6/10

The return of The Jesus And Mary Chain brought up a lot of concern when people first heard of it. Regardless of the fact that the band hadn't released any new material in almost twenty years, they were also a very different outfit when it came time to reform. Yet despite this being a trimmed down line-up than in their heyday, the band have now shared their long-awaited new album, and it shows that they aren't quite out of ideas just yet.

When you first turn on 'Damage And Joy', it is hard to imagine that so much time has passed since their last full-length as the album's initial sound seems stuck in a time capsule. Just listening to a few tracks instantly brings up nostalgic memories of the forgotten shoegaze movement of the 90s, and shows that even after so many years, the band have still managed to dredge up some of the same old magic and fire they always had.

But despite its throwback charms, it doesn't really have that instant hit you would expect from a band seldom-seen for two decades. It just seems that they have picked up where they left off and put out what they wanted to make, or what they thought they should. It is hard to make a sing-and-dance about this record but still has its moments nevertheless.