J. Robbins
Basilisk
(Dischord)
For those unaware, J. Robbins was the vocalist/guitarist of two fantastic punk/post-punk bands from the 90s: Jawbox and Burning Airlines. I am a huge fan of Jawbox especially. Their 1991 debut album, Grippe, was without a doubt, one of those game-changing albums for me, because it opened up an entirely new world of US based punk rock for me. By that point, I was fairly well versed with the legendary bands, but they were mostly in the past. Jawbox was fresh, new, and energetic.
Apparently, Basilisk is J. Robbins’ second solo album, so I will have to go back and check that out, but only after I encourage people to check out and give this album serious consideration. Robbins did not fall completely off of my music radar, as I have admired his very clean production work over the past too many years, such as Jets to Brazil’s incredible Orange Rhyming Dictionary, The Promise Ring’s Very Emergency, and more recently in my collection, Thrushes’ Exposing Seas. It’s been over twenty years since I’ve heard Robbins’ voice, and it may sound goofy, but hearing him sing again froze me in time. It was incredibly welcome and amazing how he sounds exactly the same to me. It’s like running into an old friend after many years and finding out that you’re both still the goofy dorks you were originally and still get along. In this case, I’m a fan of his jaggedly infectious post punk.
If you were a fan of his former bands, you will surely love this. Robbins’ songwriting here is tight throughout, as are the performances with the rhythm section he has assembled (bass: Brooks Harlan drums: Darren Zentek), and check out the fiery hot guitar lead from legendary Chicago punk John Haggarty from Naked Raygun and Pegboy on the menacing opening “Automacity.” “Last War” is a thoughtful look into the idea of not evolving with change, but instead fighting against all of it, and you know what? It’s also fun to sing along with. “Exquisite Corpse” is the highlight of highlights for me. Its energy and sound remind me most of those great Jawbox songs, and is relentlessly catchy. Robbins addresses the continuing damaging pollution issue on the stuttering “Gasoline Rainbow” mostly via striking imagery, but the verse of “and what good / is the word / of a God / who won’t return / til everything has burned” should strike a note with certain climate change deniers. Probably not. Elsewhere “A Ray of Sunlight” sounds like it could be fitted neatly into a Bob Mould album, with its tuneful buzz and those drum fills bridging into the chorus. It makes perfect sense why Robbins has been invited to open for Mould. There are some interesting electronic flourishes here and there, but none of it distracts from the mighty focus of the songwriting throughout.
Learning of this album has been a fantastic and refreshing surprise. I had assumed that J. Robbins had given up performance, and yet here he is as vital as ever.
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