198. DARKLANDS by The Jesus and Mary Chain

This 1987 record is the sophomore effort by The Jesus and Mary Chain. Whereas their debut album was considered a landmark in the noise pop genre that eventually lead the way to shoegaze, this album toned down the fuzz and distortion and ramped up the melody which, in my opinion, they perfected on Automatic (previously covered here). If you listen closely, you could swear that legendary producer Phil Spector must have had his hand in the recording somehow.

As this record is more melodic than the previous, it may actually be a good starting point for a virgin JAMC listener. With that in mind, consider trying these tracks out first:  'Cherry Came Too,' 'Happy When It Rains,' 'April Skies' and album opener/title track 'Darklands.'