The Jesus Lizard
Head

THE REVIEW

Scratch Acid / Jesus Lizard. "What terrible names, can they really come up with such names?"

Ah, it's about the drunken rise in the temple of noise hardcore of that rogue David Yowe.

"In life, is there really such a need to excel and show off? How beautiful it is to live anonymously and without risks."

Maybe not everyone is destined for the same path.

"Sometimes I wonder if living is simply the accumulation of hours and decades."

America in the Eighties no longer possesses the philosophy of twenty years prior, when everyone was sitting in a field jamming to "Dark Star" and "Calvary." Hope is almost lost, people are more grumpy and angry. Reagan and Thatcher put their finger on the wound, and what a finger! They press so hard that they inevitably split society into two factions: black or white. The American noise/post-hardcore scene embeds this political/social consciousness within its provocative cacophonous chaos.

There are geniuses, as in every decade (or almost every decade...I don't see too many in the 2000s). Steve Albini is the guru of the generation and the movement. A sort of versatile Brian Eno, a musician and producer of the highest caliber. I mention Albini because he is the producer of the most important albums by the Jesus Lizard, the band of that wacky David Yowe mentioned earlier. The latter began assaulting (so to speak) stage and audience in 1984 with Scratch Acid, a band far from amateurish that managed to launch at least three or four seminal tracks for the genre ("Cannibal," "Greatest Gift," "Monsters," and "Mary Had A Little Drug Problem").

They must loudly thank, of course, the hellish psychotic theatrics of Nick Cave's Birthday Party (and surely also Captain Beefheart's "Frownland"). From there, it became clear that music was completely finished. Stop progressive, jazz, and psychedelia. One must declare the destruction of art with the most powerful and obscene point of no return.

"Ah, and where do you place the Stooges and the MC5?"

Of course. The outrageous anarchy of "Kick Out The Jams" with Iggy screaming in "1969" are the cornerstones for all those who started relying on full-throttle watts and gratuitous brawls at live shows. But beyond this, in the Seventies, there were also Genesis, Roxy Music... Instead, in the mid-Eighties, you find the indecent noise of Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Melvins...

In 1990, after his time with Scratch Acid, David Yowe (vocals), Duane Devison (guitar), Davis Sims (bass), and Mac McNeilly (drums) formed the Jesus Lizard. A fundamental move that greatly enriched the scene present until that moment (not that Sonic or "Touch Me I'm Sick" by Mudhoney weren’t enough, but still...). There was a need for an innovative project that didn’t just aim to copy someone else. The Jesus Lizard is the perfect distortion of the Birthday Party and the rowdiest Stooges. In 1989, the EP "Pure" came out, in which we immediately find the shock of "Bloody Mary."

The first album "Head" (1990) is the resounding demonstration of much healthy fury. It's not just chaos; there is also excellent instrumental technique present, which is not a small thing! "One Evening" has the honor of opening the album and the general sound of the American combo. Murderous bass line, guitar labyrinths, and vocal lines comparable to a burst of stones. In short, one of the most representative tracks of noise hardcore, alongside "Bloody Mary." "S.D.B.J." consists of "stop & go" that give rise to an anxiety-inducing atmosphere seasoned with "sublime" utterances, possessed screams, and varied babbling. A bit of fear arrives.

"My Own Urine" and "If You Had Lips" perfectly continue this insane cabaret, leaving room both for Yowe's sick declamation and for the outbursts of the other three. "7 VS 8" anticipates something from the future "Goat," while "Pastoral" brings back the uneven line of "Albatross" by Public Image Ltd., thus paying homage to Lydon and company. The subsequent "Waxeater" and "Good Thing," being short and straight as an arrow, manage to keep the album from descending into boredom and repetition.

The coup de grace is delivered by the massive "Killer McHann," where snare and cymbal hits joyfully clash with Yowe's anguished chatter. The following year, the miracle of "Goat" arrives, where the various "Then Comes Dudley" and "Mouth Breather" definitively glorify the Jesus Lizard. There are also other interesting albums like "Liar" and "Down," which bring new fiery singles ("Boilermaker," "Gladiator," and "Fly On The Wall") perhaps, though, too anchored to the classic scheme and not very proactive. But anyway, when you have a producer like Steve Albini, everything is more "kool."