The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Tepid Peppermint Wonderland: A Retrospective

Brian Jonestown Massacre is magic, there is just no other way of putting it. Everything about their songs feels like they’ve worked their way right out of your soul, they all feel so fresh and new, yet at the same time they feel as if they have been part of you for your whole life ... from birth ... and who knows, perhaps even before that. Honestly, there is something eternal about this music, the way it’s been woven around such splendid lyrics ... like looking in the mirror, seeing the truth and being pleased with what’s looking back at you.

I’m not a religious person, but this music is as close to a god as I am ever going to get. I never want these songs to feel anything less then they do at this very minute ... and I have a strong feeling that they will forever remain as striking as they do today. I’ve only had a couple of songs in my life that hold that special place ... The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nothing” is one, and Dylan’s “Series Of Dreams” would be another. I would highly suggest that if you are contemplating trying any of the music from The Brian Jonestown Massacre, that you begin here. This is a rather fine assemblage of music from all of their recordings to date, plus some numbers that never made it to any of their albums.

BASICS: There is much to be considered when attempting to write or even speak about the music of The Brian Jonestown Massacre ... and while the bulk of the material belongs to Aton Newcombe and Anton alone, it is the blending of the talent of the group that brings the songs their greatest strength, and sets them afire.

In saying that any Brian Jonestown Massacre album is brilliant, I would also have to say that any Brian Jonestown Massacre album is a total mess ... a Ying Yang of sorts, if you will, for it is only in the balance that one can appreciate the beauty, as it is only in the disharmony, that one can feel the harmony ... and on that note it takes the internal struggles and inherent aggravations within the band’s members, to bring out the unity we hear when the music of The Brian Jonestown Massacre comes together ... and when it all does come together, there is nothing finer to the ears.

The music is rich and lush, it is psychedelic beyond description with subtle guitars that stand out and blend in like a magical light show ... this will all bend your mind and ears with ever increasing pleasure. With Anton’s direction, the vocals and the instrumentation balance and bounce off of each other ... then flow back together as one note, as one song, as one thought, in all of time.

It is my sincere opinion that this is how the mind of Anton Newcombe works. There is no doubt that he suffers from internal struggles and it is this outward manifestation of his internal demons that brings about his brilliance. It is difficult for individuals like Anton, to live in such a state of flux on a daily basis, but those of his nature are some of the few true geniuses that occasionally walk this planet.

Draw your breath with deep consideration ... you are embarking on a journey that is no less then life altering. For those of us who have been privileged enough to have the light bulb of understanding flick on, we quickly turn it off, to bathe ourselves in the solitude of magnificent introspection.

Review by Jenell Kesler