"Hey man, Jack Off Jill are coming out with their first CD format album." Really?! Awesome." This was my first reaction to what I'd hoped to be best female album of 1998, and while it didn't achieve this status, it still went far. A crude melding of Marilyn Manson influenced lyricism, simple but effective musicianship and that voice...that strangely enticing voice is their first step towards excellence.
The first pillar of excellence was erected in the form of "Sexless Demons And Scars", an album which would get both Jack Off Jill and its' lead singer, Jessicka noticed. This album has some sort of "Anti" stance which is influenced mainly by the one and only Manson, whose influence can leave quite the taste in ones' mouth. Tracks like "Horrible", "Super Sadist" and "Girlscout" have this spice sprinkled all over them, which effectively illustrates Jessickas' need to make her mark on the world in her own little way.
We are introduced to the album in the form of a grunge-tinged, thick bass followed by a grinding rhythym guitar that kicks "American Made" into full throttle, eventually having been joined by the basic-but-effective vocal work of Jessicka and the thumping of the eager drummer, Lauracet Simpson. This, of course, does not undermine the shining example that Agent Moulder (Bass) and Ho Ho Spade (Rhythym) Deliver to us in the form of "Devil With The Black Dress On" which provides us with a razor-blade pulse and an aura-inducing bass and drum mix, this aura being the addictiveness of this track. Oh, and the vocals are near-perfect apart from a small ptich glitch, but this will be easily overlooked and lasts .012 of a second.
While this magical ladder seems sturdy on the outside, you may find one or two rungs which break on the way up. While the metaphorical concept may seem comical to some, the rather monotonous "CumDumpster" seems like a "cunt" to listen to. Riddled with a one-string bass drive, a drum beat which sounds more like a drum machine than a real human playing and the screeching part (OK, You call and I answer) sounds like a cat died. The only saving grace here would be the guitar's interesting variance in tone. That, and the lyrics seem really uninspired. "My Cat" would have been unimpressed with this song. This song sounds like a 5 year old girl had written it as it is sung almost as monotonous as a Japanese import car motor which is what one may find difficult to get past, and even when the screeching does return in the opening line of the chorus (My cat is crazy, he's everything to me) it would nearly bring one to tears how shockingly off-putting the vocals are. Thankfully for this track, the multi-tonal guitar and void-filling bass are both nercomancers to a dying track.
This album is a good introduction to the world of CD-format Jack Off Jill and offers the first of (sadly) only two full-lengths and is recommended to those who enjoy punkish female rockers, huge marilyn Manson fans and people who enjoy the Punk genre in general. Pure female bliss which is enjoyable in small doses.
Recommendations:
-American Made
-Super Sadist
-Devil With The Black Dress On
-Girlscout
