Darklands

6/10 Evokes no emotion.

Good album to chill to

Joseph could’ve made this more interesting (2.5/5)

Was very good background music, and pretty decent pay-attention music. Rock, 80’s rock. I enjoyed it.

guter alternative rock, mit etwas wenig ecken und kanten. aber geht.

This album kind of foreshadows the grunge movement in a lot of ways, with the some of the darker themes you see in Soundgarden, Nirvina and Alice in Chains. It doesn't have the heaviness or energy though--this is pretty depressing. That doesn't mean it's bad, some of the songwriting is pretty good. I just don't think I'd listen to this a bunch.

More droney 80s nightclub music

It was okay. Nothing great, nothing bad.

I was expecting something I wouldn't like but, while it's not the sort of music that I gravitate towards, it wasn't without merit. As with a lot of albums of genres that I don't usually listen to, there were no standout tracks that made me sit up etc. It was all just a bit monotonous.

Honestly just felt like another Jesus and may chain album. I'm a bit of a fan of them but I didn't find anything better about this album than others

Quite enjoyable, but nothing outstanding

Ah sweet. A huge name I've not really listened to. Expecting something solid. Solid seems absolutely right. Really nice relaxed feel. Cool songwriting, nice diatonic feeling chord progressions. Tones are reverby in a really interesting way. I feel like this sound has been appropriated for some lukewarm indie that I really don't like but the cool feel here reassures me that's not what's happening here. Bass sound in particular feels like it has been used elsewhere for evil. About you has an interesting quirk on Spotify. I wonder if it's part of the track on all formats? Seems like the first 0.2 seconds of the track has been put at the end. Like a chill ramones.

It's fine. It's the noise rock/indie rock type of album.

I never really knew the Jesus and Mary Chain. It sounds like other 80's bands: Cure, U2, etc. The sound is OK but none of the songs hook me.

Like MBV if they traded in some of their wall of sound esthetic for a little more pop sensibility. I think there's legit arguments for that being both a positive and negative. For me, this was a good, solid, enjoyable album that never really grabbed me and convinced me of it's greatness.

This exercise has been interesting for illuminating influences in music that's (somewhat) more recent - e.g. Bowie on Janelle Monae, Kate Bush on a lot of contemporary women artists, the Beatles and every British rock band in the 70s. I knew Velvet Underground had influenced a *lot* of bands, but it was hard to hear Jesus & Mary Chain without constantly thinking of Lou Reed's droning, heroin-spaced-out style (and I mean that in the best way.) This might have ultimately also been a little too influenced by my bloody valentine as well, because it mostly droned over me. Not unpleasant but despite multiple listens, it's just not really sticking.

Very cool, haven’t heard it before.

Moody. Will listen again

oh, these guys again? okay. a plus side to this album is that it's not under layers of static, which is pretty refreshing. despite the clearer sound, it's pretty identical to the last one i've heard. mumbly drawled vocals, very fuzzy and with that typical echoey "alt" 80s sound... at this point i have to wonder why there's so many of this dreamy, weird groaning alt new wave "jangle" slop on this list. it's not a genre for me at all. sorry.

Blahhhh it didn’t sound bad it sounded like nothing

Not bad. One of those late 80’s early 90’s bridge albums that doesn’t quite fully fit into either decade’s style. I can see this being well known among record store clerks and with the “cool kids” who smoke cigarettes and hate anything popular. 3.5 ⭐️

Not great...but not bad. Truly middle of the road for me. 2.5 rounding up because I would listen again.

Evolutionary biology does not enjoy popular opinion. Popular opinion does terrible things to necessarily complicated ideas. It clings to linearities, teleologies and binaries; it isn’t that popular opinion makes of a mountain a molehill, but that it fails to care about the beauty in either phenomena. Evolutionary biology is always asking you to think rhizome. Neat visualisations of apes picking up their dragging knuckles and walking toward a good posture are, flatly, the preserve of imbeciles. Life doesn’t sit on tracks. Life is a tangle of roots moving in every direction all at once. Life is perfection snatched at, momentarily gained, then lost in however long it takes to be lifted from the ground, carried high and then dashed against the rocks by a somehow now slightly faster predator. Life is brutal and always, always taking something from you. Evolutionary biology thinks a concept like the “missing link” is a naïve fiction suitable only for soothing the contemptuously loud and dangerously inept. And it’s for that reason that I’ll say that Darklands is the transitional fossil linking The Velvet Underground and the Stone Roses. I will say that while such evidence of evolution is clear and obvious, the extent to which it branches out – every direction all at once – can be fiendishly difficult to pinpoint. And I will say that the high cost of the taxes we pay to time is something TJAMC seems to understand in their very marrow. What might sound like a bit of jangly guitar and some whimpered vocals is, if you look at it within its full historical context, really a sort of musical Archaeopteryx. A complex word for a complex thing. And while it’s unlikely that TJAMC and a bird-like dinosaur from 150 million years ago ever crossed paths, I’d be willing to bet that if they did there’d be mutual respect flowing in every direction. Shame that popular opinion can’t keep up; but then again, life is brutal.

Strummy! Much respect.

Meh

Enjoyable. Would benefit from multiple listens. Work from home.

Average 90s fare. Worth a listen or two.

Enjoyed it. Standout songs: Deep one perfect morning Nine million rainy days

J’ai aucun souvenir de l’album, seulement un arrière goût pas déplaisant. 🚨Clément, j’ai répondu à ton message sur ma critique d’Hunky Dory!🚨

Never heard of this band. I liked it! No particular songs stood out good or bad, nice vibe throughout. Listened while driving which was great.

I don't remember thinking much of this back in the day, but I actually quite liked it this go around. Nice little post new wavy rock thing.

Solid album. A bit too downtempo and ultimately monotonous across the full album, but still a good listen. The title track was my standout here.

This was solid rock. It was a little "dark" for me at times. A little grim if that makes sense. Not bad tho. There are some solid tracks here. I LOVE the guitar tone. The vocalist tends to drone on and on tho. Liked Songs: "Deep One Perfect Morning" , "Happy When it Rains" , "Down on Me" , "April Skies" , "Fall" , "On The Wall"

Darklands is everything that Psychocandy should have been. I always thought that Psychocandy had some pretty good sounding guitars and melodies but that album was mainly held back due to it's very poor production but this album fixes that exact issue. Gone are the awful ringing noises while this album still has the guitars and melodies i liked from the prior album. This album obviously is not perfect, it's generic nature does kinda make the songs feel a little sluggish but i never thought that the songs were bad. This album still is an enjoyable listen and is quite a massive step up from Psychocandy. Best Song: Happy When It Rains Worst Song: Darklands

Great record and great songs.

Honestly? Was pretty bored. But this is the problem with rushing day by day . This of the kind of album that I'd probably love with many multiple listens. Maybe. So it can have a 3 but I found little i enjoyed first time.

Not sure it will crack my regular rotation but good intro to a band I had heard about but never listened to. April Skies is a standout.

Needs more listens, but can see how 90's indie bands would have been influenced by this

There's some highlights here and there for me but I'm not too crazy about The Jesus and Mary Chain sound or song structure. Reminds me of when I listened to that dark moody gothic vibe on Pornography by the cure. And I get the aesthetic is there, but it just feels watered down, and far more repetitive. Like a depressed Bruce Springsteen. Idk, not a bad album by any means, but I'd rather listen to other artists in this field like the cure, the smiths, new order or whoever else. Also it gets bonus points because the album cover is so sick

Good but the sound was a little repetitive.

The first track reminded me a bit of U2 (not a compliment) but it grew on me a little from there. I don't think I'd listen to it again, but it was ok,

While I am familiar with this band (and have seen them live) it's the first time I have listened to one of their albums in detail. I was surprised by the convergent evolution (I guess) with Brian Jonestown Massacre in this album, especially songs such as Ninety Million Rainy Days - hadn't picked that before.

Nothing stood out to me. If you told AI to make an 80s album this would be it. But maybe because it’s iconic and created the 80s sound?

Фоном слушается, в принципе, нормально, спокойный такой рок (иногда даже слишком). Несколько однообразно и монотонно, правда и ни одна песня не цепляет, если вслушиваться. Поэтому только 5,5 из 10.

Enjoyed this actually. To my surprise

What a name for a band. This was alright

This is nice. Not very catchy, but a pleasant listen.

Very not what I was expecting

boooorrringggg

Meh

30 seconds in I thought, ‘this sounds like Primal Scream’. Then I found out Bobby Gillespie used to be in The Jesus and Mary Chain and thought it made sense. Then I found out that he was the drummer in JMC and actually left before this album. So who knows. I guess he just sings a lot like Jim Reid. Quite enjoyed this a few times but I can also take it out of rotation now and probably won’t really miss it. I liked the vibe without actually getting attached to any of the songs in particular.

the jesus and mary chain is a hard ass name for a shoegaze band. Too bad this is just another alt rock album, albeit a good one. why is this even listed as shoegaze??? This album is good but their previous album psychocandy is so much better and far more interesting. This such a downgrade

Very nice. All sounded like different versions of "Head On".

Lekker hoor!

Grunge precursor in many ways. I don't enjoy it as much as the music that it inspired later, but it isn't bad.

Sad indie rock that wasn’t really doing much for me.

Mixed bag on this album for me. While I like the album as a whole, it's not something that I go back to and say, this is amazing. Actually, I like their 21 Hits compilation better, it's got more stuff that I like on it. This is a good album though and deserves to be on this list. 3.25/5

I like a lot of parts of this album and I really don't like a lot of parts of this album.

3.4

3 stars

Good album. Seems to be a pretty typical album for the time.

Feel good pop, pretty good, nothing really to say about this as there’s nothing crazy unique about this or anything, although I will say this seems a bit ahead of this time, it feels like something from the 90’s like Cocteau twins but it comes a few years before which is cool. Standouts for me are pretty much the singles and the fall.

Decent new wave, slightly boring

Oddly enough, when this one popped up, I realized it was never a go-to for me. It's in the exact spot that triggers me to daydream. It's not bad, but it means I never really hear the songs. I think it's the vocals that are often soft and airy.

Not too bad

Bueno

Really enjoyed this one. Those late 1980s UK bands like J&MC that followed the Smiths and The Cure and others really carried the sound into the 1990s. 3.75

I feel like it's the same song written 10 times

Another alright album Musically, it was fine. It sounded familiar in parts - probably heard a song on an advert or something. Nothing to write home about Sadly sounded like a lot of other albums I've heard on here so far. Nothing unique or memorable for me personally 3 ⭐️

Pretty good. 80s production both helped and hurt the album. Very goth and gloomy. It was alright.

I had never listened to this before. It was basically what I thought. I didn’t mind it.

okay, yeah

One of the things I love about this project is trying to understand why I like the music I do. What things are universally good, and what things are subjectively good just to me? I still can't quite work it out. Why did I enjoy this album more than the other alt-rock albums I've had to listen to? Is it slightly more crisp? Is the singing slightly more melodic? Did it just feel a bit less whiny? I don't know, but I'm enjoying the process of working it out. 3.5/5 stars.

there are some pretty decent moments on here, but overall, i was pretty unimpressed. to be clear, there was nothing truly awful here. mostly just too dull for me. no real highs, no real lows. very in the middle. the highlight to me was 'down on me' which i thought was a fun song that reminded me a little bit of the replacements. but otherwise, not much going on here for me.

The descriptions calling this post punk, shoegaze etc had me expecting something much noisier but it's more an indie rock/power pop style. The guitars are a bit shoegazy at moments, like on Nine Million Rainy Days A bit morose and moody but in an easygoing kind of way. Nice as some chilled out background music. Full of nice vocal harmonies and guitar hooks I can imagine this being really nice on a rainy day, which makes sense since they're from East Kilbride 3.5 Highlights: Down On Me, Fall, Nine Million Rainy Days

Yeah, ok.

7/10. Would play this while driving alone at night. Dated but interesting

Chill

какой-то скучнолэндс, вроде вайб присутствует но я почему-то потяжелее ожидала звучания

It took me three listens to really understand what made this album/group unique. Great, deep vocals, and some interesting song structures and hooks. Some of the songs are pretty basic and uninteresting, and generally this album sounds like more of a 'vibe', but not bad. 3/5

Energetic but not too energetic. When the guitars get going, the sound gets richer, the feel gets going, the album gets going. Drags with the endless rain--we get it. Not quite enough variety to the rain. When they depart from it, they kick.

Some songs sounded too similar for me to rate any higher even though I somewhat enjoyed it

i might just not get it but i didnt like it as much as some people on here.

This reminded me of high school, but at the same time, I haven't listened to it since high school, so I'm not sure that it was all that revolutionary that it needed to be listened to people before they die. It's a good example of late 80s alternative, but as with a lot of music of that era, it's a bit repetitive and thematically one-note. Good for the era, but nothing I'm seeking out on the reg.

Mid 3

Good stuff!

They are like the sad stone roses. Too many songs that sound the same. Overall good sound and some good songs

Its just Ok nothing special I can point out.

Gorgeous sound on this album.

Lækre sange, selvom jeg foretrækker deres debut som er lidt samme slags sange bare med meget mere støj

Cool sounding album. Love the style.

2.5 really

чилловый

Good stuff from a good era. I'm in.

Really surprised me how much I enjoyed this album. I had never heard of JMC previously, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I had read some reviews comparing them to the Cure or Joy Division, who don't get me wrong, I love a song or two, but couldn't really face into listening to a whole album. The opener is really strong, sort of familiar? I don't know enough about JMC if they were influencers or the influenced but either way, great opening track. Only reason for the 3 (maybe a 3.5 but, I'm gonna round down) is that based on my own rating system, I can't see myself revisiting the whole album on a regular basis but still a few songs will definitely make their way into my rotation again.

Sounds like a mixture between "Sisters Of Mercy" and "Travis" to me😉 Nice listen but I´m missing at least one banger.

This sad boi music is trynna gaslight me into thinking its happy

This was pretty good. Haven't listened to this band much but they aren't bad.

First track is good with all the duh duh duhs Album got better with every listen tbh. It was a lot more hopeful and happy that I thought it would be. Started off scratching a 3 but definitely on the higher of the 3s for me now

Enjoyed this ...remember their name from back in the day but none of their music. Trippy and relaxing... Good background music when you're trying to work. Not good enough to warrant for stars... Try harder Jesus.

Better than their first album. Jesus and Mary Chain should have been as popular as Joy Division or the Cure

I fell asleep whilst listening to this album, but I don't think it's the album's fault... in fact, I'd say the album does a lot of great things, despite abandoning the noisy elements of their first album. It has a solid alt-pop sound, and fits right in at the time of jangle innovation. It feels a bit too wishy washy at times for my taste, and that led to an album with a lot of "almosts," but I can still see the appeal as a picture of bands changing with the times, and in that aspect it isn't amazing, but it is neat.

Quedé agradablemente sorprendido con este trabajo de The Jesus and Mary Chain. Una estética oscura ejecutada de forma perfecta como una mezcla adelantada a su época entre rock gótico, shoegaze y new wave. En ciertas partes del disco puedo notar la tremenda influencia que New Order tuvo en esta agrupación, con extractos del LP sonando bastante parecido a "Brotherhood" de la banda que se desprendió de Joy Division. Recomendable, pero si me tuviera que quejar de algo es que a pesar de ser corto (con su tracklist original de 10 pistas), puede tornarse repetitivo a veces. ¿Debería estar en la lista de los mejores álbumes de todos los tiempos? Creo que sí. Pixies, una de las bandas más influyentes de finales de los '80s no podría haber encontrado su sonido sin la influencia de The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Enjoyed it, but the shocking sound of the debut has gone away.

Nice and melancholy.

Not bad. Like it better than Psychocandy

Sounds like very modern but just mid indie rock.

Not bad - very mellow and easy to have on as background music. Not really what I expected, much quieter than anticipated.

Some nice songs

Well that was a pleasant surprise! I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. I might have to come back to it.

I didn't dislike it, but I don't know if it was the mood I wanted.

Liked some of this, was bored by a lot of it. I suspect it's a "grow on me" kind of album so I'll bump it up from a 2 to a 3. Wish I had more energy for a dedicated listen of it on first go, but I got a bit behind while a friend was visiting for a week and I am wanting to work on catching up so this unfortunately is just going to get the gut reaction. Who knows though, if it is a grow on me type of album like I suspect I could maybe see this being as high as a 4 for me.

not bad

Moody alt shit. Somewhere between Velvet Underground and The National. I dig it, even if it didn’t blow me away

It was pretty chill. The faster songs have a 60s sound to them, but just the right amount

I would have so hired them to play at my school's dance in 1987. Unfortunately for The Jesus and Mary Chain, I am no longer judging music by 1987 school dance standards.

slow, dark and dull rock. So many bands seem to use this mantra as a magic wand to make boringly written songs sound ”deep”. I guess it somewhat works

saw shoegaze and was expecting some smashing pumpkins-like stuff but its very popish and even though the lyrics are sad most melodies are happy, i guess its just the 80s effect... anyway not a bad album, but not impressive either

It could be a four star album with a live drummer.

I think 13 year old me would have loved this, but it's a little too of it's time for me now.

Melodic and easy to listen to but not something I'd seek out

I like the sound and feel of this album, but after 2 listens it doesn't really stick with me. I'm guessing if someone put this on one side of a long play tape for me with a Smiths album on the other side back in 1989 I would defend it to the death.

3.5

Darklands is much like the last offering we had from TJAMC, where I said it's hugely atmospheric and has some impressive guitar work and composition, but I can't get on with the vocals. Think this is better than Psychocandy but it's still a shade of 3.

This is quite a cool sound, but it never quite gets going for me. Another that ends up on the pile of influential and inspirational for better stuff that comes later, really. Definitely preferred it to the previous album, but doesn't quite take hold. 3/5.

Had only ever heard Psychocandy and I think it caught me off guard that this sounds like.. the Smiths? Velvet Underground? It’s a solid alt rock album with good vibes but did not meet my expectations fully I’d have to say.

Not particularly inspired by this but enjoyed it still!

as a guy with a newly broken heart this was not fun to listen to

They were fine.

This was an interesting listen. I didn't love it, but it had some cool sounds and was pleasant enough in the background. Three stars.

This album is as dull as a Sunday Catholic mass. The livelier songs sounded overproduction.

It's not bad-bad but it's pretty boring 2.5

Somber sound but with a groove. 80s rock isn’t my thing usually, but because this has a darker vibe to it, I can dig it. I’d revisit this one.

Scottish rock band - 80s shoegaze, noise-pop. It ain't bad, just ain't my bag

J'ai clairement plus aimé que l'autre que j'ai eu, mais il faudrait vraiment que je redonne une chance à ce band et l'autre album considérant l'impact de ce band sur la scène shoegaze. Généralement j'ai trouvé ça s'écoutait bien, meilleure production que sur l'autre, plus de variété de son. 7/10

Plenty of rainy-day gloom within this album. Despite being released in 1987, Darklands would certainly fit the mid-90s sound. While this album is seemingly innovative, my ears are so accustomed to the various grunge and alternative bands of the 90s, that this record unfortunately sounds like a pale imitation of them. This is not to say that Darklands was a tortuous listen, though. This record still carries the dark and carefree spirit of post-punk, and a song like “Fall” demonstrates this. Overall, this album merits a 3.5.

Good goth

Haven't listened to much of this band's music before although I knew of them. I enjoyed it. Good guitar sounds throughout, good vocals. Worth a listen

Calm, soft, chill, and with some nice harmonies to top it off. This record was a bit of a sleeper but in a good way. Good vocals, solid production, and some decent lyrics. At some points I felt it was a bit too calm and soft that it got a little boring but not to the point that I'd just fall asleep. Very good background music if imma keep it a buck. Would listen again tbh. Best - Happy When It Rains, April Skies, and About You (MPF) Worse - No bad songs 3.25-3.50/5

Ég hafðu aldrei heyrt um þetta band áður en ég hlustaði á þessa plötu og þótt bandið og tónlistin sé mjög ljúf og þægileg áheyrnar þá mun þessi hljómsveit fljótt falla í gleymsku meðalmennskunnar

Ganske ait 3.5

It's not bad. Not great either.

Okay this is something different than the last one. Much much more gentle and approachable. Maybe too much so. But I'm nodding my head at some of this and it's all quite nice. Not great, but good.

Overall pretty good, but a little forgettable. I found myself having to listen a few times just to remember most of the songs. I liked "Happy When it Rains" and "Fall"

I didn’t give them enough credit back when I got Psychocandy. Good stuff that fits a mood. Probably would give a 3.5. Favorite songs are Darklands, Happy When It Rains, and April Skies.

It was fine. But didn't hold my attention.

Not particularly memorable. I was hoping for a little more.

Fan alltså album e typ för långa ska inte ljuga.

A sound that I prefer to Psychocandy, but not a band that I idolize in the genre.

Alternative rock for alternative people.

I think I prefer My Bloody Valentine to this…

Trashhhhh

They took their iconoclastic distortion and turned in down a notch, cleaning up the production for a more accessible sound. It still sounds catchy even with its roots in the underground. “April Skies” is a standout and along with “Happy When it Rains,” the case is made that The Jesus and Mary Chain are direct descendants of The Ramones. Both seem obsessed with crafting what are essentially ‘60s Pop songs with a gritty, alternative edge.

Strong, mellow alt-rock with a throwback style of songwriting. It reminds me of Roy Orbison and artists from that early 60s pop era. There’s a new indie band called Dehd that I like and I was struck by how similar their sound is to this album.

I've been hearing about this band for decades and never listened; for some funny reason I thought that they were a 90's Seattle grunge band lol. It's alright. Really pretty uh "mid" to my ears. I think a 3/5 because nothing was offensive and that's both a compliment and an insult. Didn't love much but didn't dislike much either.

I don’t get it. Fine, but left my brain just as quickly as it entered it

A staple shoegaze band although this record feels a lot closer to post punk stuff of the 80's. I suppose this was right before the 90's shoegaze explosion to it may be considered a stepping stone record. Overall not a bad listen. I'd recc the first four tracks, April Skies and On the Wall for listening.

Down on Me is pretty good. Doesn't sound very 80s, they must have been pre-punk post-punk. Overall listenable but nothing else stands out. 3.5 would be perfect, but rounding down for being a bit bland on the latter half of the album.

Thought this was alright but those last three tracks drag this album down for me. It goes by so quick that it doesn't overstay its welcome but I just wish it had a stronger finish. Highlights: Nine Million Rainy Days April Skies Fall

A very monotonal effort; not bad, I could sense shoegaze elements mixed with Beach Boys rhythm at certain points, but nothing really held my attention and it was, unfortunately, a bit boring. It was also difficult to track down and so had to listen on YT, but it loses no points for that. Title track "Darklands" is a standout.

A cool and darker style album by The Jesus And Mary Chain, with an overall great alt-rock vibe. Random aside, but there were a couple of songs that had the essence of the HP & Goblet of Fire Yule Ball band song, which I thought was pretty strange but neat. Best: April Skies Worst: On the Wall

It was pretty good.

I must have listened to this eight times. I just couldn’t warm to it.

Not bad at all. Nice melodies, nice vocals, nice instrumentation.

Good album, not great.

Another nice 80's standard. Not amazing though.

As a child of the '80s, I had heard of this band before, but I didn't know of their music as I didn't hear them on the radio or see them on MTV, so I didn't know what they would sound like. Besides the gated reverb drum sound, which I don't like, this is not bad. I might listen to this one again. Favorite track: April Skies

It’s SCOTCH MUSIC TIME again. Another one where it’s probably great when it’s really really loud. But when it isn’t loud, it isn’t great. I think seeing them live would be great, but it’s not going to be my dog walk music.

Not a bad listen, thought it was going to be crazy distortion like the other one

Not bad, but I might be missing whatever it is some people think is great. 3/5

Another one of those bands that I had always heard about but never listened to. Fairly representative of late 80s alt rock/punk in the spirit of Husker Du, Psychadelic Furs, and Sonic Youth.

A little more than a 3 but not quite a 4.

Calm rock from the 80s. The lead singer has a slightly sweet, wistful tone. I dig it even if I can’t figure out what makes it so special. “Deep One” and “April Skies” are great.

Depressing sounding, but actually not a bad album. 3.5/5

I was slightly familiar with this group going in but never listened to anything on this album before. I was a great listen for an early (5am) Saturday morning. I would certainly put this on again.

Gave it 3 listens. Some good lyrics, but the music sounded very generic to me. Nothing really stood out. 3/5

Better than expected, but nothing I would listen to again. Tracks, that stood out to me: "April Skies" and "Cherry Came Too"

Better than I thought!

Ok

The beginning stages of shoegaze. One of the most annoying genres. Only about half of the songs actually have that vibe luckily. Darklands, Happy When it Rains and Cherry Came Too are my favorites. Low 3

3.5/5

Pleasant and chill, reminded me a little bit of My Bloody Valentine but stripped down to a simpler form

An interesting blend of Ramones meets Beach Boys. I sort of like it, I sort of could do without it. Nine Million Rainy Days and Cherry Came Too are the best trax IMHO.

Better than psychocandy!

Good listen.

Passlega þunglyndislegt.

This is the kind of music made for my teenage self. Nowadays, it's just tedious. 3 stars for the memory.

Two Jesus and Mary Chain albums in one week, what are the odds. That said, I enjoyed this far more than Psychocandy. The album felt a lot tighter and I liked a fair number of the songs. Lots of groovy riffs and catchy hooks throughout.

Heard of this band, never listened to any of their music. Interested to listen to this. Very 80's-goth type. It's cool, not my style. I'll give it a couple more tracks.

Sonically very interesting album, I really love the overall vibe put forth from this. I think it conveys so much mood with tone

I like this type of music but the songs didn’t seem to go anywhere 3/5

Thoughts before listening: One of those bands I've always heard of but know very little about. This album is not one that even looks familiar to me...Psychocandy is the album I typically see getting praised by music sites. Dark brooding indie rock or maybe gothic punk I think. Review: Definitely not as dark as I was thinking. This sounds like a lot of 80s indie/college rock...especially the Pixies who famously covered one of their songs. This is a sound I connect with and enjoy, and while nothing on this album is blowing me away, it is certainly enjoyable. "Happy When It Rains", "Down On Me", and "April Skies" are very good songs that I'm happy to add to the playlist. 3-stars.

Easy listening and nice.

Fine enough for those who like it, repetitive but bearable for those who don't.

6.5/10

Probably some hidden genius to this record i don't get. Right now its a solid noise recoed in a pop format. Feel kind of indifferent to it.

Great album Very cold 80s sound I find the album sets a chill ambiance 3.5

High 3 but not a 4

Classic 80s

I enjoyed this. Perfect vibes for the morning. 3.4.

It was kinda nice for the background, but it didn't wow me.

I want to like them; I love just like honey, but they are too much of a "mood" rather than something I will listen to often

I’d heard of them, but couldn’t have named a song they did however nice sound welcome in my random play list any time.

Darklands passt als Titel super! Obwohl ich nicht auf die Texte geachtet habe, war ich ab dem ersten Song allein in einer düsteren Stadt Mitte der 80er die nachts nur von wenigen Laternen ausgeleuchtet war. (Bildlich habe ich mir die Intro-Bilder der Spiegel-Doku von den Kneipenterroristen vorgestellt:D) Hat mir gut gefallen, da ich es seicht durchhören konnte und nebenbei nichts negatives aufgefallen ist. Hätte ich mich ausschließlich auf das hören eingelassen, wäre ich sicherlich noch besser in das Album abgetaucht. Ich kannte weder die Band noch irgendeinen Song. Mir hat es atmosphärisch sehr gut gefallen. Letztlich ist es aber aus meiner Sicht kein BangerAlbum, dass ich einmal die Woche anmachen müsste, es war aber ein nicer Exkurs in eine düstere Traumwelt. Es zieht sich bei mir durch, ich gebe aber sehr gerne 3 Sterne. Für 4 blieb zu wenig hängen, für 2 ist der Wiedererkennungswert deutlich zu groß.

- Irgendwie echt nicht schlecht, aber auch irgendwie ein bisschen langweilig - Fühlte mich hier und da ein bisschen an Echo & The Bunnymen erinnert, aber leider nur an eine weniger spannende Version - Ich hatte bei keinem Song das Bedürfnis zu skippen und handwerklich war das auch alles in Ordnung und größtenteils mochte ich auch den Vibe total, aber so vollends abholen konnte es mich dann doch nicht. - Vielleicht muss ich hier irgendwann nochmal reinhören (Grower Potenzial) Rating: 3/5

Didn’t really add to what I thought they were from the few songs I’ve heard. Then again, I’m not huge into Velvet U. Can hear influence on bands like Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Like Joy Division and U2 had a baby except that both those two bands are better. This one is dull and after almost 400 albums I've realized that shoegaze really isn't my thing. However this one is better than the material from MBV and Cocteau Twins.

This is like the Smiths for people who can’t stand Morriseys vocals

01) Darklands - 7,5 02) Deep One Perfect Morning - 7,5 03) Happy When It Rains - 7,5 04) Down on Me - 7,5 05) Nine Million Rainy Days - 7,5 06) April Skies - 7,5 07) Fall - 7,0 08) Cherry Came Too - 7,0 09) On The Wall - 6,5 10) About You - 7,0 TOTAL: 7,25 (73/100) I should love this more than I do. Good, but nothing special.

Not quite Pycho Candy!

Yeah. Fine, but not really that interesting. Nice and short.

Enjoyed it well enough, kind of music you'd listen to darkly brooding in the shadows.

Test

Good vibe, didn't blow me away in any direction but a nice listen.

The name of the band seems a little corny. The album is pretty good. I'm just not in the mood for melancholic music. Cherry Came Too sounds like a Beach Boys Song

Synes det var fint intet specielt. Må indrømme jeg nok kunne have lyttet mere efter

It was solid. It was a bit boring at times and felt longer than it actually was. Probably not something I'll return to but I didn't dislike it.

have historically not been too hot on j+mc, but they've grown on me over the years. somehow i've now heard darklands and automatic but not psychocandy lol. anyway, this is nice and jangly and i kinda liked it. 3.5/5

Quite forgettable.

I liked it. Moody, but oddly relaxing.

Un côté romantique et sombre, bien que ça reste léger, avec des guitares amples.

Good but nothing that special

I remember these guys from back in the late '80s, but never listened to them. They never made it onto the radio or my radar. I admire the pop-rock guitar band. Obvious bonus points for real drums and guitars. I get hints of the Raspberries, Beach Boy melodies, early REM. But the energy level never rises to the point of my caring about it.

The Reid brothers wrote something here that sounds somehow both sad and not despondent. Dark but hopeful. This is pop in the vein of the Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman and Elvis Costello. It's rhythmically straight ahead (no heavy syncopation or West African polyrhythms, here) -- melodically pleasant, familiar and harmonically just a bit darker than those predecessors. It's layered: the arranging and production give it a Cure or Smiths feel but the Jesus and Mary Chain are more hopeful than either of those. It's dead-on, masterful pop with 80s layers, fuzzy guitars and a depressive but sunny edge. This is the gentlest application of cliched 80s production I've ever heard. The slightly-overdriven, chime-y, reverby guitars and very reverb-ed drums (particularly the snare) are mixed to precisely the levels where it's unmistakable but not irritating. All that said, while this is an album well worth a listen, not a single song stuck with me when I was done. I'll probably come back eventually but I wouldn't assume that everyone will. A good album and an influential entry into this pop tradition, but not an essential full of sing-along bangers or mind-blowing epics.

First listen for me, and I found it Peaceful. Felt like I was going nowhere fast, spaced out in the grocery store to these tunes. Really hit when he said do do, do do do, do dO!

Listening to this while driving around made me feel like a misunderstood 16 yr old boy which was kind of a nice escape from my current existence

Growing up is realizing all your favorite bands from your youth were just aping bands from an earlier era— I’m looking at you, Chris Owens of Girls.

This didn't do a lot for me, generally This band has failed to make much of an impression on me. Middle of the road alt rock.

Don't dislike any of the songs but none of them stood out to me. 5/10

vibes

everything in me is screaming to rate this higher but the fact is the JAMC are kind of a bore

This wasn't what I expected. I thought this band was one of those "louder faster" sort of situations -- this is kind of psychobilly or some sort of honkypunk. It was OK, but I wasn't moved.

Darklands has one of the obvious month songs; It's been in partial and regular rotation for several years. Still, can't dive totally in the whole album. Combined are pop structures with minor keys and depressive instrumentation. All loves. All simply there. It's a more static landscape, fine to visit every once in a while.

3.5 This is one of those bands with a handful of chord progressions, but they have good ones. Phil Spector's influence is all over this thing, especially in the booming trademark intro drums. Transmutating 60s bubblegum into black licorice. The singer's languid baritone exudes cool partially due to its resignation. There is numb pain here. It’s a dim light in the fog. This one doesn't have the razorblade guitars of Psychocandy. More pallatable, less harsh.

Gemütlicher, bodenständiger 60‘ Rock

Okay enough.

Enjoyable. Will have to listen again.

Seems like a slightly better produced re-tread of Pyschocandy, which I still enjoy much more.

has some catchy guitar hooks. overall pretty melancholy

There’s something missing from this album. The feedback of Psychocandy made their sound more interesting, this album is a little too predictable. Not enough variation between the songs, not abrasive enough like their first album or lush enough like dream pop.

Just ok.

Alt-Rock/Post Punk Jesus and the Mary Chain are form Scotland. I really like their sound. Something different. I've heard this album a few times now and it has grown on me. Standouts: April Skies, Darklands, Happy When it Rains Above average 3.5/5

Darklands is the second album by Scottish alternative rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain. It remains their highest-charting album after reaching #5 on the UK Albums chart, and it's certified gold in the UK. This alt rock album used a drum machine because the drummer of the band left for a new band before recording began. I enjoyed the simplicity of the post-punk, alt rock music on this album and believe most others would like this album too.

Eh, meio the cure demais pra mim mas nao eh ruim

I liked this a lot! The title track is my favourite.

I remember seeing Jesus & Mary Chain on the Lollapalooza tour in 1992 and thinking this new grungy raw sound was awesome. Turns out, J&MC were grunge before grunge was a thing. 3.5/5

I liked the sound of it. There was something of the pixies and the stone roses about it, however I didn’t enjoy it as much as those bands. I thought the songs melted into each other a bit and there weren’t any stand outs.

It was forgatable.

Down on me muito boa

I quite enjoyed listening to this at the time I did. It was good background music for what I was doing. However I probablywoukd never seek it out. 3*

One of those albums that sits on three stars because it was good but not good enough for four.

Pas si mal dans le genre. 3

Average album. Sounded decent but went in one ear and out the other. Good focus music

Major velvet underground energy. I liked it

A little of mixed feelings on this one. Good? Sure. Great? No. 3/5

not bad, slower and kinda haunting

This is cool. unfortunately it never shifts out of this peddling midtempo like your mom's new dirt bag boyfriend sort of cool.

I liked this better as the album went on. The title track is probably the worst on the album

Not that great. I had heard of this band talked about in high regard, but I just don’t get it.

I liked the overall feel of this group.

Kinda boring, but also entertaining. Somewhat original, but not exciting. 3/5

Love the opening strains of the opening song. But by the middle of the second song I was starting to get exhausted. I just got back from a weekend trip to Edinburgh yesterday and Scotland is perfectly nice; buck up boys. I don't hate this album, it's pretty, but I don't know when I'd ever feel like listening to it again. 2.5

Very listenable, but nothing really caught my ear either.

Very chill, easy listening but nothing ear catching

Cool

Reasonable.

This band made better music but also the shoegaze genre has better folks out there. It is all a bit too similar for my taste.

This was okay. Definitely better than a 2, so 3 stars it is, I suppose.

I am very indifferent about this

I didn’t hate this but I found it pretty dull and monotonous.

More of the same but when the formula works…

Good album and probably my favourite band from this genre. The album gets a bit repetitive/samey but that's my only criticism.

I've only heard the debut previously. This is a lot more radio friendly (as they say) Keeps the Beach Boys type melodies. Keeps the dour lyrics but drops the waves of hissing feedback. Pleasant.

This album is fine, it just doesn’t really do much for me.

Alright, Darklands. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Surely an album with a name like 'Darklands' must be awesome!" Well, let me tell you, this one is a doozy - if you listen to the original album and not the extended version, which unfortunately is the only one available on Spotify. Because while the first 10 tracks on the original album might lull you into a false sense of security with their catchy riffs and moody vocals, things quickly take a turn for the worse if you keep on listening. The extended album drags on and on like a never-ending audition for a vampire movie. It's like they took all the energy and excitement that went into the original album and replaced it with a handful of sleeping pills. So, my advice to you is this: If you're looking for some great music listen to the first 10 tracks, but if you need to rock out for a longer time, stay far away from the extended version. Unless, of course, you're having trouble sleeping and need a lullaby to help you drift off. In that case, put it on repeat and let The Jesus and Mary Chain sing you to dreamland.

3,5

It sounds like a soundtrack to an 80s teen movie

Its...okay, not really much to say about it

Pretty decent early alternative rock.

More like a 3.5 but it was a bit too same-y and for me. I can see how this could be your favourite album though!

HL: "Happy When It Rains", "April Skies", "About You", title track 3 for the dreamy atmosphere, but pretty much every song follows the same formula, also heard in the one J&MC song I was familiar with prior, "Just Like Honey"- root chord, 4th, root, 4th... March 27, 2023

I’ve known of this band for a long time, but never really knew their music. Just Snakedriver from The Crow soundtrack. I expected something more industrial and pretentious. This was actually pretty good. A little monotonous, but there’s a lot of monotonous stuff I love. Crazy they were doing this in 1987. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding

Unoffensive but nothing special. Kinda meh.

Hmm. I'm sure it was groundbreaking and cool and they use the F word. Now do all bands sound like them, or do they sound like all bands?

I really like The Jesus and Mary Chain. Gloomy, jangly, post-punk definitely hits for me.

Decent, some good vibes and songs, would need to be in the right mood for it as it has a very droning sounds.

Definitely won’t be putting this on any gym playlist. A real moody feel. Normally enjoy my 80’s music a bit more upbeat and cheesy. But I could see this being enjoyable on a calm rainy day.

Very 90s. Not great, but not horrible! Won't listen again though. I'm like the clock on the wall.

Good enough

was ok

it was alright. first couple songs hit then it gets boring

Fun … like if I had a dream that seemed really cool, then suddenly ended …. Sudden ending working major in favor. Would rather listen to this alone over hearing it played out anywhere else or live.

Liked but not enough to buy

i love this genre

catchy!

Influential like nothing else in the genre and really early to the Party. Groomed a steady and loyal fan base that spread over generations. Although tight and with melancholic tunes you like to listen to the album stays a bit to close to being a Velvet Underground cover thingy. 2.5

Meh. Nothing too exciting in my opinion.

Overall I really liked the aesthetic (big drum machine sound, jangly hollow-body guitars, broody vocals, bells/tambourine on everything) - it sounds like something that would have played at Central Perk! But there were really only 2 tracks worth listening to again: - Happy When It Rains - April Skies

3.5

Tf is this?? Actually this is pretty good!!