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As part of the major label acquisition of independent and underground rock acts in the mid 90s, respected Washington, D.C. band JAWBOX found itself releasing For Your Own Special Sweetheart on Atlantic in 1994. Though it garnered oft-ecstatic reviews, it didn’t sell in NIRVANA-like quantities; while Atlantic kept the band around for one more album (1996’s Jawbox), it didn’t keep the Jawbox catalog in print after the contract dissolved and the group broke up.
Bandmates/partners BILL BARDOT and KIM COLETTA have long had their own label DeSoto, and now team up with Jawbox’s original label Dischord to reissue FYOSS, adding B-sides and giving it a sonic upgrade in the process. It’s a welcome return – Jawbox’s distinctive combination of noisy, angular postpunk and tuneful, textured rock & roll reached a peak on this record. Leader J ROBBINS‘ clearly has a deep appreciation for a catchy melody, but is happy to run it through a rusty, jagged strainer borrowed from MISSION OF BURMA‘s kitchen cabinet. By the same token, the band raises an unholy ruckus when it wants to, but never to the point of unfocused dissonance. The tension between competing poles is what gives raging rockers like “Motorist,” “Lil’ Shaver” and “Jackpot Plus!” their savoir faire and spiky pop tunes like “Green Glass,” “Savory” and “Reel” their full-bodied power. Few bands combine finesse and fury as well as Jawbox, and on For Your Own Special Sweetheart the band’s balance was as keen as a yoga master standing motionless on two fingers. A great record that deserves its second chance.
Hopefully Bardot and Coletta are planning the same treatment for the equally magnificent Jawbox in the near future.
http://www.desotorecords.com
http://www.dischord.com
