Brightest Young Things

So, we’ve decided to pull some old records out from the crates (or mp3s from the CD-Rs we stored this stuff on back when hard drive space was an issue) to remind people how amazing they were and get them back in rotation.  Some of these may be albums you never heard, some of them may be albums you always heard but forgot about.  There’s no requirement other than that they have to be awesome.  And they are.

This week:

JAWBOX “JAWBOX”

Why this record is awesome:

Mention Jawbox to anyone who was into DC music during the 90’s and you’ll see a combination of reverence and “fuck yeah” in their face.  If you were too busy listening to All Eyez On Me in 1996 (who wasn’t?), or if your parents didn’t let you stay up late enough to watch 120 Minutes, or if you just moved here when Obama did, I understand.  But let’s get you informed on one of the best bands to ever come out of the District, because just living in a Mt. Pleasant group home two blocks north of Ian MacKaye doesn’t mean you’re on the level.

Jawbox was their second release after departing from Dischord (which cause quite the stir, as they were the first band to ever jump ship for a major), and their final release as a band.  Whether it was due to poor promotion and distribution or the fact they were way too awesome for the minds of the general populace to comprehend, sales were weak, their label dropped them, and they disbanded.  You know, that ol’ chestnut.

What they left behind was a deep and influential catalogue that brought together J. Robbins and Bill Barbott’s dueling guitars, complex arrangements, one of the best rhythm sections of the decade (made up of super-drummer Zach Barocas and high-school-Alfonso-mega-crush Kim Coletta), and tuneful vocal harmonies cutting through the unrelenting sonic assault, all together creating a perfect balance between melody and dissonance.

Those who know Jawbox might wonder why, or even wince at the fact, I picked their self-titled over the seminal For Your Own Special Sweetheart.  Simply put, it’s because too many people own just that record, and because this one never got the credit it was due.  Jawbox was a refinement of the multifaceted sound they had spent the better part of the decade crafting.  The arrangements were dramatic, the musicianship had never been stronger, and having John Agnello behind the board made it their best sounding album ever.  (!! What do you mean you don’t know who John Agnello is? http://lmgtfy.com/?q=john+agnello Go kiss your Dino Jr. records and say thank you to him.)

Enough history.  Let’s talk about this fantastic record.  It starts with this insane opening salvo.

How awesome is that?  So awesome.  That track, and those that followed, made up one of the best guitar records of the 90’s.  It had the buzz saw bursts of no-wave, intricacy usually reserved for math-rock,  intelligent lyrics, and oodles of DC attitude.  It was punk rock with killer musicianship.  It was perfect.  Songs like “Livid” and “Desert Sea” showcased a band that understood dynamics and synergy, with each member playing off each other in a way few bands can pull off.

While Jawbox never “broke”, they can be credited for inspiring and influencing countless others, and there’s many a guitar player that dealt with cramped fingers and blown amps trying to replicate J. and Bill’s elaborate din.  If there was any question with just how venerated they are by those who were lucky enough to come across them, it was settled when they reunited on Jimmy Fallon for the reissue of For Your Own Special Sweetheart.

This is where a video of that would be if NBC wasn’t so lame.

Since the videos are now down you don’t get to see Jawbox tearing it up, but there was a lot of hoopla, and all the fashionable blogs lost their shit, and Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein were there (so you know they must be important because that’s what celebrity endorsement means), and it was good.  If you missed it, hopefully you didn’t miss the intimate and magical performance J. Robbins did last month with cellist Gordon Withers for Chad Clarke’s Story/Stereo (http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/live-dc/live-dc-storystereo-featuring-j-robbins-the-writers-center/).  They played a ton of Jawbox songs + some from his other bands (including Burning Airlines, J. and Bill’s post-Jawbox but clearly pre-9/11 project).  If you missed that too (sad!), well I can at least help you out there.

So there you go.  Go buy this record.  (And I mean buy this record.  Friends don’t let friends steal DC music.)  J. is now playing in Office of Future Plans and I’ll bet someone you know has recorded at his fantastic Baltimore studio. (http://www.jrobbins.net/work/index.htm)