Brian Jonestown Massacre - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?

Some people put a lot of stock in a name. Those people will be anticipating bold things from Brian Jonestown Massacre (a name inspired by Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and a mass-suicide cult in Jonestown, Guyana) and an ever-changing line-up boasting members of bands such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Warlocks and The Ravenettes as former contributors. Sadly, many will be disappointed this time around. For a name which conjures up such stark and striking images there's little in the music to support this. And that's where it really counts.

The album begins with a bland start, with first track ‘Tempo 116.7 (reaching for dangerous levels of sobriety)’ meandering along with a simple beat and some atmospheric guitars looped for five minutes. The album even finishes in equally bland terms: ‘Felt Tipped Pictures of UFOs’ opts for a variety of spoken audio clips (including John Lennon’s “Bigger than Jesus” apology) over the top of a load more ambient noises. What's most puzzling is that this is dragged lifelessly along for an astonishing ten minutes without any noticeable deviation.

‘Tunger Hnifur’ sees the first appearance of vocalist Anton Newcombe: one of the few constant contributors in the revolving door policy. However his vocals are often so quiet that they're almost inaudible and incomprehensive - even the track ‘Let’s Go Fucking Mental’, which has an early Nine Inch Nails vibe, fails to raise things further with what should be an anthemic chorus. Similar to the football chant of the same name, it's sung with no real passion. When the artists themselves fail to go “fucking mental” you wonder why you should bother. ‘Dekta! Dekta! Dekta!’ sees the introduction of a little variety with an Eastern European influence, similar to Gogol Bordello, which breaks the monotony before the distortion is turned back up to eleven for ‘Super Fucked’.

It's unfortunate given the band's pedigree, but each song seems to pass without really making any impact. Newcombe’s fleeting vocal appearances, such as on the drug/World War II referencing ‘Somewhere Else Unknown’, offer very little. There's a distinct lack of any standout creativity elsewhere.

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