Last week, I wrote about The Velvet Underground‰’s groundbreaking debut and mentioned that it was the foundation for a myriad of new genres. One of the most obvious offspring is The Jesus And Mary Chain‰’s Psychocandy.

Psychocandy is an experiment in aesthetic and musical texture. On the surface, the songs are noisy feedback-laden jams that sound like they‰’re made specifically for drug intake. The Jesus and Mary Chain also share the Velvet Underground‰’s ability to write abrasive songs that still sound abrasive, nearly three decades later. Sample tracks like “Taste The Floor,‰” “Never Understand‰” and “You Trip Me Up‰” are all songs that start fairly innocently before waves of squealing, screeching feedback come crashing in from all angles. When you dig a bit past the noise, it‰’s obvious that the songs themselves are very grounded in the simple pop groundwork that The Velvet Underground laid 18 years before in “Sunday Morning.‰” Give the lyrics a read and you‰’ll find themes of drug use, love and cunnilingus blended to create songs that marvel at the highs and lows of life.

Jim Reid‰’s monotonous voice works well in front (or covered by) the washes of noise and helps to keep his bubblegum melodies from sounding too sugary. There are times when the album sounds like something Brian Wilson might write after using enough amphetamines to rot his teeth out. Rhythmically, the album is reminiscent of post-punk pioneers like Joy Division with its spaced out bass and simplistic drumming. The production gives the album a desolate, cold tone that compliments the hot energy of the guitar noise.

Just as The Velvet Underground & Nico gave way to The Jesus And Mary Chain‰’s distinct brand of noise pop, Psychocandy would later be used as a template for the entire shoegaze genre, with bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive hiding their relatively simple songs beneath sheets of guitar effects. Even bands like No Age, traditionally associated with the DIY punk scene, owe it to The Jesus and Mary Chain for blazing the path for jarring noise to be used like an accompanying instrument.