Rating : 9 out of 10
Favorite Songs : Poor Impulse Control, Angels Fuck, Girlscout, Swollen
Summary :
Jack Off Jill may be thought of as a "girl" band, but who's more girly, the Jillers or the Wallflowers? Jack Off Jill's first national release, Sexless Demons and Scars (Risk), is a powerful record, with Laura Simpson's tribal-like drumming, Hoho Spade's consistent, if at some times noodling guitar playing, and "Agent" Robin Moulder's brilliant basslines. And, of course, lead singer Jessicka's intense vocals.
The CD begins with the rolling, distorted bassline of "American Made" (the B-side to the Jiller's second single "Girlscout"), a track which amply displays Jessicka's raw vocals, and Hoho's wild, feedbacking solos. This track gives way to "Horrible", a song with a very catchy beat, which shows the tightness of Hoho and Robin in their rhythm playing. Jessicka really delivers on this track, with her vocals raning from a sweet girly voice to a raging shout. The next song (and JOJ's first single) "My Cat" is a poppy, energetic tune which gets in your head and never quite leaves. Yet it's an instantly likable song, with Laura's consistent drumming, and Jessicka's showy vocals.
"Super Sadist" is akin to a teenage fit, and Jessicka delivers this role well. One can almost see her punching her fists on her bed. This, as well as many other tracks, are songs that are obviously written off of a bassline, and sound great and catchy because of it. "Devil With the Black Dress On" is a fast, driving tune which blasts through it's two and a half minutes quickly. Robin delivers some great fills in this song, and it's her exceptional bassline that really makes the music.
The next song, "Girlscout", is a wonderful track, with Jessicka showing off her range-- going from low tenor to high piercing screams. Hoho takes some good solo breaks in "Girlscout", and in combination with Laura's incredible drumming, this song is definitely one of the highlights of the album. "Swollen", one of the sadder songs, begins with Laura's pounding beat and comes in with Hoho's almost dissonant guitar line, and Robin's perfectly complimenting bass part. Jessicka's lyrics in "Swollen" are painfully blunt, and hearing her tormented screams during the chorus makes the listener want to kill whoever caused her this pain.
"Poor Impulse Control" is a beautiful, pained song. Definitely the best song on the album, it is at times atonal, yet at times melodic. At times it is serene, yet at times it is out of control. Jessicka gives her best vocal performance on the entire CD, matched only by "Angels Fuck". Hoho and Robin start by doubling each other's parts, but as the song advances, Hoho starts wandering away, and giving the song the perfect mood. Laura's fast paced beat is the perfect compliment to the slower paced part that the guitar and bass follow. This songs' lyrics ARE the best of the album. With lines like "i envy your demise, i hope it's all you dreamed it would be. one bullet in this gun, not sure if it's for you or me" and "i envy your demise, 750 degrees, when it burned it smelled like you, but it scorched and looked a lot like me." The way Jessicka sings these lyrics, you almost want to cry with her.
"Lollirot" starts with Robin's perfect bassline and Laura's classic drum part, and as the song gets it's groove, it seems to be another fast-paced thriller, akin to "Super Sadist." Then after one minute, the song slows down to an almost Rush-meets- Marilyn Manson pace, and Laura's tribal drums combined with Hoho's screeching guitars at the climax part give the song a near nightmare feel. Jessicka's melodramatic voclas are wonderful. Then the song goes back into it's original, frolicking quick pace. "Lollirot" also yields some great lyrics like "hard rock queens in ripped up jeans, everyone thinks they're so obscene. bend them over, you'll get a taste of lollirot."
"Covet", the next track has a similar, driving feel to "Devil With the Black Dress On." Jessicka's vocals in this song are incredible, as she screams at other-worldly decible levels. Robin's bass leads the song, while Hoho shows some solid rhythm playing, with some great fills, as well as a VERY odd solo. Laura keeps the song going at a great pace, and her drumming really locks in with Robin well. The next song "Working With Meat", is Jack Off Jill's commentary on society, and they deliver. Robin's bassline is quite good and consistent throughout the whole song. Jessicka gives some incredile screams, if a little harsh. "Cumdumpster", the albums twelfth track, is a jazzy song, with some great drumming from Laura. Robin's hardly-hearable but great bassline realls sets the feel for the song. Jessicka's girly vocals at one point turn into ripping shouts, and give the perfect contrast to the rolling feel of the instruments.
The album's (supposed) closing track is "Everything's Brown." Robin's basslines is steady and it doubles as a rhythm guitar while Hoho plays his dreamy guitar part. Jessicka's bitter-sweet vocals make you shudder, and again cry with her. Her desperate pleas of "hello? i'm real!!!" remind you of times you've felt the same way.
The album's real last track, "Angels Fuck" (track 99) starts with a melancholy guitar part and Jessicka singing "i woke up mourning, i woke up dead today." Robin then comes in with a complementing bassline, and Laura gives occasional drum hits. Then all of a sudden a scream starts a ferocious, punk-paced chorus with Robin playing a mind-boggling, breakneck paced, incredible bassline. The song then goes back into it's slower verse, only to come back into the intense chorus. Jessicka's screams at the end are heart-wrenching, and yet energizing. Then after the music fades away, you hear a second vocal track saying "i will never make it better, it will always hurt you fucking asshole!" and then breaking down into sobs. The song ends with a sad piano part. And so ends the disc.
Jack Off Jill is one of those bands who either you absolutely love them, or you hate them. Sexless Demons and Scars is an incredible CD, one of the best of recent years. The disc was produced by Don Fleming, and the production is good, if not a bit slick. One problem: throughout the whole disc the bass level is too low. Robin is one of the best bassists in alternative music, and on many tracks, her parts are hardly hearable. But the wonderful quality of SD&S makes up for it's production flaw. Its intensity, power, and catchiness make it instantly likable. To sum it up, a person who was into bands like Fear Factory and Propane heard the CD and said, "Whoa.. now THIS is a powerful band."
Related Webpages :
Jack Off Jill - The Unofficial Homepage
Jack Off Jill Land
Jack Off Jill Official Homepage
You'll like Sexless Demons & Scars if you like:
god only knows what... "Portrait"-era Manson, 80's glam rock, a bit...
Other :
You can subscribe to the official e-mail list at jackoffjill-request@spookykids.com with "subscribe jackoffjill" in the body of the e-mail. They're currently on a national tour, so check the Jack Off Jill land web site for a date near you.
Posted : Tuesday, October 28, 1997 10:18 AM
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