Aufheben

Brian Jonestown Massacre | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A. RECORDS
• ASIN: B007G5O4DG
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,053 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Aufheben brand new album by the Brian Jonestown Massacre, recorded in Berlin in Anton Newcombe's studio & the infamous East German Radio Station ''Studio East'' Featuring Matt Hollywood an original member of the band plays on this album. It also features Will Carruthers (Spacemen 3, Spritualized), Constatine Karlis (Dimmer) & Thibault Pesenti (Rockcandys). Plus vocal performances by Eliza Karmasalo (in Finnish). This album brings the traditional Brian Jonestown Massacre sound mixed with eastern influences & bringing it up to date with the benefit of all the additional weirdness that's been discovered in the past 40 years.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's Send a Copy to Outer Space May 7, 2012

By Ryan Winn

Format:MP3 Music

First glimpses of these songs appeared on Anton's internet show DeadTV nearly two years ago. He's recorded a lot of great songs since, and it's incredible how many great songs didn't make the cut. There is at least another, or maybe even two more classic albums that can be made from the unused songs.
But this album -- this album is perfect 2012 BJM. 2008's My Bloody Underground and 2010's Who Killed Sgt. Pepper left a few fans unhappy with either the songs or the recording quality (I love both of those albums), but I can't see the same being said for Aufheben. This album delivers solid tunes, interesting soundscapes, and delivers them with incredible mixes.
This album is fun to listen to. You can dance to it, think to it, well.. you could do a lot of things to this record.

Anton said this about Aufheben: "i am very interested in eschatology,and i've been aware of the anxiety many people associate with 2012 etc.the cover art is based on the carl segan graphic included as a part of the voyager space program.two probes sent to the outer reaches of the solar system and beyond,each containing this graphic describing who we are,our location in our solar system and gold disks containing audio examples of hundreds of greetings in every language and music like js bach etc...reaching out to i don't know...inteligent life elsewhere.i thought it would have been funny if a scientist or someone...added one word on this plaque "Aufheben". it's a german word with many meanings at the same time...but to explain it: to destroy,to lift up,to preserve...."

After reading that, I had this dream of the probe with the disc with hundreds of greetings reaching a time warp, crashing back to earth in the days of babel when legends have it all the earth spoke with just one tongue, and the civilization figured out how to play the disc... the creation of confusion, of splintering languages... Let's send Aufheben out there and REALLY mess with their minds. Read more ›

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in a decade? May 22, 2012

By ehradecky

Format:Audio CD

YES!

I am a huge fan of modern music from diverse composers like Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Henryk Gorecki, Gavin Bryers. I even find great value in Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music. So while a grand departure in previous sounds I enjoyed My Bloody Underground and Who Shot Sgt. Pepper, the BJM's previous two recordings.

But lets face it, Anton, Matt and the boys won my heart with records like Take it From the Man, Methodrone and Give It Back. The last two times I saw the BJM live March of '09 and May 2010 (both in Chicago's Metro) they were THE BEST CONCERTS I have seen in my life...PERIOD. And hey, I'm 51 and heve been seeing live shows since 1976.

Here's the rub, the shows included very little or no MBU or WSSgtP. While great experimental/modern serious music these two records were departures. Fans, like me, want that acid dripping neo-psychedelia the band plays better than anyone else on earth! And I think the guys in the band know...witness the playlists from the shows.

With Aufheben Anton and the BJM refine the experiments/sound scapes and re-introduce psychedelia for their sound. By the time Blue Order/New Monday rolled around I was in tears - not afraid to admit it - in tears of joy at the f*#*ing beauty of this recording!

Anton and BJM have created that perfect mix of groove/experiment/psychedelia/rockandroll with this new record! PLEASE get this record!! You will love it, I guarantee!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Anton's back with his best album in nearly a decade May 2, 2012

By Jack Tripper TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

After hearing the "works in progress" versions of these songs over a year ago on Youtube and Dead TV, I was definitely intrigued, but ultimately disappointed with the direction Anton (and the rotating cast that is the Brian Jonestown Massacre) has been going beginning with 2008's 'My Bloody Underground.' While both that album and its followup, 2010's 'Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?' had a few gems that ranked among the band's best work, I felt that, as a whole, a lot of what attracted me to them in the first place had been sacrificed for the sake of experimental noise and electronic beats. There was no "soul" (for lack of a better term) in many of the songs. I'm all for pushing forward and not living in the past, but I felt Anton had been going slightly overboard the past few years, at least as far as my tastes go, and the trend seemed to be continuing, judging by the early versions of the 'Aufheben' songs.

I've now changed my tune. This album forges ahead into new sonic territory while still being recognizable as BJM. The opening track, "Panic in Babylon," gets things started perfectly with a relentless, driving beat and an Indian-tinged melody that made me both want to dance and want to hide from whatever was coming for me. The excellent "Viholliseni Maalla" (with female vocals sung in Finnish) is very Stereolab-esque, but then again it could just be the breathy, sexy female vocals sung in an exotic sounding language that suggests the influence. "Illuminomi" (sung in French by Anton) raises the bar, sounding like nothing I've ever heard, with insane, hypnotic rhythms and chord progressions, while still having instantly catchy hooks for the listener to latch onto...and "soul...."

Fans pining for old-school BJM are in luck, as both the floating, dreamy haze of "I Wanna Hold Your Other Hand" and the Eastern-influenced, mid 60's sounding propulsive psych of "Stairway to the Best Party"(complete with a sitar riff that would have made Brian Jones proud) would not have been out of place on BJM classics like 'Satanic Majesties' and 'Give it Back,' and in fact would have stacked up quite well with those albums best songs. Actually, the album as a whole reminds me of an updated version of the Eastern mysticism-infused 'Satanic Majesties' combined with the heavy, electronic world music vibe of 'Who Killed Sgt. Pepper,' while for the most part sounding like neither one. 'Aufheben' might have saved its best for last, as it ends with over seven-minutes of sonic bliss, "Blue Order/New Monday." Instead of being just an homage to New Order's "Blue Monday," its an absolutely infectious, swirling melody somewhat reminiscent of 'Revolver'-era Beatles, with the synthesizer-laden, updated disco of New Order thrown in more for good measure.

Overall, I believe this to be BJM's best work since 2003's 'And This is Our Music,' and even gives 2001's near-perfect 'Bravery, Repetition, and Noise' a run for it's money. This is music you can dance to or trip out to (or both at the same time). I take back everything I've ever said about the band's current direction, and I'm just thankful that Anton's around to give us his fresh, unique take on psych music, and hope he continues doing so for a long time to come. Rock and roll NEEDS Anton, whether the critics want to admit it or not, if for nothing else than to shake things up every once in a while. If he keeps on making music like 'Aufheben,' it will become impossible to deny. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Send It To The Stars! July 26, 2012

By Jay Murphy VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Aufheben" is the latest gift from Planet Newcombe and for my money, one of their absolute best. Opener "Panic in Babylon" is a joyous, Eastern/Indian pseudo-instrumental - you can almost smell the hashish. The upbeat, pretty (!) "Viholliseni maalla" would be a Top 10 hit in an ideal (albeit strange) world though I guess it wouldn't hurt if we knew what that title meant! More highlights on an extremely consistent album include "Gaz hilarant"; the spacey instant classic "i want to hold your other hand" (another brilliant homage/rip-off title) and yet another beautiful, dreamlike song called "The Clouds are lies" (a title I find endlessly amusing). "Stairway to the best party in the universe" rides on a sitar line reminiscent of the Stones' "Paint It Black" while conversely/ironically "Waking up to hand grenades" evokes Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" with its opening flute over pastoral folk bit brilliantly. "Blue Order/New Monday" is the transcendent, stunning sendoff. I love its positive vibe even if I don't quite hear the musical references of the title.

Where "My Bloody Underground" had me a bit concerned about Anton's creative juices going dry, "Aufheben" totally renewed my faith in Mr. Newcombe and his extended family of players. This is essential psychedelia.

The aliens need to hear this one! I hope they have great headphones.