Brian Jonestown Massacre

Like the colorful, tie-dyed musical miasma of '60s rock from which it draws inspiration, the Brian Jonestown Massacre employs a dynamic palette of shifting shapes and textures in illustrating its opulent soundscapes. While singer-guitarist Anton Newcombe and company paid early and frequent homage to this era, the Massacre's sound has expanded greatly since its genesis. Late-'80s Britpop (the Cure, Smiths) and its shoegazing successors have provided additional touchstones across the band's decade-long existence, connected by a penchant for gentle melodic drone and the acoustic-guitar jangle it often buttresses.

The band's latest, And This Is Our Music, represents the apotheosis of this approach. The album drifts sonorously over musical landscapes with an expertly calibrated mix, from the reverb/surf-guitar underpinnings of "When Jokers Attack" and its majestic, Oasis-sized arrangement of the instrumental "You Look Great When I'm Fucked Up," whose Ennio Morricone C&W is fueled by singing saw, wind-blown guitar ambiance, and haunting piano resembling a distinctly more parched Mojave 3. Hard to pin down, but easy to flow with, Brian Jonestown Massacre goes down easy, like spiked purple Kool-Aid.