I’ve recently succumbed to the vinyl trend, which means I’ll be spending way too much money on music I already own. Fortunately, I stumbled upon a stash of albums from my teen years that my mother had the good judgment to not throw away. Unfortunately, I soon realized I’d need to start expanding my collection. After purchasing a new turntable, the first “new” albums I bought were Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ocean Rain and The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Darklands. Bypassing the temptation to purchase JaMC’s Psychocandy, I opted for their sophomore effort. After playing the album from front to back, the decision was a good one. From the opening guitar strums of “Darklands” to the haunting “About You,” the album still holds up.
The first song I heard from Darklands was “Happy When it Rains.” It was featured on MTV’s 120 minutes and was soon captured on video tape, and found lots of play on my cassette player. Tired of the electronic synth music of the mid-eighties, the Reid brothers decided to bring back guitar-based music. Moving away from the feedback and noise pop of their debut effort, Darklands was more melodic and was oddly simultaneously dark and optimistic. The album, recorded by the brothers with the aid of a drum machine, was a critical success. I’m sure it’s the first of many JaMC albums I’ll be purchasing in the near future.
One of my favorite songs from the album, “Happy When it Rains.” The video features the Reids at their moping best.
“April Skies” was the first single released from the album and reached #8 on the UK charts. The only single by the group to break the top ten.
Living In Oblivion 