Anton Newcombe, by his typical nature, is an enthusiast and a tireless worker when it comes to his music. Turning his life to sobriety a few years ago may have harnessed his personality and outlandish behaviours somewhat but by no means has it changed the musical output – it’s as progressive and twisted as ever. Don’t Get Lost is the latest instalment of his musical whereabouts and thumps more groove than any of his earlier efforts may have done.

The shoegazing guitars of Methodrone and Spacegirl And Other Favourites are about as far removed here as ever, it falls much closer to the ideas embodied on Revelation and the sort. Glimmers of trance breathe throughout opener ‘Open Minds Now Close’ whereas ‘Melodys Actual Echo Chamber’ – who knows if this is a dig at Melody’s Echo Chamber or Anton’s own satiric humour – is a throwback to heavy psychedelia. Lysergic guitars drip through the rhythm section with a distant shamanic voice whispering an array of colours.

The vast space that Anton has covered in his time as a musician is phenomenal – drifting casually between Ride, My Bloody Valentine, The Velvet Underground and then even over to Kraftwerk and Can. Don’t Get Lost is a double-album that finds the artist pushing his sound further, covering more unsolicited turf whilst ensuring all his previous bases are covered well; it is an album that splits between the experimental and more accessible. ‘Resist Much Obey Little’ harks back to the thundering punk of My Bloody Underground with its loose snares and semi-chanting vocals whereas its follower ‘Charmed I’m Sure’ falls off the beat somewhat. ‘Groove Is In The Heart’ is a certain for live sets with hammering percussion and the introduction of Tess Parks’ sultry mumble – an asset that begins to ring throughout the album from this point forward.

The thing is Tess Parks even begins to save certain tracks from monotony. Many highs that stand out within the album are forcefully supported by Tess’ added dynamic – ‘Dropping Bombs On The Sun’ is given a lift with her added warmth and ‘Throbbing Gristle’ becomes a different beast with her shifting tones. With Tess’ gravelly vocals, the songs become something elevated from just psych-drone.

‘Fact 67’ demonstrates another progression in Anton’s musical pedigree, it harks back to the days of 90s trance – it’s a number that wreaks of the 4am party, the last can of lager and the inevitable sense of incoming regret. Fortunately, Newcombe manages to keep the back end of the album as sturdy and formidable as the front end was . ‘UFO Paycheck’ is tolerably repetitive and hypnotic without becoming boring and ‘Geldenes Herz Menz’ brings in hints of sax and rolling soundscapes – another checkbox ticked for creativity. All this comes before the ballistic ‘Acid 2 Me Is No Worse Than War’ that sounds like Kevin and Perry scrapping with Primal Scream, oddly this works in this instance and ‘Nothing New To Trash Like You’ screams back to early BJM with its Jesus & Mary Chain-esque thunder and neck-breaking bass.

Double albums bring problems and often the main one begins with the question – “is this excessive egotism or an array of unique ideas that work together?” Don’t Get Lost fortunately falls closer to the former answer but at times it drags on. ‘One Slow Breath’ struggles to become much more than endless twisting around on keys and samples whereas ‘Ich Bin Klang’ struggles to elaborate on the lucid voices that ‘Melodys Actual Echo Chamber’ suggested earlier.

We are barely allowed to let Third World Pyramid settle before Anton Newcombe throws us into this latest project a mere four months on from the last. Don’t Get Lost is an answer to many of the questions that Third World Pyramid asked us at the end of 2016, it finishes a lot of its sentences but similarly, confuses some of its prose by bringing about all the recurring double album problems. For the vast part though this is the sturdiest work Newcombe has brought us since Aufheben.

Tom Churchill

Twitter: twitter.com/antonnewcombe
Website: thebrianjonestownmassacre.com