Drive Like Jehu
Drive Like Jehu

THE REVIEW

Disgust, and retching. Contempt, towards any familiar face that crosses my gaze. The urge to scream into someone's eardrums after spitting in their eye.

Generally speaking, this is my mood on the bus after a bad day, one of those spent listening to the usual thousand conversations stuffed with the usual thousand clichés. The urge to let it all out is strong, but obviously, I can't risk ending up in the police station for doing something illegal. So, you put the earbuds in, press play on Drive Like Jehu, and let them take care of venting for you.

The quartet was formed in San Diego, thanks to the efforts of two former Pitchfork members, John Reis (also the leader of Rocket From The Crypt at the same time) and Rick Froberg, who teamed up with two ex-Night Soil Man members, Mark Trombino (drums) and Mike Kennedy (bass). This self-titled first album is from '91 (a blessed year for rock'n'roll) and would have sounded very fresh and original to the ears of that era: an explosive mix of more than mature post-hardcore solidified by masters of the genre like Jesus Lizard and Fugazi, and an math-rock still in its infancy.

Superb technique, meaning a punch right in the face, "mathematical" but pressing rhythms; much of this devastating sound is played on the speed of execution (see the guitar and drum gallop in "Caress") and the anguished but "very hardcore" voice of Froberg that translates into a triumph of violence and delirium (see the frantic ending of "Spikes To You"). My desire to unleash that repressed anger is satisfied after just 6 minutes: a devastating one-two punch. "Step On Chameleon" features Reis's voice, warmer and less acidic, much more suited to RFTC; "O' Pencil Sharp" is a very long track with somewhat post-rock hues in the long initial intro of delicate guitar arpeggios, which around the 3-minute mark (no surprise) explodes, following a more complex and unusual rhythm compared to the rest of the album.
It's a bit annoying to do a track-by-track rundown, let's just say the subsequent tracks ("Atom Jack" and "If It Kills You" above all) are the best result of the union between the raw power of hardcore and the articulated and precise rhythm section of math: a union that proves to be the indispensable element of Drive Like Jehu.

They disbanded after 5 years of activity, as John Reis wanted to dedicate more time to the other Major Band he was part of; however, they still hit hard in my earbuds, on the bus, after a bad day: after all, at least this is legal, right?