God forbid your band should ever receive some critical acclaim. Because when they break up (and they will break up), the descendants are doomed to forever live in the oppressive shadow of unfair comparisons. And if you happened to be pioneering before you split? Well, you might as well go ahead and prepare for the VH1 special now. The ex-members of the Jesus and Mary Chain are in an even worse predicament; they recorded a masterpiece, (and on their first try, no less). When 1985's Psychocandy first hit turntables across the globe, rock music shuddered.

After a debut like that, there was nowhere to go but down. At least it was a slack angle-- nothing too steep or terrifying for the band or the fans. A nice, easy grade that took almost 15 years to descend. And while their break-up was rough, the timing wasn't too off. The Brothers Reid actually knew when to leave the party without overstaying their welcome. A party guest like that, well, you invite them back next time for certain.

Freeheat is their "next time." Jim Reid and Ben Lurie from the Mary Chain turned over a few stones and found Romi Mori and Nick Sanderson of the Gun Club to provide a rhythm section. The resulting debut is a cozy little disc, feeling familiar like a hand-me-down sweater-- threadbare and washed too many times.

With only one of these four songs composed by the band, it would be foolish not to expect to hear some kind of alignment with the Jesus and Mary Chain. The sleaze n' tease of that band does make an appearance, though more in Reid's vocals-- that bored, slurry nasal sneer-- than the grinding squall of feedback noise. The distortion is there, but enslaved to the melody and pop song structure instead of contradicting them as before.

The short quartet of songs begins with a fuzzy, druggy half-duet between Reid and Mori. The grimy, confessional rant "Facing Up to the Facts" follows and easily wins the sore thumb award. On Lurie's "Shine on Little Star," the escalator melody reinforces those old classic pop sensibilities that were always right below the ebony veneer in the Mary Chain's compositions.

Even for a decent first effort like this, you can't help feeling sorry and amazed at the same time. How can Freeheat even strap on their guitars to try? Can't they know that stubborn reviewers everywhere will bring up the past and pass harsh judgment? Close-minded fans will reject them like a body rejects a transplanted organ! But despite all that, Jim Reid and the others play as if they know that their place in music history is already secure. Now they're just making music for the sheer enjoyment of it.

-John Dark