SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN – GLASGOW EYES

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
GLASGOW EYES
FUZZ CLUB

After two recent releases, first the live album Sunset 666, then the anniversary release Munki, The Jesus and Mary Chain continue their unlikely resurrection with Glasgow Eyes, their first album of new material since 2017’s Damage and Joy. They waste little time getting started, as opener “Venal Joy” is a classic band number. Full of pace and punchy power, it’s everything that a Jesus and Mary Chain fan could want.

The band sounds great and about as clear as they ever have. No longer lost in fuzz, not a note is wasted in bringing themselves across to the listener. In spite of all that, none of the youthful, hyped energy has left them.  They’re as fast and as solid in their sound as they were in their pomp, and just as vital.

They also remain as idiosyncratic as ever; while the album has highlights like the strangely fun “Mediterranean X Film” and the typically psych-infused closer “Hey Lou Reed”, as well as powerful lead single “Jamcod”, there’s some bizarre borderline album-ruiners like “American Born”, which at best could be considered a tongue-in-cheek parody.

Still, compared to the occasionally insipid quality of the two previous releases, and the usual uneven nature of the band, this a solid effort and probably a sign of better things to come from a mature, together band. Given the Reid brothers’ history, this is welcome, particularly if it leads to music of this quality on a regular basis.

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