Send "The Jesus Lizard " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 While not unwelcome, this batch of Jesus Lizard reissues come as a surprise. After all, these albums were still available and in print. In terms of needing remastering, the CD wasn't exactly a young or uncharted medium at the time, and the guy recording them, Steve Albini, is generally regarded to know what he's doing behind the boards. I'm starting to think that the reissue craze is less about keeping music on the shelves (which is arguably not an issue these days) and more about reminding overwhelmed listeners that records even exist. If someone were to tell me something sounded wrong with the old versions, I would have recommended that the listener locate their volume knob and turn it clockwise.But then again...the new digipacs and their fold-out inserts for these records look great, and the remastering job was done by Bob Weston (Shellac) and Albini himself. The bonus tracks included are sparse, but are carefully chosen from singles, soundtracks, and live performances. They're separated by a track of silence from the rest of the record, but their additions make sense in the context of each album. Without analyzing each song's waveform, the drums seem a little louder now (rarely if ever a bad thing), and certain moments may pop out a little more, like the atonal feedback in "Seasick" that sounds like it may swallow your whole head when heard through headphones. If these reissues needed to be done, then they did them right, and if people really need reminding, so be it: At their best, the Jesus Lizard created some of the best rock records of the 1990s. Head lacks some the high points of later records, save for the essential "Killer McHann", but it shows the pieces in place from the beginning-- especially the fearsome rhythm section that asserts itself from the opening moments of "One Evening" and throughout. "If You Had Lips" also marks the beginning of the satanic rodeo rhythm that would suit them so well throughout their career, often shaking up the second sides of their later albums (see Goat's "South Mouth" or Liar’s "Rope"). The CD reissue includes the Pure EP (as the 1992 CD did), as well as the "Chrome" single and live versions of "Bloody Mary" and "Killer McHann". Guitarist Duane Denison himself calls the album transitional in the new liner notes, and while he's being a little modest, Head can't help but sound a bit thin compared to what would come afterward....full text |
| Treblezine |
| Touch and Go records, for a time, was best known and appreciated for being the nihilistic counterpart to Dischord's idealistic do-gooder persona. Though it was just as ethics-bound as any other hardcore label of the time, it was unique for being able to attract the most aggressive of indie acts. The meathead posturing of most bands of the 1980s could hardly pass muster against the likes of Negative Approach, The Meatmen, No Trend, Killdozer, Big Black and Rapeman. These bands of drunken losers and angry nerds were seemingly doing something else when political correctness assumed control of the national dialogue, and in doing so were able to maintain the subversive nature of hardcore and post-hardcore "alternative" rock. Caught in the middle of the maelstrom were The Jesus Lizard. Though nowhere near as blisteringly sinister as the aforementioned acts, the band possessed a potency of its own that allowed them to exceed the achievements of their peers and become one of the weirdest bands on the sometimes interesting but most times stale Lalapalooza circuit. The Jesus Lizard released five records with Touch and Go before jumping to Capitol -- seemingly because they could -- just in time for the simultaneous explosion and implosion of post-grunge alt-rock in the mid-'90s, and with their influence still being felt today, perhaps more so than when Kurt Cobain was still alive, the label felt it necessary to commemorate their strange, but generally far from puzzling genius. Indeed, The Jesus Lizard's popularity was astounding not because of their oddness, but in spite of it. Though Mr. Yow's stage antics were a sight, and witnessing them in show was a sure-fire way to enhance one's indie cred, that would not have been as possible without them first being a solid rock band that would draw in the unwashed curious rather than repel them. What started as an odds n' ends side project, in which live shows were not even considered, very quickly blossomed into one of the most show-stopping, groove-laden noise rock bands conceivable -- Sonic Youth notwithstanding. The rereleases of the band's Touch and Go efforts provide a solid reminder of, if not a seductive introduction to the band's deft act of balance between human excess and the rock minimalist force of the blues riff and funk rhythm....full text |
| Tinymixtapes |
| In the often rarified world of noise rock, there are few acts as powerful or galvanizing as The Jesus Lizard. Combining the gut-wrenching ferocity of The Birthday Party with Led Zeppelin heaviness, and topping it all off with a twisted, occasionally juvenile sense of humor, The Jesus Lizard created some of the most terrifying sounds ever committed to tape without sacrificing a single iota of fist-pumping, stage-diving, in-your-face immediacy. Now, ten years after their dissolution, Touch and Go has given the band’s back catalogue a much-needed facelift. As with many independent albums recorded in decades past, the original pressings sounded quiet by today’s standards. The remastering brings each wet slice of nastiness to its full, ear-shredding volume. Even more important than making the albums louder, the reissues shine a spotlight on Steve Albini’s production. Along with Surfer Rosa, Albini’s work with The Jesus Lizard has long been considered some of his finest engineering, and it’s never been easier to hear why. From the chittering locust-swarm of crashing cymbals that rises at the end of “Slave Ship,” to Yow’s gargling-piss-through-a-mouthful-of-wet-leaves tirade in “Starlet,” every detail is lovingly laid bare for the listener to admire. Each release comes with an assortment of singles, B-sides, and live cuts, some of which (like “Pop Song,” “Panic in Cicero,” and the “Boilermaker” demo) have not been previously collected. Listening to these albums all at once, I got a powerful sense of how rapidly The Jesus Lizard developed in the five short years they were signed to Touch and Go. Just two years after the split of their Austin noise-punk band Scratch Acid, David Yow and bass player David Wm. Sims teamed up with guitarist Duane Dennison to release the Pure EP. It contains some of the most unhinged vocal work of Yow’s career. Whether he’s croaking obscene, inflectionless threats in the Ministry-esque “Blockbuster,” unleashing a torrent of harrowing shrieks in “Bloody Mary,” or squealing and snorting his way through “Rabid Pigs,” Yow makes clear that there isn’t another singer in the industry quite like him....full text |
The Jesus Lizard lyrics
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