Review Archive: J

Etc.  

Here's a second post-breakup Jawbreaker album (the other one being Live 4/30/96). Etc. compiles random singles, b-sides, and compilation tracks that span their earliest recordings through the Dear You era. Included on this CD are "Equalized", "Rich", "Sea Foam Green", a re-recorded "Boxcar", "Sister", and the rare love-it-or-hate-it U2/Misfits/Vapors cover "With or Without U2". The liner notes include some stories by Blake, Adam & Chris about each song. Probably essential only to Jawbreaker fans, but there are definitely enough of them to make this a nice release.

The guild of "emo" has possessed more shapes than automobiles and even more changes than the recent Northeast weather; from the sometimes Slint-like approach of Hoover to the frenzied fall-down chaos of Merel. But the latest bandwagon-jumping incarnation of "emo" is a little more direct and simplistic: straight ahead rock, and this is where Jejune and Jimmy Eat World etch out their musical and emotional existence.
    Jimmy Eat World begin with a catchy tune that reminds me of (gulp)...the Foo Fighters with a bit of a Samiam take on vocal duties. It's one of those songs with a chorus that has me raising my air guitar triumphantly overhead, and instantly makes this record worth my three dollars and fifty cents.
    Jejune contribute two efforts which remind me of early Promise Ring, with more of a Velocity Girl-like fuzz to the guitar and vocals. But unlike the giddy ba-ba-ba's of the Promise Ring, I'm left experiencing a certain uneasiness that's transmitted to the object of the lyrics. ("You're frozen to the core.") And if a record can do this to me, I would undoubtedly consider it worthwhile.
    So I genuinely like this record from start to finish...(And now for the proverbial "But.") But I'm also quite aware that these songs are strictly adhering to the Sunny Day Real Estate, Texas is the Reason, Promise Ring, Get Up Kids formula that's tried, trued and successful. And that notion is continually battling the part of me that really appreciates this type of music. [Brian Tunney]

Orange Rhyming Dictionary  

Jets to Brazil, fronted by ex-Jawbreaker member Blake Schwarzenbach, has released an amazing, gut-wrenching debut album, Orange Rhyming Dictionary. The band also features Chris Daly (drums, formerly of Texas is the Reason) and Jeremy Chatelain (bass, formerly of Handsome). Blake handles the guitar and vocals as well as the lyrics, which are the real highlight of this album.
    With Blake as the dominating sound, the music draws many comparisons to Jawbreaker, but Jets to Brazil is a bit more subdued and complex, not consistently rocking as hard as Jawbreaker but taking more turns in each song. The addition of some keyboards might be objectionable to some people, but what would not fit with any of their previous bands does work well with Jets (after all, this is a totally separate band).
    But the lyrics are what makes this album amazing: Incredibly personal, painful lyrics — often depressing and always moving — that make Jawbreaker's Dear You seem like a light, happy record by comparison. "You don't love me, aren't thinking of me / Why am I waiting for you to see I'm alive?" "Now I'm making out the shapes / Like the shower rod — can it take my weight?" But while some singers seem to ask for pity when singing their tales of depression, Blake doesn't come off like that at all; it's more like he's just telling it like it is.

Side A, JFA: "Mr. Secret Agent Man." A pretty weak and monotonous song. And what's with the piano? The b-side has Jack Killed Jill doing a song called "But I'm Not Fucked Up": that's much better than JFA's. The vocals that remind me of Cinder Block. Come to think of it, the music sounds a little like Tilt, too.

Four Great Points  

A typewriter spits forth, a distant explosion fires, and a trumpet blares its' lonely melody over divisions of an explorative 42 minutes through the June of 44's latest venture, Four Great Points. Absent from this current project are the common sailing references, and for the most part, the start-stops and quiet building to chaotic formulas of their previous two albums. Present are four musicians moving away from a simple two week New York project and into a comfortable position with one another, whereas a more deeply rooted understanding of their purposes in composing music can be understood. And through this understanding, June of 44 sails into unchartered territory complete with samples, the moog, the violin, massive amounts of percussion and the delicate voice of guitarist Sean Meadows. Meadows croons like an uncertain school boy over gentle picked guitars and distant sampled explosions in the quiet and lonely track, "Shadow Pugilist," and whispers in a Seam-like manner over violin on "Of Information and Belief."
    It's an uncertain and welcome surprise to the June of 44, and a 180 degree turn from the driving screams of guitarist/vocalist Jeff Mueller. Mueller does deliver his familiar brand of shouted aggression throughout the record, but retires to an almost relaxed southern twang over a blaring trumpet, incredible percussion and atmospheric samples on the last track, "Air #17." Another surprise addition to the June of 44 formula is the instrumental track, "Lifted Bells." This track may be just a tad too Tortiose-like for some, but it displays the versatility of drummer Doug Scharin, who plays moog and coordinates the samples on this track. And for those who fell in love with the standard June off 44 formula on "Tropics and Meridians" and "Engine Takes to Water," tracks such as "The Dexterity of Luck" and "Cut Your Face" adhere to the frequent time changes and quietness to chaos of previous works, while still adding new dimensions to the many sides of June of 44. Everything aside, I understand the position June of 44 finds itself as a band of four musicians in, and I greatly appreciate it. [Brian Tunney]

Power in Numbers  

I absolutely loved Jurassic 5's first LP, Quality Control, which updated old-school rhyming and DJ skills. No crappy R&B-injected Puff Daddy hip hop, just 4 skilled MC's trading rhymes. "Power in Numbers" was going to be a pretty difficult follow-up, and though it didn't blow me away like Quality Control did, it's still a very good album in general, and one of the best rap albums. Lyrics continue to be more positive ("Freedom", "I Am Somebody") and not just about bitches and bling. Standout cuts include "What's Golden", "Break" (which borrows an old Rakim line), "A Day at the Races" (bringing Big Daddy Kane out of apparent retirement to hold his own with J5), and "High Fidelity". Jurassic 5 continue to proudly carry the torch of real rap. (Some CDs also come with a bonus DVD with some live tracks as well as "a day in the life" looks at the members.)