(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)
The Jawbox were one of the most original hardcore bands of the 1990s, capable of questioning all the dogmas of the genre, particularly those of the Washington school. The Jawbox were formed in 1989 by Jay Robbins immediately after the breakup of Government Issue, with Kim Coletta on bass. Their first album, Grippe (Dischord, 1991), builds an ideal bridge between the intellectual (twisted, cerebral, dark) hardcore of Nation Of Ulysses and Fugazi and chart-ready punk-pop.
Freezerburn and Grip retain the fury and angst of hardcore; Impossible Figure and Ballast retain its galloping drive, which, within the context of a strong melody, becomes compelling verve. Grit, passion, pathos: these songs are the 1990s equivalent of the '80s blue-collar rock. The guitar progressions of power pop emerge in Something Must Break, the grunge-like chants of Nirvana permeate Green-Line Delayed, and the voluptuous harmonic acrobatics of Led Zeppelin detonate Manatee Bound. The eclecticism is impressive, and the style is often a model of balance between tension and melody.
Novelty (Discord, 1992), with the addition of second guitarist Bill Barbot, is even more radio-friendly, at times inspired by Nirvanas grunge and REMs folk-pop. It is here that Washingtons characteristic emotional and neurotic hardcore (still evident in Cutoff and Linkwork) undergoes a definitive metamorphosis, merging with the pop vocal harmonies of Dreamless and the folk-rock chimes of Static.
In 1993, with the lineup stabilized by the addition of Zachary Barochas on drums, this approach was cemented by the excellent single Jackpot Plus and the Savory EP (featuring Robbins best solo).
The album For Your Own Special Sweetheart (Atlantic, 1994) takes a contrary path, increasing the heaviness of the sound rather than smoothing its rough edges. Rhythmic urgency, more than catchy choruses, defines the identity of Ff=66 and LS/MFT. The charging (slightly ska) tempo of Breathe launches hard rock explosions (more than hardcore), with a powerful foreground riff and background vocal harmonies, best exemplified by the rocky and raspy Jackpot Plus. Among the most original textures are the intellectual detunings of Savory, intertwined with a sequence of psychedelic vocalizations, and the jazz-infused veil in Cruel Swing. The insistence on melody for its own sake can become tiring (as in Reel). What makes the album truly great is above all the way Robbins dissonant guitar harmonizes with the driving rhythms and catchy melodies.
(Original English text by Piero Scaruffi)
The single Chinese Fork Tie (a vigorous rap/funk anthem propelled by
superb syncopated drumming and dissonant guitar) is the prelude to the album
Jawbox (Atlantic, 1996), a work that is formally impeccable but sounds
a little cold compared to past efforts, and visibly comprimised with
commercial music.
Livid employs Nirvana's hard/soft dynamics
and an epic/depressed melody.
The tense and frantic psychodrama of
Empire Of One and the tribal funk-punk of
Won't Come Off are the best eruptions
in Jawbox' traditional style, on a par with anything they have done before.
Mirrorful is the only track that sustains the experimental attack of
Chinese Fork Tie (also included in the album) with
hypnotic guitar strumming that rival
Sonic Youth.
When it works, the formula is engaging and wide-ranging. When it doesn't
(too often), it is just filler.
Ever less punk and ever more mainstream, with this album Jawbox established
themselves among the stars of fake alt-rock for the masses.
My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents (DeSoto, 1998) is a
collection of rarities and covers.
Jay Robbins and Bill Barbot later formed Burning Airlines, enlisting
veteran drummer Peter Moffett (another former
Government Issue).
The album
Mission Control (DeSoto, 1999) offers a more melodic version of Jawbox.
Meccano and Carnival (the single) have power besides melody, and
Crowned sounds positively crazy like vintage Devo.
Burning Airlines is Robbins' show after Barbot's departure.
Identikit (DeSoto, 2001) does not improve over the original:
Outside The Aviary and All Sincerity show a little more conviction
and fury, and the trio knows how to be at the same time spectacular and
atmospheric (Morricone Dance Hall, A Song With No Words,
Identikit), but everything is still cold and impersonal, as if
Robbins had merely written a treatise on how to make an album, and not
actually made an album. No surprise then that so many songs slip away like
filler, although they are all different and, each in its own way, intriguing
(Surgeon's House and Paper Crowns even flirt with jazz).
The passion is missing.
Jay Robbins formed Channels with his wife Janet Morgan. They debuted with
Waiting For The End Of the Next World (Dischord, 2006).
Robbins also launched another project,
The Office of Future Plans (2011), that featured
cello and keyboards more prominently.
