Strung Out in Heaven
The name "Brian Jonestown Massacre" may seem hokey, but it accurately sums up the band's aesthetic. Their key musical reference point is late Rolling Stones member Brian Jones, and their ramshackle, self-destructive vibe is all too reminiscent of Jim Jones, the Guyana cult overlord who killed himself and his congregation with poisoned vats of Kool-Aid.Strung Out in Heaven, the band's eighth release since 1995, is a retrodelic janglefest of Altamontian proportion. Blending the smarmy, drug-addled sonics of late-'60s Stones with the chime of the Byrds, the hooks of the Animals, and the monochromatic drone of Velvet Underground within their swirl of 12-string guitars, farfisa organs, and jaded vocals, Brian Jonestown Massacre cull some of the most head-spinning moments of '60s rock into a single, unified expression. But unified is the last word you'd use to describe their interband chemistry.  Since they formed, they have been through nearly 60 members, and their live shows are as likely to end in a flurry of fists as a transcendent, stupefying jam. Savor them before they self-destruct.--Jon Wiederhorn