Jesus Lizard

Scratch Acid

Scratch Acid (EP, 1984) 7/10

Just Keep Eating (1986) 6/10

Berserker (1986) 6/10

Jesus Lizard

Pure (EP, 1989) 7/10

Head (1990) 7/10

Goat (1991) 7.5/10 +

Liar (1992) 7.5/10

Lash (EP, 1993) 6/10

Down (1994) 7/10

Shot (1996) 6/10

Blue (1998) 6/10

David Yow: Tonight You Look Like a Spider (2013) 6/10

Rack (2024) 5/10

   Following the dissolution of Scratch Acid, the Jesus Lizard became one of the greatest and most consistent punk bands whose catalog would rival even Fugazi. The hollers of David Yow are complemented by his erratic and theatrical live performances, and Duane Denison's blazing tones and prickly riffs compete with Keith Richards. Meanwhile the overdriven bass of David Wm Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly provide one of the strongest rhythm sections in rock history. 

   They are some equivalent of the Cramps for the 1990's, replacing Lux Interior's gothic persona with white-trash hedonism and a perverted nostalgia of 80's hard rock instead of rockabilly — although even then, many solos by Denison sound like they could be from Dick Dale or Chuck Berry plugged into a pedalboard for Angus Young. Their emphasis on bass and rhythm even suggest New Wave as an undercover influence, just as New Wave had  influenced the Minutemen, Henry Rollins, and Big Black. Paired with the undeniable grooves of David Sims, Yow becomes a more ferocious (though less melodic) equivalent of the neurotic vocals for Talking Heads or Pere Ubu, albeit slurred and graveled into a drunken Jim Morrison or Iggy Stooge; a dynamic and loose stage persona powerlifted by the band's grungy aesthetic. 

   In 2013, Yow released an album of MIDI sequencer music, Tonight You Look Like a Spider. The angular melodies and thrashing percussion in some movements definitely reflect the older work of Yow's career. 

    It took over twenty-five years for the band to record leftover songs from their career on Rack, of which only Alexis Feels Sick suffices compared to the rest of their catalog. The rest recycle old formulas performed in mild spirit or have arrangements that come across half-baked. Perhaps some technological experiments as heard on Blue, or more adventurous guitar tones on Denison's solos would have sustained the same ambitious energy from their previous releases. The record is more like an archival collection re-recorded for fan service, maintaining a basic level of their sound to appease longtime listeners more than those who would skip to the essentials. 

TOP 10 SONGS

• 1. Seasick (1991)

  2. Nub (1991)

  3. Mouth Breather (1991)

  4. Monkey Trick (1991)

  5. Pastoral (1990)

  6. Gladiator (1992)

  7. Horse Doctor Man (1998)

  8. Boilermaker (1992)

  9. Puss (1992)

  10. Destroy Before Reading (1994)