Post-Hardcore Journals - Entry 3 - One of DC’s Classics: Jawbox

So I’ve been avoiding this one on purpose. How does one broach the subject of DC’s Post-Hardcore classics without getting lost or overwhelmed?  The capital’s independent music scene was one unmatched by any other DIY community of the 80s/early 90s period of rock’n’roll history. We’ve discussed Hoover and Crownhate Ruin elsewhere - two of the best of DC’s post-hardcore music scene; another band that cannot be ignored, however, is the legendary Jawbox. Recently, I ordered on vinyl the 2009 remastered reissue of their greatest achievement, For Your Own Special Sweetheart (1994 Atlantic Records), so the time was right to post....

Jawbox was formed by frontman James Robbins (better known as “J. Robbins”) in 1989 after playing in the DC punk band, Government Issue. Like many east coast bands born out of the American punk & hardcore tradition, they released their first self titled Ep (1990) and their debut Lp, Grippe (1991), on the legendary label, Dischord Records.  The early Dischord releases were raw to say the least, and much of the songwriting seemed underdeveloped and sophomoric. Their second album, Novelty (1992), released on the same label, revealed the band’s potential to be one of the most significant acts of the genre.  The band recruited the seminal producer, Iain Burgess - famous teacher of Steve Albini and known most for his production work with American post-punk & noise rock groups such as Big Black and Naked Raygun. Novelty’s a classic DC album - definitely worth a listen; they even released a music video for the opening track, “Cut Off” (youtube will not allow one to embed the just mentioned video, so here’s a link: Jawbox's "Cut Off" on YouTube.  Check it out, for sure:

Jawbox's Novelty (1992)

The band’s major breakthrough was their debut major release on Atlantic Records, For Your Own Special Sweetheart (1994).  Along with the previously posted Helmet's Meantime, Quicksand's Slip,  and Hoover's Lurid Traversal..., Jawbox’s 3rd full length can easily be fit into my list of all time best Post-Hardcore albums; this one’s simply flawless from beginning to end.  And it sounds great remastered on reissued vinyl!! Outside of Helmet and Jawbox, I can think of few bands of the Post-Hardcore tradition that transitioned well from the independent music world to the pressures of the corporate recording industry.  Some of the album’s success could be credited to the recording work of famous Fugazi producer, Ted Nicely.  The album’s first single, “Savory,” saw some mainstream success, making the mtv playlists of the mid-90s. Here’s the video:

Such a simple, good song! I believe the Deftones covered it at some point.  They released a second video for their single, “Cooling Card,” as well - an equally great tune that had lesser mainstream airplay. Here’s the video:

I really love that song. My favorite track, however, has no accompanying music video; it’s called “Motorist.”  Check it out:

As said before, it’s hard to find something wrong with this album. It's not only one of the better classics of the genre's greatest music scene; It’s one of the best of the genre, altogether. This one’s for all collections; check it out in its entirety:

Jawbox's For Your Own Special Sweetheart (1994)

The band released one more self-titled full length with Atlantic in 1996 before finally disbanding in 1997.  There was one post-breakup release as well entitled My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents (1998 Desoto Records), but nothing compares to For Your Own Special Sweetheart...  J. Robbins and guitarist, Bill Barbot, joined fellow former member of Government Issue, Peter Moffett, to form the indie rock act, Burning Airlines - a band name inspired by one of my favorite musical alchemists, Brian Eno (from his song “Burning Airlines Give You So Much More” from the album Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy [1974 Island Records]). The band's worth a listen as well; they play tasteful, poppy rock’n’roll and released some solid 7"s with other poppier acts such as Braid and At the Drive In. I believe the band disbanded sometime in 2002; I recommend the first of their two albums, Mission: Control! (1999 Desoto Records); check it out:

Burning Airlines Mission: Control! (1999)