The Jesus and Mary Chain‘s second album, Darklands (from 1987), was the first without a drummer. Bobby Gillespie had left the band to become the lead singer of Primal Scream, so drum machines were used for the percussion on the record. The Reid brothers, Jim and William share vocals throughout the album.
William is on lead vocals for the opening title track, which dials down the fuzz tones of Psychocandy, but doesn’t lose any of the groovy hooks JAMC can create. Jim sings on “Deep One Perfect Morning.” William’s strumming guitar chords on it create a shimmering effect that turns into a driving storm on the following track – “Happy When It Rains.” It’s a song about being caught in a bad relationship that sometimes feels like you have a good thing going.
Jim Reid sounds exhausted as a young man on “Down on Me,” with lyrics like “Twenty-five years of growing old. It just hangs in front of me.” William’s guitar work on it is excellent, even bringing in some surf-rock elements. “Nine Million Rainy Days” has William back on lead vocals, and he sounds like he’s been devastated by a lover (“As far as I can see, there’s nothing left of me. All my time in hell was spent with you.”). It’s a sad, haunting track and, upon hearing it again, makes me realize how much JAMC are an influence on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Jim asks for answers from a departing lover on “April Skies,” which was the first single released from the album. “Fall” (which seems to have influenced The Raveonettes) brings back some of the growling fuzz of Psychocandy as Jim tries to explain to everyone how he’s dried up from constantly being pressured by the world. “Cherry Came Too” is easily the naughtiest song on the record and a tale (with doo-wop touches!) of kinky sex and obsessive compulsion.
William returns on lead vocals for “On the Wall,” a song about being stuck in time and place and not having much motivation or opportunity to change the situation. Despite the many songs on Darklands about bad relationships, misery after a breakup, and the motivations behind love, the album ends with the hopeful “About You,” in which Jim thinks maybe it can work out this time (“You and me, we’ll win, you’ll see…There’s something warm in everything…There’s something good about you.”).
Many were expecting another loud, raucous shoegaze record after Psychocandy, but the Reid brothers took the band and their sound in a different direction for the follow-up. It was a good decision.
Keep your mind open.
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