Felt like doing a revisionist history update to this post from late last year. As I hear more and more of what is going on in the post-punk world, I simply feel compelled to tell that world about this little outfit from San Diego. Maybe it's because I have now worn out my copy of Obits "I Blame You", perhaps that makes me want to revisit DLJ. Who knows? But, what I do know is that Drive Like Jehu were the original authors of this novella that blends sonic dissonance and melody.When homage is paid to originators of "noise rock" alternative music from the 90's, the list usually comprises bands like Sonic Youth, The Jesus Lizard, Melvins, Six Finger Satellite and Neurosis. DLJ is often conspicuously absent from the list, and that is a shame. While those bands, and DLJ alike are not traditionally classified as punk, their music was filled with atonality and lacked traditional structures found in much of rock music of the day. By that criteria, were they not punk...? Different post for a different day, but for now, the influence that Drive Like Jehu has had on bands of the 00's is clear. Funny thing, I bet many of them don't even recognize that! What is also interesting is in revisiting this topic, it reminds me of the wealth of talent found in San Diego in the early 90's. Unsung, unheralded, under-appreciated punk, noise rock and alternative from bands like Aminiature, Tanner, Creedle, Three Mile Pilot, Inch, Unwritten Law and Boilermaker. These names may not mean much to a punk music fan of today, and it's near impossible to measure their influence, but their importance is true.
So, from October 2008, here comes Punk Mecca's assertion that Drive Like Jehu produced the progeny of post-hardcore.
Hardcore and punk underwent an amazing transformation in 1991. Emo, Screamo, Post-Hardcore owe a tremendous debt to the band Drive Like Jehu, who released their self-titled debut on Headhunter Records. Punk rock would never be the same.
In retrospect, it's hard to not call this a punk rock supergroup. With this pedigree, it's no wonder this band and specifically, this album would have such wide influence. Check out three of the members:
John Reis (aka. Speedo): Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Pitchfork, The Night Marchers, Owner Swami Records and all-around punk rock hero.
Rick Froberg: Hot Snakes, Obits and author of Chapter 1 of "Screamo 101: A Lesson in Vocals". (note: can't wait for the Obits debut next year on Sub Pop!!!) (12/08/09 note: it's out, it's good, enough said).
Mark Trombino: Night Soil Man, Aminiature, punk rock producer to the stars...Jimmy Eat World, Finch, Silverstein, Blink-182.
A digression: In the early 90's the San Diego alternative scene was loaded! But the three bands that in my opinion had a large influence on the screamo and hardcore of today are these peers of DLJ...Night Soil Man, Three Mile Pilot and Truman's Water. Each was known for their own brand of sonic dissonance; they each shaped the future of punk, and rock in general, with their aggressive, dirty, yet technical music.
Back to our featured artist Drive Like Jehu. The complexity of this music, to this day, leaves me awestruck. It's beautiful, rich, well thought out and well executed. "Caress" starts the album off. It builds to a crescendo and while other tracks meander from the beautiful to the extreme, "Caress" is relentless from beginning to end. Next up is the quick blast "Spikes To You". The shortest song on the album, but by no means the simplest. How do you describe the guitar sound of Drive Like Jehu? It's "off" in a way, no disrespect, it's what makes it amazing. It's almost like they use their dueling guitar lines to create some sort of mismatched harmony. It works perfectly on "Spikes". John Reis leads the way on "Step on Chameleon", a bit of a slower, sludgy track with those patented overlaying guitars. "Step on Chameleon" features some nice Rocket From The Crypt harmony and is a personal fave. "O Pencil Sharp" is a nine minute epic that captures the entire Drive Like Jehu experience. It slowly builds into a single guitar led melody and then into a mid-paced, somewhat somber progression. At around the 5 minute mark, the deluge that is Drive Like Jehu starts. Manic, pulsing, strained solos, complex percussion, it's got it all. As quickly as the deluge starts, you wander back into the darkness that began the track... and so it ends. It's a track like that, that often can be the measurement of a band, but how well they can take the song from record to the stage is the real test. From personal experience, Drive Like Jehu were able to precisely capture "O Pencil Sharp" note for tenuous note in a live setting. "Atom Jack" would fit in quite well amongst the Emo and Screamo of today and is probably the most structured of all the tracks. "If It Kills You" is a study in tonal instability. The pain sensed in Rick's voice is palpable but ultimately outdone by the guitar and bass work on this post-hardcore forebear. This track, along with a few others, feels at times like an instrumental. It wanders off in a direction for a few minutes and it's a wonderful journey. "Good Luck In Jail" is simply a really cool punk / alternative rock song. It's Melvins-esque and it's a treat! "Turn It Off" could have easily been written in 2006 and may well have influence outside of punk (Killers, Modest Mouse, etc.). This classic, noisy album wraps up with "Future Home of Stucco Monstrosity". "Wall of Sound" jumps to mind as a simple way to sum up this tune and probably is a fitting description for the work as a whole.
I know there are Drive Like Jehu fans out there that count this record as one of the best of the punk or hardcore genre, count me amongst that group!
There was a song in the 80's called "Video Killed The Radio Star". Sadly, we could probably say "Major Label Killed the Punk Rock Star" for this band and bunches of others. While there are always many contributing factors to a bands finish, in this particular case, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Drive Like Jehu had stayed on some small, high quality San Diego indie label? I'd like to think that "Yank Crime" would be just the second in a long line future masterpieces! But hey, good news for all of us, the three main men continue to release and influence a tremendous amount of good quality, true to themselves punk.
