Review: The Jesus Lizard ‘Rack’
Of all the insane, underground rock shows I witnessed in the early-to-mid ‘90s, not many stand out more in my fading memory than seeing The Jesus Lizard in 1993 deep into their Liar tour. I was already a fan, having been exposed to their 1990 debut, Head, but it was their astonishing sophomore LP Goat that made me a fanatic. By the time the band released Liar, a record that is rightfully cited as one of the greatest albums of the ‘90s, their reputation as both a formidable force in underground music, as well as their incendiary live show, had spread far and wide.
I don’t remember much about that night, other than a former friend caught one of David Yow’s boots to the face as the legendary frontman leapt into the crowd, and being utterly blown away by the band’s unstoppable live prowess. The Jesus Lizard; Yow on vocals, Duane Denison on guitar, David Wm. Sims on bass and Mac McNeily on drums, originally formed in the ashes of Texas, noise-rock heathens Scratch Acid before relocating to Chicago, and finding kindred spirits among the cities burgeoning noise rock scene, including legendary producer and engineer Steve Albini who produced the band’s initial, untouchable four-album run (Head, Goat, Liar and Down) on the iconic, and also Chicago based, Touch And Go Records.
The Jesus Lizard’s sound was uniquely their own, a charging, dynamic, raw, rhythmic attack, featuring all sorts of jagged riffs that are complimented by an absolutely pulverizing rhythm section. However, it was Yow, the loose-cannon frontman that generated most of the headlines as his anguished, distorted howls and unpredictable stage antics left audiences around the world in awe. The band was scooped up by Capitol Records in the post-Nirvana major label, feeding frenzy (they actually did a split with Nirvana in 1993, Puss/Oh, The Guilt, which I still own on CD), releasing two albums; 1996’s Shot and 1998’s Blue, before pulling the plug. There have been sporadic reunion tours, but, amazingly, this June, they announced Rack, their first new album in twenty-six years.
Opening with the first single, Hide & Seek, Rack begins as if the pause button has been released after twenty-six years, as this track sounds like The Jesus Lizard have been un-earthed from suspended animation for two plus decades. The angular, weird riffing of Denison is in full effect, as is Sims’ charging, driving bass, and McNeily’s pummeling drumming. Yow, of course, sounds as manic as ever, and suddenly it’s as if The Jesus Lizard never left.
Armistice Day recalls some of the band’s less chaotic, ‘mellower’ tracks such as Pastoral off Head, Karpis off Goat or Until It Stopped To Die off Blue. Grind, however, is pure, vintage The Jesus Lizard, ominous, and pummeling with flashes of melody from Denison’s guitar, to say nothing of his lethal lead work. This track had me recalling the best of their ‘90s output, as it’s that good.
This is as killer as anything they have ever done in their legendary discography…
What If? is sequenced well following Grind’s battering and is another mellower track filled with menacing, uneasy vibes, which are anchored by peerless bass and drums rumble complimented by spacey noodling guitar and what amounts to practically a spoken word vocal delivery. Lord Godiva picks up the pace, again recalling the band’s heyday, featuring a killer circular riff and plenty of vocal histrionics from Yow who sounds as crazed as ever here.
The second single, Alexis Feels Sick begins with an utterly catchy bass line as they build the track up until Yow begins to bellow ‘Alexis, Alexis, Alexis’, sounding like some deranged rock and roll lunatic. This is The Jesus Lizard at both their catchiest and weirdest as the main riff is such an earworm and as an old fan, it’s impossible to not love this song, which is perhaps the best on Rack.
Elsewhere, Falling Down is more stellar and vintage The Jesus Lizard pummel while Dunning Kruger possesses some of Denison‘s best riffing and all-around guitar playing on the record. Moto(R), the last single released, is another blazing, charging, exercise in controlled, sonic chaos, while the penultimate Is That Your Hand? showcases the band’s uncanny ability to meld aural mayhem with just enough melody to keep the track from totally going off the rails. Rack reaches its conclusion with the weird, yet destructive Swan The Dog which displays all four members unique talents, distilled into one odd, yet explosive track.
If I’m being honest, I was pretty blown away by Rack. This album offers anything and everything a The Jesus Lizard fan could possibly want, and then some. Denison remains one of the most underrated and unique guitarists in rock and roll, while Sims and McNeily are a singular rhythmic force unto themselves. Then there’s Yow, who is as frenzied, and wild as ever, both in his lyrics and delivery.
There have been some amazing albums released this year, but Rack has completely thrown a wrench into my current year-end list. This is as killer as anything they have ever done in their legendary discography, slotting effortlessly in with their other releases, and it’s a testament to the band’s talents, individually and collectively that they can release a record of this quality after a two-decade hiatus. I cannot recommend this enough.
Label: Ipecac Recordings
Band Links: Official | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Martin Williams
