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)

“Zounds! I was Never so Bethumped with.... the Soundz of Punk Rock’n’roll!!”

Some time ago I posted the proclamation that Wire's Pink Flag (1977 Harvest) may be the best punk rock album of all time.  I still stand by that, but making such claims can be complicated and ultimately unconvincing.  There’s so much great punk (as well as sooooo much bad stuff...) out there, and much of it - contrary to popular perception - is  extremely diverse in sound and attitude.  Case in point: meet Zounds, the best anarcho-punk band of the early 1980s.  They were very different from Wire in all senses of style and sound, but they too are on my top 5 list of best punk bands of all time.  

Whereas Wire explored the artpunk aesthetics that paved the way for bands like The Fall, Zounds   cultivated their sounds in the communes of anarcho-peace punk - a second-wave movement of UK punk rock that took seriously the political and cultural principles of philosophical anarchism.  Anarcho-peace punk exposed the John Lydens of first-wave punk for the media sellouts they’d become by offering a more politcally-charged, stripped-down-and-sped-up form of punk music that was uncompromising and intentionally uncommercial. The thing that gets me about Zounds, however, is there’s real musicianship and artistry in their songs - they’re a politically and stylistically focused band that proves just as aesthetically clever as groups of the artpunk tradition.

       

Zounds was formed in the Reading area of England in 1977 by the frontman Steve Lake.  Early in their career the band became friends with fellow rockers and activists, Crass, and even lived at their famous Commune, the Dial House, for a period of time.  The group released their first Ep, Can’t Cheat Karma, on Crass’s label (of the same name) in 1980.  Here’s the title track of that release:

A song like that has as much in common with artpunk & postpunk sensibilities as say the sounds of their Crass Records contemporaries. It reminds me of Gang of Four more so than Rudimentary Peni or Flux of the Pink Indians - and perhaps that’s why I like it so much...

I was inspired to make this post, however, due to another recent vinyl acquisition: Rough Trade’s 1981 release of Zounds first Lp The Curse of the Zounds. If Pink Flag’s my number #1, this one’s the runner-up, so I was thrilled to find it in the used record bins in such great condition.  Here’s the track, “Die He Jump” followed by "Fear" and lastly "New Band":

Zounds definitely sits on the mellower side of the Crass Records sound spectrum.  The guitars are cleaner, for instance, and the rhythms are less grinding.  Yet their message and attitude were just as uncompromising; they’re definitely punk rock. This album deserves a listen - as do their many singles and 7”s... Check it out:

Curse of the Zounds!

Also, the Wire Pink Flag link has expired on the previous posting page, so here’s a new one:

Wire's Pink Flag

Enjoy! And feel free to comment!

After 15 Years, the Rest is NOT Silence - Mazzy Star Returns with Some Nice Wax!

I mentioned in the last posting some recent Vinyl acquisitions - one being the limited edition, blue tinted 7" just released by the dream-folk duo known as Mazzy Star.  It's been 15 years since their last release of newly written material, so I was surprised to see it on the shelves at the local store.

Mazzy Star is a folky, dream-pop duo that formed in Santa Monica, CA in 1989.  The group was born out of the "Paisley Underground" scene of the West Coast and was originally started by guitarist Dave Roback and bassist Kendra Smith, but singer Hope Sandoval joined shortly after when Smith backed out during a tour with Jesus and Mary Chain.  The group's sound demonstrates a distinct range from country-oriented folk to dreamy psychedelic pop, which makes sense considering their "Paisley-related" background and their less direct connections to the sounds of Shoegazers. In fact, one could describe Mazzy Star as the Mojave 3 of California alt. rock...

Now that's some nice wax!

Mazzy Star released their first full length album, She Hangs Brightly, on Rough Trade in 1990, but the group experienced little commercial success until the release of the 2nd album, So Tonight That I Might See (1993 Capital Records), and its single, "Fade Into You" - a song that I think everyone has heard.  From here, the story starts to sound very familiar: Capital began applying pressure to adopt certain commercial formulas to reproduce that "hit sound" that is "Fade into You." Their creativity and writing process became more and more stifled by the scrutiny of business executives who cared little for the music itself, so after the release of their final studio album, Among My Swan (1996 Capital Records), Hope Sandoval reportedly begged to be released from her recording contract, and the rest is silence....

Well, not exactly true. Hope Sandoval continued to collaborate with many artists (Jesus and Mary Chain, Massive Attack, Bert Jansch, Air, etc.), and in 2000, she joined former drummer of My Bloody Valentine, Colm O Ciosoig, to form the project, Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions.  One immediately notices that Hope & the Warm Inventions have never released albums on a corporate, leviathan-like label such as Capital.  Their first full length, Bavarian Fruit Bread (2001), was released through Rough Trade, for instance.  Hope Sandoval's recent work with the Warm Inventions is without a doubt worth a proper listen - especially if one is a Mazzy fan.  It's less minimal and a little less folky than the Mazzy catalogue; most songs, for example, incorporate larger arrangements of instrumentation.

Bavarian Fruit Bread (.rar)

For many of us, Bavarian Fruit Bread, appeared to be the last chapter in the musical story of Hope Sandoval, but the silence was not to last.  Sandoval and the Inventions returned 8 years later to release Through the Devil Softly (2009 Nettwerk Records) - a fact that should not have surprised if one really reflects upon the pace of her recording career.  She definitely does not rush the creative process - perhaps another reason she could no longer stomach the corporate climate of the music industry...

So this brings us up to date, yet once again, I was surprised (perhaps mistakenly so) to see the newly released Mazzy Star 7", "Common Burn"/"Lay Myself Down". The two songs are great - "Common Burn" reminds me of the dreamier side of Mazzy's folk compositions:

That's a great tune, but my favorite of the two is the b-side, "Lay Myself Down," - a song that references the more country side of the folk tradition. Check it out:

So the word is out; new album will be appearing later this year. If we've learned anything from Hope Sandoval, however, she's not in a hurry to market her creativity and artistry, so who knows when we'll see some more material. Definitely pick up the 7" though - it's excellent. Sorry, no link for this one.... It's only 2 songs! Go ye forth and purchase!

Peace.

Post-Hardcore Journals - Entry 2 - What Happens When Chicago Jazz Disrupts the Trajectory of a Genre? Abilene, Radio Flyer, Sweep the Leg Johnny, and Check Engine... Duh!

So it’s been a long time since there’s been an update here at art/into/pop.  February was my digital vacation month, but I’m back and have great plans for some future postings. February was a meaningful month musically speaking.  I picked up some great vinyl I plan on sharing on the site in the upcoming weeks and saw some great shows - including performances by two indie rocker legends: the-one-and-onlys Thurston Moore and Stephen Malkmus. Thurston was great in a I’m-50-but-still-rock-like-a-sardonic-hipster kind of way, and Malkmus was.... eh... well, let’s just say I heard the Jicks were having a pretty sloppy-good time backstage before going on...

Post-Hardcore's Master of Ceremonies: Ian Mackaye - There's really no reason for this pic considering I haven't dared touch upon the behemoth DC scene on the blog... I just like the pic....

F. Erskine

I want to continue my focus on the essentials of Post-Hardcore - the last such posting being on the New York rockers, Helmet and Quicksand.  This time I want to shift focus to another equally significant musical cityscape - the midwest’s windy city. Chicago post-hardcore had a distinctly jazzy take on the genre, which is no surprise I guess.  Take, for example, the shortlived project, Abilene - a band started by a Chicago non-native, Alex Dunham of Hoover and Crownhate Ruin fame. He formed the band in Chicago sometime in the late 90s and was quickly joined by former Hoover bandmate, Fred Erskine, who played trumpet for the group.  There was an earlier posting on their previous, DC-based band where I claimed Hoover to be one of the all-time best Post-Hardcore acts; their sole full length, The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (1994 Discord Records), is an absolute essential for Rock collections - up there with the best moments of early-90s Fugazi.  

Abilene is amazing as well - one of my personal favorite listens right now, and it’s the jazziest addition to both Dunham’s and Erskine’s impressively vast discographies.  I’ve only tracked down one full length by the band, so I’m a little ignorant of the entirety of their catalogue.  They released the album, Two Guns, Twin Arrows (54-40 Or Fight! Records), in 2002, and it’s an album that will leave listeners demanding more.  Here’s the second track, “Blanc Fixe”:

That’s definitely jazzier than even June of 44!  The album showcases Erskine’s trumpet playing more than any other previous project, and that’s due to the open, experimental nature of the band’s song structures - there’s more space for soloing and developing melodies.  It’s really great material. Check out the song, “Fellini”:

Ah, there’s the post-hardcore roots!  The song’s still jazzy and improvisatory, however. “Fellini” is probably more accurately representative of the album’s avenue of sound - although their sonic roadmap does lead to auditory ventures far removed from the typically expected, DC-influenced conventions of 90s post-rock.  Abilene concludes the album with a mellower jam entitled, “Solidarity”:

I really really recommend this one! If you like the sounds of previous posts such as Hoover, June of 44, Rockets Red Glare, Sharks Keep Moving, or Half Visconte, check this out!!

Abilene's Two Guns, Twin Arrows

Now sometime before Abilene’s run, Dunham formed another short-lived, Post-Hardcore project with some Chicago cohorts called Radio Flyer.  The group released one full-length in 1997 called In Their Strange White Armor (Polyvinyl Records); it too was mellower and jazzier than typical 90s post-hardcore - although its jazz overtones remain more subtle than that of the later Abilene...  Here’s the song, “Ice Cream Cheater,” from their sole album:

It’s a solid album by an unfortunately short-lived project; definitely check them out:

Radio Flyer's In Their Strange White Armor (.rar file)

Sweep the Leg Johnny live

Now I mention Radio Flyer briefly - mainly to note that Dunham collaborated with another Chicago rocker, Kevin J. Frank (from Sky Corvair, Traluma, etc.).  More recently, Mr. Frank has played with guitarist, Chris Daly, in the post-hardcore project, Haymarket Riot - another solid, Chicago-based band that’s worth a listen.  The group, however, does not display as much jazz-infused influence, which contradicts my original thesis, and instead of adjusting my claim, I’ll opt to suppress the facts - like any good politician or pundit would do - and spend no time showcasing their music.  My purpose is to make a connection to my next band of focus - a group started by the same Chris Daly in Chicago sometime in 1996.  The guitarist met saxophonist, Steve Sostak, and they started the experimental, Post-Hardcore project, Sweep the Leg Johnny.

Man, I used to think Johnny was such a badass! I bet Daly and Sostak did too.  Someone should remake Karate Kid from his perspective - about an average teen keepin' it cool as the resident karate kick-ass in a California town until the nerdy, unbecoming kid from out of town shows up to cramp his style - now that's a movie I want to see....

Like Abilene, Sweep the Leg Johnny was jazzier than their coastal contemporaries.  Unlike Abilene, they were more mathy and more frantic as well- often rocking at a faster, poppier pace.  The band consistently and frequently released records until 2002 - mostly on Southern Records.  Their first full length with Southern was released in 1999 and was entitled, Tomorrow We Will Run Faster.  Listen to the magnum opus track, “Rest Stop”:

That song demonstrates well their full range of sound, for Sweep the Leg Johnny could explore the slower, mellower spaces as well.  They were rowdy and frantic, however.  For instance, here’s the most popular track, “Bloodlines,” from their next full length with Southern Records, Sto Cazzo (2000):

Their finest, most mature recording was their last album, Going Down Swingin’ (2002 Southern Records).  Much of the album’s material was re-recorded songs from previous releases; “Rest Stop,” for example, was recorded again for the final Lp. One of the newly recorded songs was the track, “Only in a Rerun”:

That song features some of my favorite moments of Sostak’s sax work (check it out around 2min. 20sec. onwards.... awesome!!!)  Another favorite is the re-recorded gem, “Blizzard of ’99”:

That song’s on the mellower side as well for Sweep the Leg Johnny.... The band broke up sometime in 2002, but Steve Sostak teamed up with Chris Daly to continue their work in the short-lived project called Check Engine.  The band released only one self-titled album on Sickroom (Lp) and Southern Records (Cd).  I could find no samples of the band’s work on youtube or bandcamp, but if you like the more developed material by Sweep the Leg Johnny, then you NEED to hear this album; it’s must for sure.

Sweep's Tomorrow We Will Run Faster

Sweep's Sto Cazzo

Sweep's Going Down Swingin' (.rar file)

Check Engine's self-titled album