BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE 'Methadrone' 2LP

Psychedelic revivalists Brian Jonestown Massacre revolve around mad mastermind Anton Newcombe, whose notorious drug-addled antics (as memorably documented in the 2004 documentary DIG) result in a constant revolving door of personnel. The band's 1995 debut full-length captures a moment in time when BJM was still full of promise, before things began to deteriorate. For METHODRONE, the '60s-obsessed Massacre had clearly done their homework; echoes of the Velvet Underground, the Electric Prunes, and other hip signposts of the era can be heard here, as thick clouds of distorted guitar float along, buffeted by lulling drones and languid vocals. The whole thing has a stoned-sounding effect that's poised halfway between the contemporaneous shoegazer sound and the '80s Paisley Underground movement. The sharp popcraft the band would soon display hadn't yet developed here, but the seeds for their acid-drenched indie rock were memorably planted. The band's fevered, fractious history can be confusing, but METHODRONE is where it all began.