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Last Active 07-28-20 12:16 am
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| Best of: the Jesus Lizard
Recently, I watched the Netflix original "I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore", starring Elijah Wood. I said to my partner during the film that the antagonist Marshall looked a hell of a lot like David Yow from the Jesus Lizard. A quick IMDB search revealed that it was indeed Yow, proving himself almost as good an actor as he is a frontman. Since then, I've been on something of a Jesus Lizard binge, rediscovering what made them so special to me. I decided to throw together a list of my 25 favourite tJL tracks. Enjoy! | | 25 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Pure
“Happy Bunny Goes Fluff-Fluff Along”
The band’s debut EP is a promising but unpolished release, showing only glimmers of the greatness to come. The exception is closing track “Happy Bunny…”, a nightmarish soundscape of caustic textures and industrial noise. Drummer Mac McNeilly would not join the band for another year, leaving percussive duties up to a robot. While the tinny drum machine made earlier tracks sound amateurish, it lends “Happy Bunny…” a menacing and mechanical quality, like the march of automatons through an apocalyptic landscape. The band would never be quite this experimental again, leaving us all to wonder what might have been. | | 24 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Down
“Fly on the Wall”
Kicking off their fourth album in style, “Fly on the Wall” may be the quintessential Jesus Lizard track. It offers a near-perfect distillation of the band’s formula, from the steady march of McNeilly’s drums, to the insistent groove of Sims’s bass, to Denison’s fiery guitar, all the way to Yow’s madcap vocals. There are a great deal of better songs in their discography, but few possess the same confident swagger. | | 23 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Goat
"Mouth Breather"
The band’s second (and best) album saw them blend sonic violence and unsettling atmosphere to stunning result. The most visceral track is “Mouth Breather”, a two-minute blast of noise rock that takes no prisoners. It sports a face-melting guitar riff, propelled by an elastic rhythm section. Yow runs breathlessly to keep up, panting lyrics like “don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy, I like him just fine… but he’s a mouth breather.” After the record's slow-burning opener, “Mouth Breather” hits like a quadruple espresso shot. | | 22 | | The Jesus Lizard
Down
"The Best Parts"
While ‘Down’ is a decidedly overlong and middling record, closing track “The Best Parts” leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth. Its initial crunch soon gives way to a bittersweet verse, with some of the most tender vocals Yow ever put to record. Among his rogues’ gallery of seedy and unlikable characters, he sings of a woman forever “a couple bucks short” with something approaching affection. Best of all is the scattershot riff in the chorus, one of the few times when the band allowed Albini to elevate 'Down' with studio trickery. I only wish they hadn’t kept him on such a leash during its creation, so he might have worked his magic elsewhere in the tracklist. | | 21 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Shot
"Too Bad About The Fire"
Is that nauseous opening riff testing your patience? Keep listening. “Too Bad...” lurches along with a slow and sleazy groove, inching towards its glorious finale. On a record weighed down by one-dimensional songs that shoot their wads too soon, "Too Bad..." stands tall. | | 20 | | The Jesus Lizard
Goat
"Lady Shoes"
Oh, “Lady Shoes.” The noodling surf-rock riff. The galloping drum rhythm. The absolutely unhinged retelling of one of David Yow’s more vivid and disgusting dreams. He sings of people shitting in their hands and giving each other enemas in a snarl so ferocious, it could flay the skin from your bones. | | 19 | | The Jesus Lizard
Shot
"Blue Shot"
While its lyrics leave something to be desired, “Blue Shot” is among the band's catchiest tracks. Its fast, infectious groove is made all the more effective by the crystalline production. 'Shot' may not possess the same elemental quality as ‘Goat’ or ‘Liar’, where each instrument blends together in a wall of molten lava, but songs like this proved a cleaner sound worked well too. "Blue Shot" is also a joy to play on the bass. | | 18 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Blue
"Happy Snakes"
The band’s final LP ‘Blue’ is criminally underrated, full of eerie ambience and brave experiments with electronics. Amongst all the cold, haunted weirdness is “Happy Snakes”, the most accessible song they ever wrote. It is three swift minutes of confident rock, which forgoes their signature bite in favour of hooks. It is startling to hear the band captured with such clarity, each note pristine and distinct. Listen closely, and you might even catch what Yow is saying. | | 17 | | The Jesus Lizard
Shot
"Thumper"
This number has a fast and convulsive groove, its riff colliding with the drums like shattering glass. The bass tone is perfect, making an arid foundation for the other instruments to dance upon. The hi-fi production lets Yow’s wordless vocal soar over the song like a mirage above the horizon. If only every song on ‘Shot’ was this good. | | 16 | | The Jesus Lizard
Blue
"Until It Stopped To Die"
This is among the more straightforward tracks on 'Blue.' If you airbrushed out its gurgling electronics, you might mistake it for a song on ‘Shot.’ Duane Denison’s guitar work never sounded more eerie, hovering over the lockstep rhythm section like tendrils of fog. Adding to the creepy atmosphere are Yow’s vocals, which sometimes echo back at him a bar later. Best is Sims’ bassline, a simple yet sexy groove that anchors the more ethereal sounds around it. The drums may be a touch too loud and compressed, but I appreciate the subtle industrial flavour they bring. | | 15 | | The Jesus Lizard
Goat
"Karpis"
On first album ‘Head’, the band explored a kind of cantering rodeo rhythm. It was not until following LP ‘Goat’ that this approach was perfected. “Karpis” leaps nimbly from brittle verses to thunderous choruses, where Yow screams “NO” over and over like a hostage tied to a chair. The finest segment is the bizarre bridge, in which each guitar riff receives a full-stop in the form of a hiccup from Yow. It is one of the more funny, memorable moments on ‘Goat’, a perfect example of the band’s inimitable sense of humour. | | 14 | | The Jesus Lizard
Shot
"Good Riddance"
Ever befriended a clown, only for that friendship to suddenly turn sour? Yeah, me neither. Such is the subject of “Good Riddance”, the best song from the band’s fifth album. Yow tells the story of a clown caring for him, pampering him, cherishing him, only to suffer a mental breakdown and withdraw from the world. It is a fairly ridiculous tale, sung with a palpable feeling of regret. His voice is almost lost in the snowstorm of rattling cymbals and lurching, propulsive bass. Denison’s riff is one of his most mysterious, echoing through a cavernous sonic space. ‘Shot’ could have used a few more songs like this. | | 13 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Liar
"Boilermaker"
“Fuck me sideways,” I remembered thinking. I was fourteen, hungrily exploring music that wasn’t Muse or Oasis, when I listened to tJL for the first time. Or rather, when I tried to listen to them. “Boilermaker” leapt out of my headphones at me like a knife-wielding hobo out of a dark alley. Its jackhammer groove smacked me upside the head, while Yow squealed like his lips were sewn shut. I found myself wondering whether anyone could sincerely enjoy this band. Two months later, they were one of my favourites. It took time for me to appreciate the visceral, almost animal pleasure of their music. All I had to do was let it punch me in the face and spit in my eye. Now, few things bring me more instant catharsis than "Boilemaker." I adore when the fee-fi-fo-fum bassline comes lumbering to the fore, only for the guitar to swoop in, spitting white sparks. If ever you have sunburn, or a paper cut, or feel any kind of seething frustration, this is the song to listen to. | | 12 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Head
“My Own Urine”
No Jesus Lizard song goes from quiet to loud quite like “My Own Urine.” What begins as a hushed, slinking bass groove builds in fits and starts to an onslaught of musical fury. Yow howls like a man possessed, while Denison’s riffs sway and convulse like an alcoholic emptying their stomach contents onto the floor. The band is not so much performing the song as destroying it in real time, hammering at every note until it breaks. | | 11 | | The Jesus Lizard
Down
"Destroy Before Reading"
While previous albums had either nine or ten tracks, ‘Down’ sits at a somewhat bloated thirteen. Few of these songs are excellent enough to transcend the thin, lacklustre production. In my mind, there are only three true exceptions. One is “Fly on the Wall”, the barnstorming opener. Another is the closing track, “The Best Parts.” Slap bang in the middle of the album, bookended by mediocrity, is centrepiece “Destroy Before Reading.” Sure, all the instruments still sound like they are made of wood. Yow’s voice is so muddy and low in the mix, the only lyric I can properly make out is that “jazz is a slut again.” In spite of this, the song shines. Each band member is on top form, blazing through a tour-de-force of grooves. If Albini produced this track in the manner he desired, it would have been much higher on the list. | | 10 | | The Jesus Lizard
Blue
"Horse Doctor Man"
What is a horse doctor man, anyway? An equine veterinarian? A heroin dealer? A man-horse hybrid like Bojack, who chose to pursue a medical career? All I know is that Yow needs his help. “Horse Doctor Man” might be their most chilling and emotionally wrenching song. The chorus is a treat, but what really shines here are the verses. The slow and menacing guitar work. The ghostly, Vader-like exhalations. Yow’s haunting lyrics, which include such couplets as "broken like the will of a slave, cold like the eyes of a snake.” This is not a sound they ever had the chance to perfect, but I’ll be damned if they didn’t give it a great shot. | | 9 | | The Jesus Lizard
Head
“One Evening”
Their first album wastes no time in throwing you, kicking and screaming, into the deep end. The rhythm section churns nervously around you, like you are Dorothy trapped in the tornado. A lunatic in a gas mask spits and snarls, while a man wrenches shrill sounds from a guitar. Just when it seems there is no escape, the band locks into a delicious southern groove. Back and forth the song jumps, between panic-inducing and eargasmic, until “One Evening” unravels in a glorious flood of noise. | | 8 | | The Jesus Lizard
Liar
"Slave Ship"
All aboard, folks. “Slave Ship” sees the rhythm section churning away like thralls at their oars, as Captain Yow roars drunkenly from the helm. All the while, Denison’s sexy and relentless riff crashes against the vessel like tall, black waves. It is impressive to hear four mere mortals (plus Albini) making such a tempest of noise out of standard rock instruments. Listen up in the last stretch of the song, when a wall of feedback appears on the horizon, howling like a terrible storm. Okay, enough of the forced seafaring analogies. This song rules. | | 7 | | The Jesus Lizard
Goat
"Then Comes Dudley"
Their magnum opus kicks off with an inebriated version of the “Planet Claire” riff, churned out like beef mince from a hefty bass guitar. Denison’s guitar wails and echoes, suggesting you are deep in the belly of the beast. Yow seems to prophesise his character Marshall in the aforementioned Netflix film, as well as Marshall's girlfriend Dez. “That woman is crazy,” he sings. “She’s the mistress of a man who’s crazy too.” A jagged riff appears in your left ear, grinding its teeth. This is the sound of a great band truly coming into their own. Collaborating with Albini proved here to be a match made in heaven (or hell). For all the talents of the band themselves, it’s his golden touch that launches tracks like “Dudley” into the stratosphere. | | 6 | | The Jesus Lizard
Liar
"Puss"
Did they ever write a more fun song than “Puss”? Probably not. Its riff sounds like a buzzsaw cutting through sheet metal, yet somehow functions as a hook. Meanwhile, Yow gets into a shouting match with an even darker version of himself, spitting threats and abuse down an old telephone line. The song’s crowning moment is its bridge, when Denison changes effects pedals to weave a soaring riff that sounds more like Slowdive than the Jesus Lizard. When the song gently descends, Mac McNeilly hammers away until all band members are firmly nailed to the ground once more. Bliss. | | 5 | | The Jesus Lizard
Blue
“I Can Learn”
1-2… 1-2-3-4... 1-2-3-4-5. So goes the morse-code pulse of “I Can Learn”, the finest song on ‘Blue.’ Once in a while, I will start tapping it with my finger for no reason at all. It has burrowed deep into my unconscious mind, deeper than “We Will Rock You” or aught else. The pulse is first carved on a close-miked guitar, then pounded out on blurry, effects-laden drums. Finally, what might have once been a guitar squeals out that same rhythm like a circuit-bent children’s toy. Yow materialises, breathing down your neck about a “rain god of painted balsa wood.” This opening lyric paints a stark image, smacking of voodoo and the occult. The tension and strangeness build over the verse, until at last the Lizard of yore arrives. The pre-chorus is a rollicking slice of southern noise rock, as sharp and infectious as one could dream. Just when you think you are safe, the sinister pulse returns to possess the chorus. Detractors of 'Blue' ought to give this song another spin. | | 4 | | The Jesus Lizard
Goat
“Seasick”
“Seasick”, you ask? How could such a repetitive song rank so high on this list? Isn’t it just a twitchy guitar riff, with Yow yelling about how he can’t swim? Well, yes and no. Other than a bombastic segment in the middle, “Seasick” is mostly one short groove repeated ad nauseum. But it is precisely that segment that elevates the track so high. No other vocals can give me the same visceral pleasure as Yow’s deranged screams of “ffffffffffffucked up in the flood” or “TAKE A DIP!!!!”, spat like a madman between blasts of thunderous percussion. There is such corrosive fury in his voice, I almost struggle to believe those sounds were made by a human. If the song was this good throughout, it would immediately top this list (and most every other list I could think of). As it stands, I spend most of “Seasick” waiting for that all-too-brief section, or rewinding just to hear it again. | | 3 | | The Jesus Lizard
Liar
“Zachariah”
It took a band called the Jesus Lizard three albums and an EP to broach the subject of religion. Go figure. Our protagonist arrives in town, to find the townsfolk part before him like Moses and the Red Sea. The real hero here is Duane Denison, whose riffs go from slow and melancholy in the verse, to blistering and triumphant in the chorus. It was a shock for me to hear the band as slow and quietly powerful as they are here. “Zachariah” has a special kind of burnt-out beauty I cannot find elsewhere, in their discography or beyond. | | 2 | | The Jesus Lizard
Liar
“Gladiator”
“You should see her use a gun,” sings Yow, early on in “Gladiator.” The line is made all the more menacing by his gas-mask sneer. Every inch of this song generates tension, from the three-note loop of the bass riff, to the off-beat snare hits from McNeilly. The chorus guitar sounds like forks of lightning, as Yow screams of conceiving bastards and a pain in his side. For all the pyrotechnics on display, nothing can prepare you for the big finale. It sounds as though Denison has jammed his guitar through your skull, so that the sweep of his fingers over the strings sends tremors straight into your synapses. Glorious. | | 1 | | The Jesus Lizard
Goat
“Monkey Trick”
Could the number one spot have gone to anything else? Yow himself called "Monkey Trick" the “greatest song in the history of the universe, ever", and couldn't have been too far off. Where even to begin? The steady churn of the bass is like a well-oiled machine. Denison sends guitar notes out into the void like NASA beaming messages into space. That first scream from Yow sounds like David Byrne’s shriek in “Born Under Punches” dialled up to eleven. The defining moment comes around the 2:20 mark - a series of blazing, James Bond-like chords struck on a guitar wreathed in flame. That segment alone makes this a desert island disc for me. If ever I need a song to kick my ass and remind me why I love music, there will always be “Monkey Trick.” | |
butcherboy
12.11.18 | Best of: Sputnik lists..
great stuff, great band! | TheMightyScoop
12.11.18 | one of the greatest bands of the 90s | polyrhythm
12.11.18 | Thanks butch! Agree with you both, they're one of the best | polyrhythm
12.11.18 | Spent too long writing this not to give it a #bump | butcherboy
12.11.18 | asked for feature, let's see what happens.. | GhandhiLion
12.11.18 | Nub :( | polyrhythm
12.11.18 | An honourable mention for sure | NeroCorleone80
12.12.18 | 1 just had to be 1 great list | lyzakthellama
12.12.18 | I think mouth breather would be my favorite. It totally encapsulates what I love about their music. | ArsMoriendi
12.12.18 | I only know Goat and Liar, but I don't agree with this list at all
South Mouth is my fave between those 2 albums | polyrhythm
12.12.18 | South Mouth was an early favourite of mine, but hasn’t quite held up throughout the years. Would probably be #26 actually | polyrhythm
12.12.18 | Ooh featured, nice | DadKungFu
12.13.18 | A DIMINUTIVE FIGURE
IN A FILTHY LOINCLOTH
IS EN ROUTE TO YOUR HOUSE
JUST TO SNUFF YOU OUT | Kompys2000
12.13.18 | Nub :( [2]
Boilermaker is an A+ tune tho | polyrhythm
12.14.18 | I hope the 'Goat' and 'Liar' tracks that didn't make it all know I love them very much |
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