Darklands

Tästä tykkäsin. Kivaa post-rock-fiilistelyä. 4/5

4 for sure. Love their floaty grunge sound. And this album doesn't even have their big hit on on.

Pretty good. Very similar throughout, but still solid.

Consistency: 10/10 Tunes: 8/10 Really neat album and artist

Great, but a sign of diminishing returns. They really should have stopped after this.

Better than I expected, but not really my kind of thing. Happy when it rains is a cracking tune, and they get a wee extra 🌟 just for being Scottish!

This band has definitely been a good discovery for me in 1001 albums. Enjoyed the last one too!

Not their debut but fine nonetheless.

Chill

Classic Scottish indie

Based on what I read about the group today, this is the only album I would probably enjoy (and did). I'll search out other works by them, just to see. A decent album.

Yeah, I like the vibe. It definitely aged well. Somewhere between Nirvana and Depeche Mode.

Alternative music ahead of its time

Nice vibes

Very much a product of its time: second half of 80s drenched in reverb and gated snares. Good melodies, languid vocals.

Feels like modern alt rock, but it’s the 80s = mind blow

Never listened to before, definitely dig it. "April Skies" "Darklands" "Deep One Perfect Morning" "Nine Million Rainy Days

Quality album - moody, atmospheric, engaging, enigmatic.

Very nice

Really enjoyed the moody atmosphere.

Thoroughly this album. Never heard any of their music before

It’s college rock w/ some cajones behind it. A little distortion behind the jangle. It’s good, I think I need to listen to it again. After I listen to Psychocandy, I think that is going to be more along the lines of what I picture a Jesus and Mary Chain album to be. This is weird, but parts of this seem like a more friendly version of Samhain. The deeper I get into this the more I like it

awesome - cant believe I didnt know about this

Good stuff

This is right up my street.

pleasant to listen to but nothing that exciting. 7

I'd not listened to this album before but I really enjoyed it. Much less drenched in reverb than Psychocandy allowing the melodies to shine. You can almost hear the beach boys in some of the tracks.

8. Pretty good.

Haven’t listened to this TJAMC album and really enjoyed it

good

As Spencer said as we were listening to this in the car- it’s the soundtrack to a coming of age film set in the 80s. But still very enjoyable no the less

Is it goth, or is it just goth-aligned post-punk? Either way, I'm a fan of this gloom! Fave track - "Nine Million Rainy Days" for most depressive lyrics...

Really cool 80's punk!

Very chill and new wave/ early grunge sound. Provided for and excellent driving album.

May not be their best album but may be their most enjoyable.

7

4.5

Reminds me a little of Joy Division but more subdued. Good stuff.

YES

Is this one of the albums that you have to listen to before you die? No, it's kinda middle of the road. It had it's moments, and was good enough for most of it to generate a passing grade rather

My first thoughts were that this was decent and moody post-punk/ new wave, but upon a clearer listen, I did notice that this is very shoegaze adjacent. Turns out this band was incredibly influential in the development of both Noise Rock and Shoegaze, so I'm happy I could noticed it. This album is great. It has a very moody atmosphere, coming from the deep and kind of disheartened voices along with some delicate guitar playing. However, this is not a super depressing album. In any case, it is more like one of those gray days when the feelings of carelessness, not wanting to do anything and that nothing matters prevail, without really reaching concerning levels of depression. While being an album that mainly portrays cold feelings, its sound is quite cozy. The vocals are very soft, and the production is warm and spacious, with an incredibly pleasant distortion on the guitars, that makes the album close to the shoegaze sound. Another aspect that doesn't make the album incredibly gloomy is the change in rhythms. While there are songs that are very very slow (like "Darklands", "Deep One Perfect Morning" or "Nine Million Rainy Days"), there are a handful of them with a medium to fast playing and more uplifting melodies, like "Happy When It Rains" and "Down On Me". Now, do I really love this album? I don't think so. Most of the time, when I listen to it, I end up losing my focus and daydreaming. I'm certain that many people would consider this as an interesting trait, the ability to make the listener disconnect, but in this case, I'm not lost in the music, rather in my own personal thoughts that do not have anything to do with what I'm listening to. In summary, it doesn't really grab my attention. In the end, I think it is a great album. Very moody, intimate and cozy and also interesting to see the roots of shoegaze.

How to describe? A laid back kind of psychedelic shimmery post-punk. But with some 80s classic production with reverb etc. Deep One Perfect Morning is half The Cure, half 90s pop rock (e.g. Lightning Seeds) It's pleasant enough but it doesn't have much bite. Nine Million Rainy Days has to me a Stone Roses/madchester feel, but at a much lower tempo without the driving dance beat. On the Wall immediately reminds me of the chords in Heroin by Velvet Underground. Is this shoegaze? That would explain a lot. Best track - Deep One Perfect Morning, Happy When it Rains (as one of the most up-tempo tracks) 3 stars - I bet it will grow on me, but first listen found it a bit underwhelming

Ok album

used to love this album but this time kinfa bored me

Happy When It Rains was a familiar, pleasant surprise. Good stuff, we enjoyed it.

I ended up not remembering a lot of this one, but when I listened to it yesterday I thought it was alright Standouts Darklands 3/5

Love jesus and mary chain especially their debut album psychocandy, aswell as this album in certain ways. All the songs are very simple, some are brilliantly simple like down on me and darklands, yet some other tracks lack edge. Overall part of their more pop infused career, starting to stray away from the scarier part of their career. High 3

Voll chillig gsi bim hei fahre. Hät sich aber nur wie hintergrund Grüsch a gfühlt

I enjoyed it quite a bit. It kind of grew on me. A solid 3.5. I'll round down since I probably won't listen to it again.

Niet mijn smaak muziek; het is me wat saai. Maar dit lijkt mij een mooie vertegenwoordiger van het genre. Af en toe komt de jaren '80 wel door, zoals in April Skies. Maar dit album zou ook 10 jaar later gemaakt kunnen zijn. En af en toe komt er een echt sfeerscheppend nummer voor bij, zoals Nine million rainy day. Wat waarschijnlijk niet zo negatief uitgelegd moet worden als de titel en de muziek doen vermoeden, gelet op het eerdere nummer Happy when it rains...

Hallo zeg, we weten gelijk in welk decennium we aanbeland zijn, want het eerste dat opvalt, is de enorme bak aan reverb in de drums. Dat is zo ontiegelijk jaren '80, dat kan echt niet meer. Verder vind ik het een beetje inspiratieloze muziek. Het is niet per se slecht, maar ik word hier niet heel vrolijk van. Ik denk dat het de combinatie van de galm in de drums is met de luie zang. Want op zich rockt het redelijk en ik ben zeker niet de grootste 80s hater hier volgens mij. Als ik mijn review van het debuut teruglees, is de kwaliteit een stuk beter, al vallen ze hier ook graag terug op die eerder genoemde galm. Dat zal hun identiteit wel geweest zijn. Het bevalt me iets beter dan het debuut, dat een krappe 2 scoorde. Laat ik dit dan een krappe 3 geven.

The album was okay. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't LOVE it. It was easy to listen to though.

This was fine, nothing really grabbed me or stuck with me

We had this groups Psychocandy album on the list before, which was an absolute atrocity. Luckily, I didn't find any of the distortions issues on this album that was present on Psychocandy, even though much of this album still sounds like it was recorded in a cathedral. All tracks are just drenched in reverb. That aside, I think the opening track 'Darklands' was a great track! And 'Happy When it Rains' was also decent. Though the mixing didn't sound great on this album, I still think it is an OK album. So the group has definitely recovered some esteem.

We already had “Psychocandy”, which I barely remember, but I gave it 1 star, so I must have hated it. This wasn’t nearly as bad. I could kind of see the appeal of this band. Dark, gloomy, and with just the right guitar tone, it felt like the soundtrack to an indie movie. “April Skies” and “Happy When It Rains” were the standouts, though they sound pretty similar. I get why they’re famous: they’re like a more emo version of Pulp. 3 stars.

It was a really “cozy” feeling listening to this album, weird. I thought the lyrics were solid and the production was really nice for me

Rock, Pop, Folk, 1987 -> 3

Dark, synthy pop. Not my favourite JATHM record, but it's still very good.

Cet album rejoint la longue liste d'albums dont je ne comprends pas trop la présence dans la liste. C'est tout sauf un mauvais album, comme je le dis à chaque fois, mais je ne suis pas sûr de ce qu'il le rend particulièrement exceptionnel, influent ou novateur. Donc ben écoute, ça sera un petit 3/5. J'ai rien de plus à dire.

Just a really dull album today. Not bad as such, but nothing to it at all for me. Heard a lot about them, but don't feel I've missed out from them really.

Fine? Given them three plays and nothing has yet hooked me in.

Couldn't help but gaze at my shoes the entire listen Best Song: April Skies Rating: 5.0/10 Starts: 3

Some nice songs on an easygoing album.

Pretty good it felt emotional

I'm not going to remember a single song tomorrow and it's dynamically kind of bland but it's OK.

I think I’ve said this about the other Jesus And Mary Chain album, but I get the appeal. I hear the good. It’s a nice mixture of 80’s pop sounds, early shoegaze, and a some gothic aesthetics. I’m not gonna bother listening again, but there’s a time and place for these guys. My favorite song was “Cherry Came Too”. Soft 3/5

A long and steady wave of melancholy. In isolation, the chord progressions are standard upbeat pop, but contrasted with the slow pace and sombre vocals it makes for a digestible sad. It could have used a couple more tempo changes.

It's actually surprising that I never got into the Jesus and Mary Chain much in the late 80s/early 90s, as they were right in with the groups that I loved and the music I loved. I listened to them casually from time to time, but didn't seriously get into their music. This album was new to me, although some of the songs sounded familiar. I loved a couple of songs on the album, but a lot of it was somewhat boring. I was surprised to hear some definite influence from the Beach Boys on a couple of songs. I didn't mind listening to it and a couple of songs ended up on my playlist, but it's not an album I would return to.

Had the pleasure to see this band live opening for NIN on their Cold, Black, and Infinite Tour. They are good, but better live. 3.

Pleasant and yet really boring. It would make good music to put on while cooking or cleaning out closets.

I respect The Jesus and Mary Chain, but it's not really my kind of thing. I'm sure that If this has been the jams when I was getting into music it would be a 5 but for now it's going to be a 3.

This generator has a category of albums I've created, titled "Generic". This is another generic album that simply sounds like a 1980s Pop Rock album. I really can't say much more. Favorite Track: "April Skies".

not too bad just didn’t amaze me

I enjoyed this. This is my kind of 80’s music. I have heard April Skies before, but I didn’t really know any of the songs on this.

Nice melodic rock.

Some pretty good alternative. Not something I expect to return to much but enjoyable nonetheless. No tracks particularly stood out to me. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: April Skies, Happy When It Rains, Cherry Came Too, Fall

Expectation: -> Based on band name, I thought this might be a 60s rock album. Nope. After listening: -> My wife asked me to describe this. I'm admittedly not good at categorizing music into genres and subgenres. I just listen. I said somthing like it having a new wave sound. It is part pop and radio friendly, part rock/guitar. Such an album from 1987 should be right up my alley. Well, I could listen to this all day. Yet, not once would I (or did I) stop to look at my phone to identify a song I was really enjoying. This album needs a proper spark, some fire. The most likely prognosis here is that this will fade into obscurity for me. Track ranking: Darklands April Happy Fall Down Cherry Deep Wall About Nine

Pretty okay I guess

they like singing about rain gilmore girls background music? WHY DO THEY KEEP TALKING ABOUT RAIN

JAMC were on the alterna-radio a lot back in the day, but never grabbed me enough to buy any of their records. Did I make the right choice at the time? We shall see. This stuff is tuneful, but not very exciting. I liked "Happy When it Rains," though, and some of it feels almost like some of the slower Velvets songs, which I appreciated. Maybe if I were following the lyrics more closely, it might be hitting me with some poignant feeling that the music seems to call for but doesn't quite evoke. But this sounds so much like other bands from this period. Their drum machine is making me tap my foot, but most of these songs aren't hitting for me. 3 stars

1001 albums to hear before you see jesus and mary, the virgin 100# omg first hundred albums. until now it's been very interesting and some days I'm more in the mood or just can't listen to anything because i'm outside, but have to get back to it the next day and compensate. For the albums appearing.. i thought i would know the majority and more, but i only knew the majority of them and didn't had listened to quite a lot of them, so the objective of it all is being accomplished, open horizons of music and learn more about the history of music. The list isn't perfect, but at least has the potential to expand tastes and kind of lecture the history of music. I'm repeating myself here. Stop Well, for the album. It feels kind of restrained.. but it's still good nevertheless. I'm curious to hear the other album they have on the list that is said to be more experimental. Has a shoegazy sound to it, but really being alt rock Love the vocals on 'Nine Million Rainy Days' and the backing vocals coupled with the instrumentals.. i floated.

I can see very well why a fan of PSYCHOCANDY wouldn't like this album. I mean, you take these guys out of the endless wall of noise they built for themselves, and, well... They can sound a little plain. Maybe a little convential. Not terribly exciting. However, given how much I couldn't stand PSYCHOCANDY, shoot, I'll take plain, convential and not terribly exciting any day of the week. Sure, it doesn't hold my attention too well — but at least my ears can discern what's happening.

Nothing special but ok.

I had heard about the Jesus And Mary Chain but couldn't remember a song. This hasn't changed after listening to their "Darklands" album - it's nice-ish but got nothing special. Just another hour of well-produced boredom. Before I joined this project I wondered if there are really 1001 albums you must hear before you die. After listening to one quarter of this I still think a list of 101 albums would do.

fine

There is some really good guitar work. Lead vocals is a little blah

Way more refined than the debut. Ditched the distortion, cleaned it up a bit. Still sort of feels like a slightly more boring Stone Roses

Moody ambient album, feels like a predecessor to a lot of alt albums in the 90s. 3*

I’d never heard of this group let alone heard any of their songs before listening to this album. What a pleasant experience with a mix of music & vocals that provided multidimensional sound. I liked it.

savo gaat dit sws leuk vinden het was once again saaie rock.. sommige liedjes wel leuk maar gwn ... niet echt fan van hun naam? alice in chains >

If the stone roses were Scottish. Not bad but got a little samey in some places.

need to listen to the first one

Pretty solid atmospheric 80s indie sound. I'd go 3.5 if I could.

While you can hear the Velvet Underground influence here, what's more readily apparent is the influence this band had on a lot of subsequent bands from the era like Stone Roses, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, and the Verve. Actually, now that I think of it, that guy from Soup Dragons sounds like Jim Reid - remember them? A few times, "Darklands" made me think they were doing a cover of Bowie's "Heroes". "Fall" sounds a little like Bauhaus. This is pretty straightforward rock - guitars and drums with a Ramones-like or Lou Reed kind of vocal delivery. Chill and shoegazery in some spots, a bit more noisy in others. Nothing here is particularly ground-breaking or even memorable, but it's OK.

Very repetitive

(2.75)

Dark and brooding and moody. I liked it

This album does a bad job at hiding that they wrote the same song a handful of times, and mixes it with other songs

Nothing really bad. But boring. 3 stars for a good day. 1 for a bad day.

Just pretty standard 80s alternative music. There were influences that were easy to spot and parts that sounded like other artists altogether. Nothing offensive or difficult to listen to, just didn't seem all that notable.

I liked it. It was nice to listen to, but I couldn't tell you a single lyric. I got lost in it, but didn't find any deep meaning. A very pleasant 3 star album.

Of course really likeable. Missed out on them the first time thinking they were likely heavy metal but no, they’re really a part of a genre I already enjoy. A great listen.

I never really got into JAMC. They seem like a band that bridged a gap between dark wave goth and new wave pop. I didn't hate this album, but it's not something I'd seek out on purpose.

never heard of these guys but i like their sound. i guess this is like, proto-grunge? early shoegaze? i'm into it. although, i'm currently on my third listen to try and get it to register fully cos it's all very samey. which i'm kind of ok with in this case cos i'm totally down to just let that good grunge texture wash over me, but its making it so hard to pick out individual tracks to say anything about... after really concentrating hard on it i think "nine million rainy days" is my favourite? but idk if i could really even explain why in concrete terms. despite the composition being a bit slower and softer than average for the album, it feels more forceful somehow.....? could be the rock ballad ass beat? the reverb feels bigger too and it's known that i'm a sucker for that shit. idk. "on the wall" stood out a bit more too but there's no mystery there, it's just repetitive to the point of being kinda catchy. when it comes down to it, i'm a simple woman. i hear guitars playing through a fat stack of effects and vocals pushed down into the mix and i space the fuck out bobbing my head slowly and swaying side to side with my eyes closed. easiest 3 so far even if it does keep fading into the background.

This was fine? Very samey after a while. Listened to it in the morning and by the time I'm writing this review in the evening and I really couldn't remember much about it and had to listen to it again. "Happy When It Rains" "April Skies" and "About You" are the standouts for me

6/10

Good

Really wanted to like this album cause it’s right up my alley in terms of genre and style but it just was a bit drowning, and his voice starts to bother me after a few tracks in.

Good mellow vibes, but pretty samey through the whole album. 3.5 if I could.

Jesus christ

Nothing special either way.

Alternative sounding for sure, but not really the most interesting sounding to me. Perhaps it's been overtaken by time and became a victim of other albums having made more interesting stuff. It does sound a bit more mature and evolved than their first listen. Not that much to say about it.

3 is about right

more chill than i thought itd be, nothing particularly life changing but a solid albu, overall

Fine.

Mediocre tavaraa taas eikä oikein mitään jää taskuun. Siellä täällä ihan kivoja fiboja

Tää on tää pändi, joka varmaan influenssas useempaa myöhempien aikojen yrittäjää. Tykkään yleisilmeestä ja viiliksestä, mutta kokonaisuus jää semisti vajaaks ja venyy ja vanuu liiaks. Meinasin muuten mennä pari suvee sitten kattomaan kun kävivät härmässä, mutta yllättäen jäi. No nyt se on turha surkutella! Ei voi siis myöskään leikkii tosifäniä, kun ei oo keikkaa vyöllä.

Nothin crazy typical band

I gave up on this band years ago and I shouldn’t have. LA radio only played a few songs and I burned out on them before I could hear more of their depth.

Meh. Like Velvet Underground's outtakes.

Not outstanding

6/10

I've always liked the Jesus and Mary Chain...but over the course of their albums, the song structures get tedious and samey. That said, there are some really good songs on this, especially the title song, "Happy When It Rains," and "April Skies." I also liked the closer, "About You," because it is acoustic and breaks out of the same song structures that bog down the second half of the album especially. These Glaswegians carved out a sonic space and were hugely influential.

1987. Their first use of drum machines after their drummer left for another band.

This is probably my favorite of the three J&MC albums I've heard. Going with a light 3.5 based on its relative tunefulness and easy listening. But overall, I definitely don't get the hype over this group. I don't find either of the brothers to be exceptional vocalists or lyricists, and I haven't yet keyed into anything particularly interesting or noteworthy from a musical standpoint. Again, it's fine, I'm just a bit bored by it. There is far better stuff from 1987 in my book, most of which doesn't include these awful drum machines. 3.5/5

I liked it. Very warm and vibrant sounds, a cozy yet moody record throughout. Is this an album you have to listen to before you die? Eh, I don't know. But it's still a decent experience. Have to be honest that it didn't really wow me, and in terms of shoegaze I think there's much, much better artists and albums out there (Cocteau Twins come to mind), but it's undeniably of high quality regardless. 3.5/5.

It was like they took their first take (which was a proper goth album) and gave it to the studio execs, and they said "nope, too dark, won't sell, try again". And this is the second attempt. Just a little broody, but not enough. And half-produced.

Enjoyable, it's good music, it's quite samey, but i can see how hugely influential it is, a lot of music still wants to sound like this but doesn't succeed. It is a kind of music that doesn't do much for me though

I’m on the fence with this one because it’s on the border of new wave and gothic rock, and I like both of them, but it’s resisting the hopeless, unashamed emoness of an album like Floodland (which I love and return to constantly), and that is clouding my perceptions of this album. It’s like if the sisters of mercy went on Prozac and started sounding like verve or the goo goo dolls. With Floodland in my mind, I just can’t respect their inability to go all in on the gothic vibes. So it’s a 3.5 or 4 that I’m forced to round down to a 3. I’m sorry.

nice

I liked this better than Psychocandy. Maybe it’s because - according to Pitchfork - “the band turns down the noise attitude and works on developing the back-to-basics pop songs that were always underneath.” Whatever the reason, I thought this was a totally solid album and enjoyed it more than their feedback drenched first album.

Sounds like the era it was made in

No longer the album of 40 years ago. All rather samey, as if losing the drummer and removing the feedback was the wrong choice

Good vibes but the tracks sorta just blended together for me

Perfectly enjoyable listen.

While I was aware of the existence of The Jesus and Mary Chain in 1987, they were WAY off my radar. So this thing isn't bad at all. There just isn't anything for me to latch onto.

Me gustó. Tiene un Sonido muy alternativo

Tasaista ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ei oikein mitään mainitsemisen arvoista. Ihan ok. ⭐⭐⭐

This was fine, but didn't excite me much.

The perfect Portlandia soundtrack.

This is classic alt rock. Not a whole lot of highs and lows, but a relatively pleasant listen if you're in the mood.

Forgettable but decent

Pop music for goth kids fits firmly into that ‘alt pop’ category that’s just a little too weird for the mainstream but is just a little too bubblegum to be counter-culture. It’s like a cheat code for alt kids like I was, that let me listen to pop-adjacent music without the icky sellout feelings attached to anything you’d hear on that end-of-the-dial pop radio station. Listening to this today, it feels pretty dated and I’m struggling to decide if it holds up. Ultimately. I can listen to this whole record, but I probably wouldn’t choose to. (It’s the morning after, I tried to do a relisten this morning before writing my notes and only made it through a few songs before I decided I’d heard what I needed.

Pretty, pretty good.

I think Psychocandy is the only JAMC I need in my life, but I enjoyed this. I thought two of the songs were "Head On" because they sound almost exactly the same, but that's on another album. 6.9 Fav track: About You Least fav: On The Wall

I liked Psychocandy better.

It is OK. I am familiar with their stuff, they sound similar to other music I like and cool, but don't really stand out too much. Good song writing.

This feels to me (though I’m no music historian), like a bridge between the Velvet Underground and Seattle grunge. I know that a very un-grungy Seattle native, Ben Gibbard, was such a Jesus and Mary Chain fan that he referenced them in Transatlanticism. I’d listened to Psychocandy in the past and I remember liking it a lot. Darklands, today though, didn’t quite light me up. These songs are dreary in a dull and sick sort of way, referencing rain and falling, over and over. Darklands came out in the year I was born, and one of the songs references April skies. That’s the month of my birth. I wonder if this was written just around the time I was born. If so, I wish it had been a bit glitzier! I’m nearing the halfway point on this list. Every day, I use the prompted album as a launch pad for listening to other albums in the same vein or by the same artist. So, over the last year and a half or so, since I’ve been keeping track, I’ve listened to about three thousand different albums. What’s really striking me during this immersion, is that I don’t like dark, dreary, brooding songs. As a teen and through my twenties, that’s all I listened to. Darkness equated to profundity. Now, I find myself often feeling bored, rolling my eyes, and telling the brooder to get over themselves. Life needs joy, and I want to feel joy, so I spent most of Darklands shaking my head. I especially might feel this way now because for the last month, I’ve been living at my in-law’s house, caring for my father in-law with Parkinson’s. The final song on Darklands, About You, references people dying in their living rooms. The JAMC sing that warmth can be felt in every situation, and I take that to mean that even in a deathbed scenario, one must look for the positive light. We’re here helping this guy when he needs us, and we’ve been here for a while. I guess that’s a good thing. Even in the Darklands, look for warmth. All in all, with the creepy harmony between the lyrics and my life, and the fact that this was written around the time I was born, I can’t help but feel the generator found the optimal time to dish this one to me. Did I like the pill? Not really. Did it make me question whether reality itself is rigged by an omnipotent mover? Maybe.

- bändi on ollut nimenä tuttu jo pitkään mutta en oo tutustunu musiikkiin - iha hyviä biisejä mut meil on niinku the cure jo

6/10

I probably didn’t listen as closely as this deserved, but it was decent brooding gothy stuff

Another new band for me, this album is buyable.

Very Bland. Not bad, just kind of forgettable

感觉像从远处传来的演唱会噪音，还是好听的

pretty similar to psychocandy. Little less abrasive, not sure if thats a bonus or a detriment. It's a cool formula.

Feels like a cross between new wave and grunge. A lot of sameness though.

your potential has been squandered

There's a lot to enjoy about this album—the production and guitar tones in particular, and I'm all about a delicate balance between new wave and garage rock. But it loses steam real fast once each song repeats the exact same chord progression.

Gut in dem, was es ist. Haut mich aber nicht vom Hocker.

Derselbe Eindruck, den ich auch live von Ihnen hatte: Angenehm langweilig.

I don't like or dislike it. Kinda boring but not annoying. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

= the Beatles

At first I found out his album very boring and repetitive, but then it just clicked. It was interesting to hear how many future bands they influenced.

This was my first Jesus and Mary Chain experience. Enjoyable listen but no singular standout.

Boring but alright I guess. Background music for an angsty sitcom scene

Я не можу виділити якийсь перелік претензій до цього альбому, але він мені чомусь не дуже подобається. Непогана музика для радіо, рок під меланхолійний настрій.

Не знаю, ніколи не фанатів.

Alternative Post-Punk Folk-Rock. Meh!

Unexpected. Like the Cure - goth undertones. Relatively mono-cadence.

Va y viene. Tiene algunos temas muy lindos y otros que decís WTF BRO PARA TRANQUILO LOCO

Top songs: Happy When It Rains April Skies

Nothing special in my opinion.

What I wished Velvet Underground ACTUALLY sounded like. Slow, deliberate, moody. Good rainy-day music, even if the heavy reverb gets old after a while. A solid 6/10.

Favorite Track: April Skies

Much better than “Psychocandy”. Still really depressing music though.

Goth pop with haunting beach boys vibes

Ok, now we're getting somewhere. I'll be honest, I HATED Psychocandy, I found the whole experience of listening to that album to just be a 40 minute wall of noise. Every aspect is so heavily distorted and doused in reverb that you can't even tell one intsteument from another. But this, this I can get behind. This feels like making actual progress in the shoegaze genre, having actually audible guitar riffs and heavy post-punk influence. I still think that for such a primitive album in its genre, a lot more improvements and refinements would come in the following years, being most evident in bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. But for its time, this is still a solid effort that solidified the groundworks for shoegaze really becoming itself.

Spooky

Average

No matter how I try to appreciate this type of music it just don't work for me so far. Even if it's well written, played and recorded. It makes me gloomy and not in a good way, not a melancholy gloom, but weariness gloom.

Never heard of these guys before but I really liked their sound. 17 year old me would’ve loved this album. This was also so pleasant to listen to compared to some of the STINKERS we’ve gotten recently. Favourite song is April skies. I will probably revisit this one in the future The instrumental on the first song sounds like "its a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now". April Skies was also my favourite. Definitely an album I would listen to again and was refreshing after a bunch of bad ones

I feel like I SHOULD like this more than I actually did honestly. It checks the theoretical boxes of other styles I typically like (morose shoegaze-y post-punk) but there's just something lacking in the execution. Some great songs to be sure, particularly Happy When it Rains and April Skies, but I think my problems are partially with recording quality (hardly any bass/low end?) and the drum machine just taking away from the overall energy of many of the tracks. The guitar work is a little too rudimentary in places as well, on some tracks it sounds nice and full but on some it just sounds thin. I think I was expected more based on what I knew of this band and was just a little let down.

“happy when it rains” & “down on me” were my favs but halfway through the album all of the songs started sounding the same 4me :c which is not bad but it’s just not my cup of tea for an album

Not a bad album by any means, but not one that I really want to revisit. It just didn't grab me at any point and I wanted to just get through it to get onto something else.

Had trouble listening: youtube wouldn't find the album or the links from here. Was still able to find a couple of songs: fond memories of the 80's!

Favourite Songs: Nine Million Rainy Days April Skies

3.5

Always a good chill vibe from The Jesus and Mary Chain but sometimes they are lacking energy. I’ve noticed sometimes I prefer their songs covered by other artists.

3.5

I started out liking it, but it got old after the first few songs for me. It was a little too much reverb-pop, probably because there wasn't really any change in style between each track. I got lost along the way a few times. I just found it kind of bland as an entire album even though I didn't think there were any bad songs on their own. I started coming around to it again toward the end, for what that's worth. As an album, it falls into the familiar category of "not bad, but not great". I'd likely enjoy the songs more individually or in small batches rather than when listening to the album as a whole. It might be one I need to revisit. For now, it gets an OK. Overall: 2.8/5

Mid

Nice and relaxed groove.

Like it

Alright.

Enjoyable, retro sound now. Probably could've got into this at the time but it passed me by. Can hear essence of bands they clearly influenced, like spiritualized who I love. Enjoyable hour and a half (deluxe version) but likely won't revisit.

This album is notable for its impact on the noise pop and shoegaze subgenres. After listening I had to play Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage

Shoegaze. I didn't really find it interesting enough to really keep my attention. I can see how she might enjoy it. Just isn't for me.

"Darklands" is the second studio album by Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. Alternative rock, post-punk and folk rock are the Wiki-listed genres. It was their first album using a drum machines after previous drummer Bobby Gillespie left to form Primal Scream. The band is brothers' Jim and William Reid. Commercially, the album reached #5 in the UK and #161 on the US Billboard 200. It also had decent reviews. The self-titled "Darklands" opens the album. Hey, a melodic guitar with no feedback and clear vocals. There's that drum machine. A heartfelt song about love and friendship. No, "Happy When It Rains" is not a Garbage cover but their own. More poppy with loud guitars. Yeah, those drums are really sounding like their next album "Automatic." Finding solace in a gloomy place. "Nine Million Rainy Days" is slower. This is a bluesy stoner song. Acoustic and Velvet Underground-esque guitars. Reed's vocals ooze dread as he sings about a toxic relationship. The first single "April Skies" is more upbeat. Drums in the forefront. Ringing melodic guitars. Good song. Another one about a toxic relationship. The album ends with a ballad "About You." Yes, a ballad. Acoustic guitar and a whispering, soft voice. This time it's more about the beauty of love. The band took a direct left turn from their feedback-drenched, drug-oriented lyrical debut album "Psychocandy." Clear vocals. Mostly clean guitars. A drum machine beat which was not quite at the loud-level of their next album "Automatic." This album has a solid bunch of songs, even a ballad. The songs are mostly about relationships. I have to admit I lean more towards their debut but this is decent and worth a listen.

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Nine Million Rainy Days Right out of the gate, this album (Expanded Edition and regular) are not available on YTM, so I have to listen on YouTube thrown together by some rando on the Internet. Quality of the upload was dubious. Sucks to suck I guess. Not being able to listen to high quality audio tracks really sours my mood and probably contributes to bias. This kind of reminded me of My Bloody Valentine - the Shoegaze genre - and like, The Cure's Seventeen Seconds. Maybe Sonic Youth. I enjoyed a few songs, but it was quite samey throughout the album.

Not sure I 'get' JAMC. I gave Psychocandy a 3. I said it was nice but it put me to sleep. I liked this more than Psychocandy, it felt more earnest and melancholic. Not sure this band is really for me but they're not bad or anything, like I still enjoyed this all the way through.

I have no attachment to this, but it was perfectly fine

Maybe I just have the wrong opinion on what “shoegaze” sounds like cause I didn’t really get that vibe too much from this album compared to MBV or Slowdive or Ride. I did like the use of drum machines on this album, added a nice contrast to it! Nothing fully grabbed me tho

For the shoegaze lovers out there, this album is a nice listen to that delivers a great mood throughout. Not my cream of the crop but it does a good job at what it is.

It's okay I guess

Alright listen and I liked some songs here and there, but the album was just too mellow. I’d usually go for albums with moods like this, but there’s something about this one that I didn’t enjoy overall.

This album is pretty alright for background listening but nothing too exciting, it was just a chill experience. Overall, a bit meh, but it's definitely not bad.

Haven't given these guys much time in my rotation, so it's nice to see them show up on the list. While I can't say I loved this album, it caught my attention and will prob dig in a bit more. Thinking we may also get Physchocandy. Sounds like their live shows back in the day were...something. Just walls of sound, feedback, no emotion and peeps not knowing what was going on. Good stuff. Eff the man, man. 3.25/5

Mundane Album cover 1/5

Short, melancholic and a bit heartfelt. You can draw a straight line from this to insufferable pricks talking about In the Aeroplane Over the Sea when I was in highschool, so that might be a mark against it.

"80's music. Not bad, but nothing stands out too much on this album. Pitchfork: 7.8 Rolling Stone: Best Songs Darklands Happy When It Rains April Skies About You"

I almost drove off the road it was that dull. I'm forcing myself to give it a second listen. Huh. What an odd glow-up. Wasn't expecting a long day of work to change how music sounds but here we are. I get it now? This is no "Pump Up The Jam". This is "Closing Time". Still not a fan, but I get it. Also found it hilarious that their wiki says their shows were plagued with fights and riots. Imagining a bunch of goths getting riled up to the musical equivalent of porridge just tickles me.

With Darklands, the Jesus and Mary Chain swap out the jet-engine feedback of Psychocandy for something moodier, smoother, and—depending on your tolerance for gloom—more quietly hypnotic. The Reid brothers lean hard into their Velvet Underground fixation, trading distortion for a dusky jangle that can feel a bit samey and undynamic, yet still pulls you into its slow-motion orbit. “Darklands” sets the tone with a somber shimmer, while “Happy When It Rains” turns a downcast love song into a perverse form of pop sunshine. “April Skies” and “Cherry Came Too” keep the midtempo jangle-pop streak alive, proving the band can sound genuinely tuneful without sacrificing their trademark moodiness. And on “Nine Million Rainy Days,” those ghostly “woo-woos” drifting in the background nod to a decelerated “Sympathy for the Devil,” reminding you that even when the guitars aren’t screaming, the Jesus and Mary Chain still know how to haunt a room.

OVERALL THOUGHTS - 3.25/5 Definitely enjoyed listening to this and wouldn't be mad if someone threw this album on but I don't think I'd go out of my way to listen to it. Despite how mopey the lyrics were, there were some fun lines there! I can see where they were going with the washed out sound and I found it largely effective but it could serve to be more 'lush', it often gives it the appeal of background music rather than an all encompassing bliss. Think it's another 'they did it first but not best', I would rather listen to the stuff it inspired like MBV or Slowdive. STRAY THOUGHTS - Softer sound than I was expecting, apparently their previous album was the more proto-shoegaze sound I associate them with and they went in a more subtle approach for this record - "plug into her electric cool" - Did Garbage rip off "Happy when it rains" from them??? - They liked the rain so much they got 9 million of them! - I thought we were depressed now but they were really going through it in the 80s damn - "Life in a sack is coming back" - Rain as a motif on this album?? They would've loved Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' FAV TRACKS: April Skies, Happy When It Rains, Fall, LEAST FAV TRACKS: N/A

i buckled in and thoroughly enjoyed this ride

This one was ok, just not my favorite style of music.

I loved Psychocandy when it first came out, but for some reason this one didn’t grab me in quite the same way at the time. The obvious difference is that the feedback and distortion from the first album is now gone, but there’s still the same dark, brooding atmosphere with that resonant guitar and drums booming somewhere back in the mix. It struck me for the first time how much this now reminds me of Lou Reed (in a good way) - I hadn’t listened to him back in 83 and certainly not heard Metal Machine Music which is another obvious influence on this wee band from East Kilbride. I’ll definitely be listening to this again and sending a Time Machine back to 1987 to tell past me to give this album a chance.

Dark and moooody, just the way you like it. The Tampa Bay Lightning are not very goth, but these guys are.

Average

I liked it, but it didn't knock my socks off.

This was perfectly fine and lightly enjoyable, but also a bit dull. 3.4

Probably a better record then their first, but less cacophony and more song styling might make it less important

War anfangs langweiler synthypop aber wurde dann immer dunkler und somit auch interesanter

Darklands fena değil, sonbahar vibes deep one perfect morning, iyi girdi zayıf bitti happy when it rains + down on me, karıştı gitti çok bişe yok nine million rainy days, fena diil april skies, en ünlüsü bu ama tırt Fall, şimdilik en iyisi cherry came too, mehh on the wall, güzel

Solid

The first couple are as good as it gets. Sadly followed by 20 songs which can only be described as noise

This was fun.

Ok

It's fine, nothing special. Completely forgettable but I didn't mind listening to it

2,5/5

Nothing unique about it, but it wasn't bad.

Really really pleasant. Not usually a shoegaze/dreampop kind of guy, but they do it very well here (probably because they were some of the first to do it), and it made for a great meditative driving experience. At the end of the day it's still a pretty simple record, but I was not upset at spending 36 minutes this way. Fave tracks: - Darklands - Happy When it Rains - Down on Me - April Skies - About You

Pretty good

Now this is The Jesus and Mary Chain sound I recalled from college. Glad they turned a hard corner from that debut album of noise pollution.

slightly boring but still enjoyable

Hintergrundmusik, meiste lieder eher ruhig und dunkel

Good opener

Hometown heroes from the Land of the Free. I liked this one too. I’d rather listen to this again than a lot of this other shit.

I’d heard of the band, but had always assumed it was some sort of 60s hippie band (based on the name I guess?). Instead, to me, they sound a lot like a 2010s indie band. Kind of like Kurt Vile was going through a Springsteen phase. Really solid front to back, I’ll definitely listen again. 3.7

3.5 Good, not great, although influential to others

Ok

Good. They have an appealing and unique sound. It didn’t jump out and grab me though. A 3.

Back to the eighties. I like the vibe but it’s a bit same-y. I want to give it a four because the vibe almost carries it through. But I couldn’t remember any songs in particular so it’s not very catchy. It’s more a three and a half.

Sad 80s alternative. Meh.

Was ok. I expected it to rock harder though

I liked it but not as much as Psycho Candy

Solid, shoegaze precursor - easy listening pop

Bon mais sans plus

This is mood music more than songcraft. Big guitar space, simple progressions. It’s a short record. Easy to drift into, hard to recall after. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Darklands - Happy When It Rains - April Skies

I expected not to like this. I’ve been a fan of the dandy Warhols a long time and can see some very clear influence from TAMC on them. Liked the laid back, psych pop vibes on the more chill songs on the album. Overall I probably won’t come back to it, but I enjoyed it while I listened.

I remember the band from my old goth days. I listened to them back then, but my focus was on other bands. I quite liked the album. However, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. Maybe I'll listen to it again. 3/5

Some enjoyable tracks but not enough to justify the extended edition. Tempted at times but not quite a 4.

"Darklands" doesn't have the fame or impact of Psychocandy but still a very good album.

This thinks it’s sooooo cool.

perfectly gloomy

Another 3.5 for me. Was really getting into it until I realised songs just blended into each other.

I liked this album better than Psychocandy, but not by a whole lot. Their stuff really falls flat for me. I did enjoy "Happy When It Rains" but the rest was pretty mid. It all sounds a bit the same and bland. This is closer to a 2.5 but I'm rounding up because I didn't have quite the same visceral reaction that I did for their other album on this list.

Liked it!! Liked Darklands and Nine Million Rainy Days

Ok. I love the jesus and Mary chain. But i ain’t listening to the same song 33 FUCKING TIMES HOW MUCH DOES CANDY HAVE TO TALK SHUT UP AHUT UP AHUT UP SHUT UP (respectfully, I’ve seen them live and everything. love the band, but Christ, it’s so tiring)

3.5

I thought I loved the Jesus and Marty Chain (or "Jesus and the Mary Chain" to the agony of a friend) more than I do. Sure it ticks the boxes for me... I like New Wave and a bit of dream pop. shoegaze, whatever this is. The sound is great, and filmic. But this does not move me at all, it's mostly really nice background music and too poppy. But they were influential, I was going to give it a 4, but listening to this, at face value, in 2025, it's a 3 for me.

This clearly influenced Britpop, so I definitely enjoyed it.

Good enough

Fairly good shoegaze

Since I had the impression that shoegaze was difficult to get into, Darklands was my first real listen, and it turned out to be much more to my taste than I expected. The famous “April Skies” stood out, but I also like “Nine Million Rainy Days.” Then I listened to Psychocandy, and it was a real shock—truly noisy. I prefer Psychocandy and can understand why Darklands might not leave as strong an impression. It’s interesting how it is so noisy yet still strangely nostalgic. I’d give Darklands 3/5 and Psychocandy 5/5.

Not as dark and brooding as I remember. Still, a very good album.

A middling album as far as I’m concerned. Definitely thought it was fine but didn’t really wow me.

A neat listen but nothing stands out too much

I'm not in love but it sounds soothing. It kind of reminds me a little of the smiths mixed with the cure or the pixies.

This album really benefits from how much I like Psycho Candy because its just more Psycho Candy.

this was mostly chill and fun, but i didn't like the beach boys impression towards the end of the album

This was fine but mostly made me want to go listen to Automatic

26/08/2025 Definitely different, Definitely okay. Never heard of them before and I doubt i will hear them again. Spotify listeners: 779.7k

songs decent. as album, boring

I mean its good. I liked listening to it, just wont revisit it again honestly. Had some good songs. Not any super memorable imo.

Great music for when you're peeling out a 20 year old cat piss stained carpet from the basement of the house you were born in. Masked up, sweating, and thriving. 3.5

Echoey pop

It was good, some I really liked but a bit samy at the end of the day. Not wheel reinventing by any means, but good

I don’t necessarily dislike JAMC, but they are a band where all of their songs, regardless of which album, sound the same. I guess they have a “sound,” as they are very easily distinguishable, but at the same time, nothing really stands out here.

A perfectly fine album with dark elements Highlights: - Happy When It Rains - Darklands - Fall

Would have been better if they let the feedback rip

great album great band

I often respect bands for trying something different. This album offers a completely new sound compared to their iconic debut, but it often fails to hit the mark. Quite a few of these songs are just straight up boring. “Fall” and “Down On Me” are pretty good, but they probably would not make a Jesus And Mary Chain top 10. The singles are passable, but not too memorable. Nothing here is terrible per se; it’s just a bit dull. A few half decent tracks, an honest attempt to shake things up and some decent rhythms make this an okay album. Thankfully, the Reid boys transform their sound again on the follow up “Automatic”, easily one of the best British rock albums ever recorded, so I can forgive this misstep.

It was fine. Nothing standout.

OK

Enjoyable quick listen, album flows well and I enjoyed the vocal style with the instrumentation, set a very 80s/90s tone in a good way

3

Fine but immediately forgettable

Every one of these songs is some alt kids dream "last song" in an 80's prom, but they never played it. It was always simple minds there

Not a bad album, I could forget it, but I certainly would like having any of it appear again out in the wild. April Skies does hit the mood of that era and genre so well. It's got this hazy 80s ambiguous rock vibe that would be fitting for a movie soundtrack. It did make me wonder... when will Guns N Roses be coming up... because it MUST be on the list. Turns out Appetite for Destruction was released the same year as Darklands.

Fine not amazing

I liked it overall, but got pretty bored halfway through.

this album is what happens when a band that used to sound like static and breakdowns decides to get a grip and put on clean clothes. unfortunately, i liked them better when they were a little feral and possibly unwell. not that the album is bad, because it's not. it’s kind of beautiful. the melodies are clear now, and the lyrics spiral softly instead of screaming. there's melancholy here, romanticism, a weird little longing that’s almost sweet. i get why people love it.. it’s introspective, restrained, and full of moments that ache in that soft, poetic way. but for me? it never quite unravels. and if you’re gonna make me feel something, i want it to leave a mark.

Solid 80s alternative rock album. Great guitar tone.

# Album Name: Darklands # Artist: The Jesus And Mary Chain # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Honestly, this album just passed me by. Very average. Very forgettable. Thankfully, it didnt pierce my eardrums. # Top Tunes: No idea # Would I listen to it again? No

Nothing really exceptional, but musically sounded alright. The vibe was brooding (I mean, there's a song literally titled Nine Million Rainy Days. WE GET IT GUYS!) which is not what I really want on a Friday. It picked up some steam at the end, but not much to change my opinion. Low 3.

Only songs that stood out were April Skies and On the Wall. Otherwise this one has mostly washed over me without grand effect. It makes for some nice background music if nothing else. Fine enough 3 in my book.

This one was a music album for sure. Not a single thing stood out about this album. There were some moans and groans which was noticeable.

Kind of reminded me of a slowed down Dandy Warhols maybe? Overall not too bad for me.

Softer than I remember, sounded good.