Stoned and Dethroned
Robert Allen / the Rocket
1994
1994
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
Stoned and Dethroned
Everybody knows what The Jesus and Mary Chain sound like. Everybody's wrong. Few groups have managed to keep such an identifiable sound while actually changing from year to year. If any facet of those Velvet Underground comparisons that have dogged this band is apt, it's that the same outfit that made "White Light/White Heat" produced "Pale Blue Eyes."
Preconceived notions aside, Stoned and Dethroned stands as another testament to the Brothers Reid's jaundiced view of the world. Most of the spare arrangements are founded on acoustic guitars, making the electric leads more precious than ever. The arrangements let the songs come bubbling to the surface--they've always been there under the muck. The tracks are beautifully short, all under four minutes, and infected with just the right amount of sleaze.
I suspect that the Reids wouldn't take kindly to being called elder statesmen, though the list of people they've influenced is longer than Shannen Doherty's rap sheet. The best way to ward off premature canonization is to continue to make good albums, and Stoned and Dethroned does quite nicely, thank you.
Stoned and Dethroned
Everybody knows what The Jesus and Mary Chain sound like. Everybody's wrong. Few groups have managed to keep such an identifiable sound while actually changing from year to year. If any facet of those Velvet Underground comparisons that have dogged this band is apt, it's that the same outfit that made "White Light/White Heat" produced "Pale Blue Eyes."
Preconceived notions aside, Stoned and Dethroned stands as another testament to the Brothers Reid's jaundiced view of the world. Most of the spare arrangements are founded on acoustic guitars, making the electric leads more precious than ever. The arrangements let the songs come bubbling to the surface--they've always been there under the muck. The tracks are beautifully short, all under four minutes, and infected with just the right amount of sleaze.
I suspect that the Reids wouldn't take kindly to being called elder statesmen, though the list of people they've influenced is longer than Shannen Doherty's rap sheet. The best way to ward off premature canonization is to continue to make good albums, and Stoned and Dethroned does quite nicely, thank you.
