyrics ... NEVER trust the lyrics under a bjm song ). sooo yeah! short but good song.
rating: 7/10
she made me
ahhhh this song <3 it's such a vibe and truly hits, i forget how many good tracks are actually on here! this song is sooo fun to play on guitar, the chord progression ( of sorts ) is really cool. the chorus slaps and i think most people could find a way to enjoy this song, there's really nothing wrong with it in any capacity! the "la la la la laa"s are nice. good fade out. it's a little long but overall a great song, i like this version a little better than the one on the singles collection.
rating: 9/10
hyperventilation
ten fucking minutes bro .... this is not spacegirl help me. anyway, genuine review, i've never listened to this song in its entirety but i do like how it starts off, catchy little riff and drums goin' on... pretty slow build up to the vocals, no idea what's being said but i've come to appreciate that actually. and now that i hear the lyrics i do! realize i've heard at least this far but for sure skipped the rest lol. i like this little chorus of sorts, if it can even be called that. the beat is really nice tho so that keeps me engaged. i think he's saying smth about "sniffing glue" ??? idk it's about getting high what else can i tell you. the rest of the song is largely repetitive but i think, similar to spacegirl, it's not insanely boring repetitive. like i said, the beat is good enough to keep me interested for sure. this is very psychedelic, reminds me a bit of the black angels! so i see where that genre tag comes in. the little yell near the end is good.... enjoyed! i would definitely put this on a psychedelic playlist for some good background noise lol.
rating: 7/10
records
short song here! if this ... can even be counted as a song? it's giving the beginning of crushed, it's giving deep in the devil's eye & you. then we get this interesting kinda whooshing sound LOL it's very odd. i guess considering it's called 'records'... idk like a record spinning? am i getting this right? who knows. this being listened to more than outback is hilarious tho now i'm scared for that song. but uh yeah this was literally nothing idek what to give this shit.
rating: 4/10
i love you
TAMBOURINE!!!!!!!! imma be real now that i think about it ... this is the first song we've gotten tambo in thus far. i'm like pretty sure of that. and xylophone?? is that a xylophone?? vibraphone?? idk. anyway not loving the music the nonexistent beat is giving me nothing. this is another song i've literally never listened to in my life. lots of those on this album i guess lol. also wtf is up with these lyrics??? like the lyric screen is completely wrong i hate bjm fans syncing random ass fucking words to the track like come ON. open your ears people i'm too deaf to understand what he's saying i rely on this bullshit. anyway... vocals are forgettable so is the song itself i don't love it. I DON'T LOVE YOU, SONG. 💔
rating: 4/10
end of the day
okay ... the cure ass type intro beat. very moody i'm kinda liking it. okay then the vocals come in and i don't love it as much ( i'm reacting to this in real time ). and this slow ass song being five minutes long is kind of a crime. i mean we get a pick up of sorts but also not really. truthfully this was boring i really didn't like it! this is my lowest rated bjm song yet it is just not hitting in the slightest for me. so sorry anton.
rating: 3/10
outback
the intro is def reminding me of evergreen a bit ( the intro has turned into the whole song ). i still like this more than records so idk what's going on with the plays. but uh yeah still forgettable not much going on here but shoegazey sounds and not even the emotional kind it's just guitar. average joe score for a song that's a little too long to just be this.
rating: 5/10
she's gone
i enjoy this song a fair amount! it's not my favorite by any means but it's soft and calming and the whole thing is very nice. i didn't even realize this is its original album, i only ever listen to it on tepid peppermint wonderland lol. the vocals are really good tho, i like how they get drawn out at the end. pretty long song, seven minutes, but i think it fits well on this album and it's not insanely difficult to listen to, its repetitiveness just kind of fades into the background. a little better than average stuff!
rating: 7/10
untitled (methodrone)
okay! so i will say one thing, i fucking LOVE this song. it has been a staple of shoegazey bjm for me and is an absolute killer fucking track. the chords are phenomenal, i love the bass, it's genuine perfection. HOWEVER. i enjoy the singles collection version sooooo much better than this one ... i think the distant, echoed vocals on the other one work better than the closer, louder vocals in methodrone's version. and the loudness of the other version is just ... god. it goes right through you in the best way possible. but it's still the same song, just a diff version, but the live one just fucking rocks!!! anton's singing on this one isn't very good idk what else to say. so, a couple points off for that, but rest assured when we get to the singles collection this fucking song is getting a billion out of ten rating i listen to it very frequently. oh also, the screaming guitar part is fucking phenomenal. i'm guessing someone is ACTUALLY screaming into like the guitar's pickups or ... well i don't really know how they're doing it, but it's amazing. kills me every time and it works even better on the live version. can't wait to get to it ( we have like fifteen chronological years before we get there ). BUT the ending little music is nice i just ... ugh. great track.
rating: 8/10
in india you - bonus track
another bonus track that SHOULD'VE STAYED OFF. in my humble opinion. like surely this works better on their satanic majesties' second request ( which is the one it next appears on ) or it would've even worked better on give it back?? which has sitar and other indian influenced type shit?? idk i just think it doesn't work here at all but overall the song is fine. one point off for shit placement tho.
rating: 6/10
and that was methodrone! i would say this was an album that definitely has more hits than misses, but some of these misses are .... random. not great. so i think i'm probably going to score this similarly to spacegirl, maybe a little lower in terms of the decimal point tho lol. i think the good shit on here works and the shit that's not good doesn't. thankfully, it was an enjoyable listen overall ( except for end of the day ) even when i wasn't loving the songs. pretty good album!
hits: wisdom, that girl suicide, evergreen
misses: end of the day, records, i love you
overall album score: 7/10
next up we're moving into 1996! this year holds three albums, which is still insane to me, and two of them are some of my favorites so i cannot wait! knowing me, take it from the man will come out pretty soon, but we'll see. i just work on these when i'm not doing shit and that's pretty often, so. yk. stay tuned!
continuing strong with bjm's second album, spacegirl! similar to pol pot, there's definitely some confusion around when this album was released. it's essentially a collection of older demos, mainly recorded in '93 as far as i understand it, but the details get muddled around an actual release date. nonetheless, this is an album i've always really loved but i've never taken a deep dive listen into it before! let's just say this is shoegaze central and i'm excited to jump back into it. i'm also glad that i can finally analyze lyrics lol.
also, anton genuinely writing a special thanks to "our fans everywhere and women" for this album has me dying. i love it.
on to the songs!
crushed
this is definitely an interesting one to start the album off with, but bjm has never really been known for strategic song placements. anyway, the beginning is this weird guitar sound that grows into an actual riff that just blasts right through you, especially when the drums come in. i like the line "i can fly but i'm not free," there's some fun lyrics in this song that really speak to anton's songwriting. more poetic kind of stuff! which, he's obviously capable of writing pretty much anything and everything, but i always enjoy the more flowery lyrics we get in some of these songs. overall, a great track!
rating: 8/10
that girl suicide
to be so completely fucking honest, i don't think there's a moment in life where i could ever not love this song. it's a banger through and through, the riff just makes you want to move!!! a fast paced chord progression with the drums, and the lyrics def seem to refer to some kind of drug use ... which then all goes into this amazing fucking raw guitar sound that i can't even describe, you just have to listen to it. i do really enjoy the live version's switch up of lyrics ( as well as how they're sung ) and inclusion of maracas, i might even like the live version's lyric style a little better than the studio version's. and i will say, having heard this song live before ( twice! ), it's a mesmerizing experience and just. SO GOOD!!! the little "oooOooOoo"s also fucking kill me they're just great and so fun to sing along to. i didn't even think i was going to have much to say about this track tbh but apparently i was uh. wrong! i think it's just because i adore this song and always have, it's definitely one of my fav bjm songs and probably forever will be.
rating: 11/10
deep in the devil's eye & you
now THIS is a shoegaze ass fucking song. starts off similar to crushed, with this kind of droning guitar sound, then we get the drums coming in with this great beat and then the PICK SLIDE?!???? it destroys me every single fucking time the beat drops. i've got no idea what the lyrics to this song are, but i do enjoy the vocals a fair amount and i think all of the music works so well together. it gets a little repetitive for me, but it's not an insanely long song so i give it a pass. but i really like this one!! i still remember the day i first heard it lol i was like damn okay!! bjm beat drop!!! anyway.
rating: 8/10
kid's garden
a song that couldn't be more different from the last one, kid's garden is soft and melancholic and just speaks to me so hard!!! the maracas are great here and i just really love how the guitar notes align with exactly how anton sings. "angel, there's no sense calling out your name" has been one of my favorite bjm lyrics for a long time and remains my fav one in this song. i also really like "and lay the branches there at your feet." just these poetic little lyrics i can't get enough of!!! but fuck when we get to the 'angel's child' part and anton's voice rises up with the guitar following his pitch?!??? UGH. ugh. so fucking good. this song is long but i actually really like the length, mainly bc the song is so calming so it doesn't even feel repetitive ... it all just flows through you. it's definitely an experience, esp when we get a little switch into the keyboard and drums coming in, before it returns back to the soft melody from before. there's just something about this song that simultaneously heals me and hurts me. the feeling of an old friend. nostalgia. childish hope for the future. i don't know! so many emotions going on here and it pulls so much out of me. i really love it.
rating: 10/10
when i was yesterday
i really, really enjoy this song, rarely do i end up skipping it actually! it's hard to explain what's even going on but i looove how anton sounds in this and the lil guitar riffs between the lyrics ... very good stuff. the grain really brings this all together i think. this is a pretty average length song, it doesn't usually feel too long so i appreciate that. i also like the lead up into the ending a lot. not much more to say here!!
rating: 9/10
spacegirl
ahhhhh spacegirl ... almost twelve minutes of pure bliss to my fucking ears. i've fallen asleep to this song i can't even count how many times, it's very pretty and soft and is great for passing the time. i love the very beginning, anton's random ass line... then we get into it. truthfully it never gets old to me despite kind of repeating the same shit, "just let me love you," the chords are really soothing and i wish i knew what they were!! unfortunately i do not, my go to man for tutorials has not yet figured out the chords so we'll see if someone ever figures it out lol. anton sure as hell doesn't know. anyway, another song about love! from bjm?!?? insane ( sarcasm ). no but i love the lyrics of this song, they're def giving similar vibes to crushed and kid's garden. besides hide and seek, this is pretty much my go to song from this album, i really really love it. then the fade out into the next one ... good stuff.
rating: 10/10
spacegirl - revisited
leading out of what the last one left off with, we get walmart version spacegirl! kidding, kind of. anyway this is purely instrumental and continues a lot of the same themes, it def grows on me as it continues on but really it's just an extended version of spacegirl and there's not much more i can say on it! i kind of don't love it but i don't hate it either, it's just there for me ( but bonus points for it being a continuation of a great song ).
rating: 6/10
after the fall
i will say, i very much enjoy the drums on this song. and the chorus is good with the very echoed vocals ... honestly tho for me there's just not much going on here! i truly don't have much more to say, i think it's the most average track so far and gets a little repetitive for me, simply because there's noooot a whole lot happening.
rating: 5/10
thoughts of you
not to be mistaken with thoughts of you too from pol pot lol. i loooove the guitar on this song and it's actually really fun to play, the intro is emotional and the music really just works so well. again with the making me a little bit sad! but there's something about the chord progression that gives that feeling and it feels like emotion genuinely went into this. another really good lyric - "life has lost its mystique under trembling time." banger fucking lyrics in this one, very very poetic. i think anton's voice is good here and it all just WORKS. this just feels like ... longing. and i love it.
rating: 9/10
hide and seek
OOOOOOOOOHHHH BOYYYY. this one doesn't even need to be thought about, instant 1,000,000/10. i think this is bjm's best fucking song and there is genuinely nothing that can ever beat it for me. so uh. yes! hide and seek is my favorite bjm song, in fact maybe my favorite song of all time. i fucking LOVE the chords and the shoegaziness of it all?!??? you can barely understand what this guy is saying, can barely hear him actually, and it's just fucking great. amazing lyrics. chorus slaps like nothing else and i can't even properly describe the way it makes me feel. the "ahhh ah ahh" WITH THE 'WE PLAY HIDE AND SEEK'???!? fucking amazing. this is another song about longing and it shows so well in the lyrics and the music and ALL OF IT. all of it. fucking perfect song. it doesn't overstay it's welcome and even if it was as long as spacegirl i wouldn't care, it's that good. if you like shoegaze this should be your new favorite because nothing beats it, not even e to g. best track on this album for SURE.
rating: 1,000,000/10
never, ever!
winding down from good old hide and seek ... we have never, ever! i don't love the way anton sings these lyrics to be so real and the music doesn't do a whole lot for me, it stays pretty steady throughout the whole song. i like some of the soloing going on though! i don't even know the last time i listened to this whole song, it's definitely been like ... a year at this point probably. but it is six minutes so i don't really blame myself considering i already don't really like it. alright song, not my fav and def the weakest on this album. but it definitely keeps that same theme and feel we get with all of these songs! this would've been a 4/10 but the soloing really makes up for everything else so it gets a point added.
rating: 5/10
ashtray
wow, it's been a bit since i heard this one either. LOTS of feedback in the start of this song which i can't tell if it's purposeful or not... either way, nooooot my favorite, i mean it's alright! but it isn't doing much for me. i do like the solos as i pretty much always do in every bjm song ever, but that's about it. this feels a little misplaced on this album, considering all of the other songs follow a pretty set theme / vibe / style, but i know this is a collection of old demos so, hey! more bjm! but this definitely could've gone on another album i think. or gone to one of the compilation albums lol.
rating: 5/10
fire song
the notes and solos on this song are really catchy... would probs be very fun to play on guitar. this definitely fits in with the rest of the album especially with some of the lyrics like "there was a fire so i jumped inside / i got lost inside you." good stuff! a pretty simple song, not much going on here so i can't say too much on it. it's a good old average joe.
rating: 5/10
maleka - bonus track
this song being on here is so fucking funny i almost can't stand it. this is very much better suited to the next album it appears on, which is give it back!, but here it just sounds soooooo out of place. like ??? what's this country shit doin' on spacegirl! anyway as a song i do enjoy it but it's so terribly placed i hate it here. i mean i know it's a bonus track but guuuuuys ..... please. just listen to this compared to something like kid's garden it couldn't be any more different. but uh yeah a fine song! country ish for sure which i love so it gets a good little rating from me.
rating: 7/10
aaaaand that's spacegirl! definitely shorter than pol-pot's pleasure penthouse, but i think there are some great songs on this album and the entire overarching style really speaks to me. i like the vocals we get and especially the deep feeling of emotion that comes with so many of these songs. it's really just superb, especially in the songs that shine the most. and this album DOES hold my favorite song so it's even more special to me <3 overall i'd give this a pretty good score!
hits: hide and seek, kid's garden, spacegirl
misses: never ever!, ashtray, maleka
overall album score: 7.5/10
next up we've got methodrone! i've listened to the full album but it's been a while sooo we'll see what my rating ends up being lol. loved spacegirl tho!! so i have high hopes for their next ( and kind of last ) shoegaze album before we start getting into the alt rock and country stuff. which i also cannot wait for. but yes expect methodrone sometime soon probably!
starting off strong with bjm's ( or anton's, i think it's still a little unclear ) first album, originally a set of demo tapes, pol-pot's pleasure penthouse! i think this album emotionally destroyed me the first time i heard it, in fact i have never been the same since some of these songs hit my ears. this is an album i hold near and dear to my heart and is one of those gems you find when you start exploring their unreleased stuff.
to note, this is not the 2017 vinyl rerelease - this version's songs are faster, much less lofi-y, and contain additional songs not found in the 2017 version. i think the 90s version is better, just as a shoegaze whore, but if you're into lofi go check out the newer release. most of the song titles are different, too, despite being ... the same song? anyway, i'll be referring to these songs as their names in the 90s version! if you're confused, here's a doc i made a while back listing which songs are which on both albums.
btw i'm linking youtube vids of the songs to their titles, just if you want to give it a quick listen! this whole album is pretty much supplied by tim herremans, my go to bjm guy. thank god for archivists.
on to the songs! all below the cut <3
fingertips
our first song and absolutely one of my favorites on this entire album. i love the fingertips we got in 2016, but this older version hits in every single fucking way possible. the bass coming in at the beginning, very quiet before slowly becoming louder; the tambourine, adding a lil different sound than 2016's version; and the vocals!! they're so muddled and fuzzy it's hard to tell what's even being said but that's just shoegaze for you, baby. for a long time i hadn't even realized this was such an old song, but uh, yeah! it's one of bjm's oldest! i'm beyond happy that anton decided to revisit it with tess parks, which has given some amount of hope that other songs on this album will be brought back, buuuut if not i'm content with what we've got. overall, this song is an easy perfect score for me.
rating: 10/10
e to g
once upon a time this was my favorite bjm song, nothing could top it, amazing wonderful beautiful etc etc ... i still do feel that strongly about it! while it's not my fav song anymore, it's up there in my top five ( maybe even my top three ) and the feelings i have for it haven't lessened at all. there's simply been other songs that have taken the mantle of being my favorite lol. nonetheless, i fucking love this song and have since i first heard it. the beginning gives strong pink floyd, def like ... division bell vibes, which funnily enough came out after this album. but then we get into the riff and it's just pure fucking bliss. it's literally a G and an A and yet i can't get enough of it!!! something about the distortion and the general sound gives the entire song this full feeling. and don't even get me started on the vocals; i think anton is great here, like this is def in his top vocal performances for me. the echoed and higher quality of his voice makes this completely ethereal !!!
then we fade into the middle, cutting the two halves, and it's just ... insanely soothing chords and weird sound effects for a good minute and a half, i adore this part so much. finally, we get the second half / ending! it's basically two separate songs in one. i don't know who sings this one, but it's probably the same person who sang fingertips i'd imagine??? i don't know! either way, her voice is great and also has that echoed, ethereal quality that really ties this song together. i fucking love the drums in this part and it's all just a package of fucking perfection. god, i love this song!!!
rating: 1000000/10, fucking amazing
phone song
it's been a while since i heard this one! i have this full album downloaded to my spotify but i don't think this song is on my bjm playlist, so i never hear it. that being said, i enjoyed listening again! i really like the drums in this song as well, the phone sound effects and the general vibe we got going on are great. the music itself isn't doing a whole lot for me, really it's the atmosphere of it all, the grain you can hear in the background ... god it's just great. vocals are pretty normal here, very distant and echoed, a little like e to g. i do not think this song needed to be six minutes long! but hey, no one asked me ( i wasn't even born yet ). we get this droning sound for a little bit near the middle, which is fun, as the song slowly but surely fades out. not much else to say here!
rating: 5/10
thoughts of you too
fuuuuuuuuuuck this song. kills me. all of the music melded together to create this full sound is one of the best fuckin things i've ever heard, the distorted picking in the background and the distant, echoed vocals all over again?!??? god i could die. i really love anton's voice in this song, too, and the chorus ( of sorts ) just destroys me. this has always been one of my go to songs on this album, just for the sheer shoegazy-ness of it. it makes me feel things!!! like i feel sad and nostalgic for something and it just really evokes a lot from me. i don't have much else to say but this song feels like genuine 90s shoegaze and it's one of the best things ever. i can't even imagine hearing this in a concert ... i would pass away.
rating: 10/10
chameleons
OHHHHH BOY. the famed chameleons. this is the song i sobbed to the first time i heard it bc of how fucking pretty it is. i can't even describe how well the music works with the soft vocals, the way his voice rises when the chorus happens... FUUCUKSJSBDBSB. so good. it's like a high without being high. the best kind of musical drug there is. anton's voice really just carries here and it's like ... he's completely suited for these shoegaze songs. honestly i just can't even fathom the idea of hearing this song for the first time again, it truly is that good and, besides e to g, might be the next best highlight on pol pot. and the way he sings at the end ????/?!/!:!/?/! i can't. I CAN'T.
rating: 11/10
evergreen
i meaaaan ... just a fucking classic shoegaze song ( which isn't just me saying that, it is! ) that hits pretty much every time. the noise at the beginning morphing into the drums and the chords and vocals starting... man. obviously this version is a lot more distant than methodrone's, and i would assume a different vocalist? i actually can't really tell. the bass on this song is great and i really like the whole "nail me to the boards" bit. evergreen is soooo fucking fun to play on guitar and it's always just so pretty. i think the shoegaze fiends would go crazier over this version than the 1995 one, but i still love the other ones. speaking of, expect to see this song at least two more times on some of these lists, it's featured in a couple albums ( all with different sorts of sounds ). sooo get used to evergreen!
rating: 10/10
fade
if only i could give you guys an actual review of this song </3 fade has seemingly been lost to time and hasn't appeared on any version of pol pot since the apparent demo release, especially not anywhere online. there's basically no record of it even existing except for it being listed on the album cover and i've tried searching for this song for a year and a half with no luck. so! did this song exist? definitely. is it lost? unfortunately. unless someone has a demo from 1990/1991, or anton remembers this song ( unlikely ), then i think fade will forever be the mystery that haunts me.
rating: lost media 😔
space
they do this kind of ringing note at the beginning of some of their songs, which i've noticed ever since i listened to space. i like this song, it's a longer one but has some fun stuff going on in it! no vocals, just six and a half minutes of pure ethereal noise. i'm accustomed to this sort of thing and always appreciate a good instrumental piece so ... yeah! i do think it gets a little repetitive after a bit but i'm not gonna fault a jam session because this song seems like it would be fun as hell to play. and that concludes the end of side one!
rating: 5/10
psychedelic sunday
i can't even find this song by itself on youtube so i linked the whole album at the timestamp this song plays. anyway! this is a much more fast paced song and def gives off a psychedelic feel that some of these other songs don't. i like the little bridge part before it goes back into the verses ... but overall i really don't have much to say on this one, it's a good little song and isn't all that long either.
rating: 5/10
jazzy song
i've always liked this song, it's groovy and the vocals are sooooooo GOOD. anton's voice going high like that?!? i could die. i just love the riff on this one and the guitar in the background gives this song so much character, the bass too. definitely one of the more fun songs on the album.
rating: 7/10
that quiet song
be prepared to see this song again! i'm pretty sure it only appears on if i love you but i could be wrong ( and besides, we have a while till we hit the 2000s stuff anyway ). but! i love this song, i've always loved this song, and this one isn't a whole lot different from the 2001 version. i like the vocals on this, how they're a little softer, obvs being called that quiet song! so, makes sense. and actually i may like his singing here better than the 2001 version but i'll have to see when i get there. anyway i cannot even imagine hearing this live, i would seriously die. just a great song, not my top favorite in this album but it's definitely up there.
rating: 8/10
only trying to help you
another little banger, i really like the bass line and anton's voice carries as it so often does on this album. the chorus is probably my favorite part of this song, it all just fits together so well!! and the ending vocals are great. i wish i had more to say on some of these songs, but they're pretty simple and don't evoke a whole lot from me, despite however much i may like them. so a couple of these reviews may stay a little shorter as a result lol
rating: 7/10
don't leave me here
i LOVE this song. it's always lots of fun when they bring in a different singer, but there's just something about the music itself that speaks to me soooo much. i fucking love the drums coming in alongside everything else, and it's this beautiful sound alongside her voice???? it's just fucking great. the "don't leave me here" part is so pretty but honestly nothing beats the verses they have going on, i've got no idea what the lyrics are but they're sure as hell nice to hear. i'll just say that blasting this in the car at night is such an experience and nothing beats it. this song also doesn't feel too long or short, just the perfect amount and it really hits every fucking time!! great song.
rating: 10/10
fade II
a pretty short one here, coming in at abooouuut 47 seconds. it's just an instrumental but i love the sound and it's ... unexplainable how it makes me feel. definitely crazy that such a short track can evoke any sort of emotion but this did it!! there's also a longer alternate version i found on the internet archive that's like 5 minutes long. if you wanna listen to that one, the link is here. but yeah!! this makes me go fucking crazy because i want to know what fade sounds like so bad, but unfortunately i don't and may never find out. but at least we have this one.
rating: 7/10
memphis sound
this is a fun song. it always reminds me of like, a 90s video game track or something, it's just great. a little silly but in all the right ways. no vocals but that's okay!! honestly tho i don't have a whole lot to say about this song, it's short and sweet aaaaand i like the bridge part before the repeat. that rhymed. anyway!
rating: 5/10
remember yesterday
the ( fake ) accent comes OUT in this one. not that it's a problem for me, it's just something i noticed compared to the other songs lol. i really like the chorus on this song tho??? all of the moving parts flow together really well. this is a more forgettable track for me but i did manage to somewhat remember what it sounded like before playing it, so that's something.
rating: 6/10
fade III
this song really hits for whatever reason. it's literally a minute of guitar and some singing but like !! ugh the chord progression is really great. i love the fade in and the really light drums you get in the background near the middle of it, i just fuckin love it. good little song.
rating: 8/10
the cure
you already know this is getting a perfect score from me. i fucking love this song, always have always will, anton's vocals are GREAT and work so well with everything else going on. it's a really catchy song and if i could actually understand any of the lyrics i'd be singing along for sure. the "[whatever] breaks down" part hits every FUCKIN time i just adore it. the little solo..... ugh. amazing.
rating: 10/10
fade IV
you know how it is. more sounds with pretty much no vocals!! just warped as shit guitar and percussion. it's a cool track, not much else to say here.
rating: 5/10
the cure II
another absolute banger. the drums ?!?? so fucking good. i love the way the chords are played, his voice, how everything sounds during the chorus of sorts... this really hits every single time. when he just gives his lil vocals well. that really kills me every time in the best way possible. love this song!
rating: 10/10
fade V
the final song on this album... just as with all the other fades, we get a fade in instrumental! the guitar is weird on this one and i really like it. but i genuinely have nothing more to say here! it's hard to when the song is only a minute long lol
rating: 5/10
i didn't mean to go so overboard on e to g and a couple of others but MAN they just speak to me. anyway, to me, this album is a good hit with a few snags here and there. not that the lower rated songs are bad in any sense, they just don't really compare to the feeling some of these other songs exude. but the good shit here is really fucking good, and i think it's an impressive shoegaze album especially considering when it came out!
hits: e to g, chameleons, thoughts of you too
misses: phone song, space, psychedelic sunday
overall album score: 8/10
this was fun to listen to! next up is spacegirl, which is another shoegaze album, and holds my favorite bjm song of all time <3 idk when that's coming but uhhh expect it eventually! i'll try to go less crazy talking about the songs so i don't burn myself out ( as usual ). thanks for reading to anyone who has!!
because i literally have no life, and i'm in the depths of this hyperfixation, i've decided that i'm going to review every bjm album, in order, and give my honest thoughts! not only on the overall album itself but i may go into rating each song if i'm feeling really ambitious?!? i'll also offer up my hits / misses, aka what songs i loved and which ones might've missed for me. that should maybe, possibly, come sometime soon, soooo watch out for it! i'll have it all under a review tag lol.
somehow my ass managed to figure out a very precise detail from the diane perry tape... was listening through and realized it's a fucking radio session! so i did some digging trying to figure out when and where this was broadcasted, but as usual, couldn't find jack. then i came across this moment in the video where the host and anton are talking about a live bjm show that's being played at the dna lounge with spike 1000 as the opener "on tuesday." so i was like, hm, what's the dna lounge? looked it up and it's this night club in san francisco with live music, which is obvs where bjm was based out of, so it's a hit. searched up dna lounge and brian jonestown massacre together and found this calendar page on their website, with all of the past shows from 1985-1999... turns out bjm DID play with spike 1000 as the opener on august 30, 1994 which was a tuesday! i was so happy when i found this, i could've fucking kissed the person who made this page and compiled all of the past shows, this is why archiving is so damn important. so jwz from san francisco, you're my fucking guy. anyway, so basically the diane perry tape was recorded at MOST a week before that show at the dna lounge, i just don't know exactly what date and i'll probably keep digging and see if i can figure out what the radio station was or who the host was. i'm gonna figure this shit out.
also i did uncover some new evidence concerning "fade" from pol-pot's pleasure penthouse... randomly stumbled upon this chinese website that listed the length of every song on the album and fade was there! coming in at 3:19, so my theory is that this song is more akin to the cures (which have singing and are more so actual songs) rather than the other fades (which are purely instrumental). i couldn't figure out how to create an account though, unfortunately. so fade is still lost and seems to exist nowhere else on the internet except this random chinese website. what the fuck even is my life.
anyway so yeah!! more bjm things i uncovered and i'm proud of my detective work. it's always something when it comes to this band
this is truly bjm adjacent BUT i’ve been really into finding bands who are connected to bjm / anton in general. through this i discovered hollowbody and their song tangled ( as bjm covered this song, called it “tangles” instead ). well turns out the lead singer of hollowbody - which was named by anton btw, crazy - was also in a band called reverb, who made two songs released in a limited edition ‘tangible box’ set alongside some other bands and bjm. WELL FUCKIN TURNS OUT one of the songs is completely lost, “matins,” but the other song “aftertouch” is up on youtube … i’m gonna lose my mind if i come across any more lost songs from the early 90s. literally i don’t even know why i care but i’m so curious to hear the other song i may just buy the record, for a measly 5-8 dollars. not that i even have a record player but maybe i’ll ask for one for christmas and just buy the shit out of all these obscure, rare records. plus this is all from a set that only released 500 copies… i’m just gonna become the person that collects the rare shit no one knows or cares about. also found out that bjm went by the name acid at some point? they released a song in the tangible box set under that name … so interesting. i love bjm history and the weird shit i find through it lol. will update if i buy the album, i already bought hollowbody’s album last year so who knows maybe i’ll do this
despite my inability to not make fun of anton newcombe, i've gotta give props to the guy – he created a band and some really fucking beautiful music that will genuinely never part with my soul. like i am tethered to this music for the rest of my life, and i'm lucky enough to be able to discover new music from them every day because of the sheer amount of obscure, unreleased tracks and albums they have. i think if the '98 peel sessions, the diane perry tape, and/or pol-pot's pleasure penthouse were ever released on spotify, i would genuinely lose my shit. just saying. but i truly do feel lucky, and to be so completely honest, this feels like the band i was always meant to find.
it's so easy to take a surface level look at the brian jonestown massacre and shrug them off as your usual, generic rock band – or raise your brows at the name and simply move on – but there really are layers to this band that i can't even properly describe. so much emotion and care goes into these songs that you can just feel it. especially when you dive deep. even spacegirl holds that feeling, which isn't an unreleased album, unlike pol-pot or peel sessions. i still remember the night i first listened to pol-pot's pleasure penthouse and sobbed my eyes out after hearing chameleons. there's just not another band out there that can make me feel the way bjm does, and even when i drift away for a little bit, i'll always have this band as my cushion. my comfort band through and through <3
the 2023 north american tour might be the best one i've had the privilege to follow yet. it's so fucking funny seeing all the drama and discussion of what's going on, and it all just feels soooo classic anton. i've consistently heard from three separate places about how anton has been pretty sick, and not only that, but yelling at and berating the temp drummer on stage in front of the crowd. so when someone on reddit asked for the pittsburg setlist :
this is just so funny. every bjm fan uniting to make fun of anton in all his arrogant glory is everything to me <3 and from what i've heard the drummer was totally fine. the toronto show on the 24th is what seemed to have kicked all of this off as well.
i'm really curious to see how the rest of this tour goes. i have a feeling the attitude will be a little different at levitation, considering it's a festival and not only bjm will be playing, but then i see them again on october 30th ( two days later! ) playing solo aaaand who knows what'll happen lmao. but i will continue providing updates because i'm following this all very closely and i want all the gory details yk. it's my band TOO i want in on the fun!!!
saw these two comments on some bjm vids and they spoke to me so much i had to post them here and save them forever. literally, these people put into words what i’ve been unable to express, so please take these comments and know this is how i feel about bjm
baratheonpilled
yousharknotpass
stormborns
pixelskylines
annaxmalina
dailybridgerton
germansingergirl
areudirty
jacobvanloon
