Brian Jonestown Massacre: Aufheben

     

     At this point in their career, The Brian Jonestown Massacre can pretty much do whatever they want.  They have received a sizable amount of critical acclaim throughout their career, and are crazy enough to keep people interested.  Beyond the near psychotic Anton Newcombe, the tragic genius frontman, and the ever changing band personnel, BJM has put out a laundry list of stylistically diverse albums.  Recently, the band just released Aufheben; a textured return to their famed psychedelic sound.
     BJM sets their sixties psych revivalist tone early in the album with their album opener, "Panic in Babylon,"  a 21st century expression of "Tomorrow Never Knows."  The Middle Eastern instrumentation and guest vocals show the band, and Newcombe,  with a greater patience and maturity when it comes to studio production, likely a byproduct of his new found sobriety.  With the re-addition of founding BJM guitarist Matt Hollywood, Aufheben also shows greater rhythmic strength than what the band has been exploring in its previous few efforts.  The guitar elements perfectly compliment the organ swells that are omnipresent in the album.  The instrumentation ion Auheben is impeccable, as scores of textures layer each other into one full, lush sound.  The consistent use of the aforementioned Middle Eastern Textures created a palpable psychedelic aura to the entire album.
     One thing lacking from the Psych-pop pioneer's Aufheben,  is the pop.  The beauty of BJM was their uncanny knack to combine mind expanding psychedelia with melodies and sensibilities that would get tattooed in the listeners memory.  The mind bending textures are incredible, but are lacking the acid-soaked pop sing-a-longs.  Perhaps Newcombe and crew saw this as well, as the last track, "Blue Order New Monday", is essentially a seven minute chorus awash in trippy giddiness.  It was almost as if they saved all the hooks for the end.
     Brian Jonestown Massacre has a built in fame based on their stories, but their talent goes far deeper than their train wreck persona.  Aufheben is yet another valiant effort by a band that will always impress its audience.  It may not be on the level of their flawless masterpieces of their early Psych days, but Aufheben shows a new and exploratory turn for a band who is now experiencing the same revivalism that their music does.

**For a back story on the band, and the references to them being "crazy" and "train wrecks," check out the documentary DIG!.