Assuming the unlucky few who read my fanzine are the same few who read this blog I don’t really think I need to explain my love for a little three-piece called JAWBREAKER but I’m still gonna do it anyway. It is a love that goes deeper than oceans and expands beyond skies. Pretty much the most love one man can have for one band. In between jumping from one fad to another, various elitist indie sites and their smarter-than-thou-editors tell me I will grow out of this phase but I’m just a working class guy not eager to listen to difficult music just for the sake of coming of as difficult. I enjoy discussing krautrock influences on BOWIE’s post-ziggy stardust material just as much as the next guy, but when it comes down to the core of music I’d rather have my tunes drenched in tangible heartache and genuine solitude and my stories dealing with little men fighting themselves whilst being crushed by the weight of the universe. And it just so happens Blake Schwarzenbach was handpicked by some supreme being to deliver these tunes and stories to those who cared.Picking his words carefully and writing melodies one the most lonesome of his Frisco nights Blake saw JAWBREAKER gradually growing out to the cult favourite they still are to this day. And his army of scrawny kids wearing chinos and reading beat poetry in the back of the classroom was constantly expanding until it was big enough for Geffen, still in their post-NIRVANA depression, to think that this could work on a major label level. All parties involved knew it wouldn’t and I guess that makes Dear you all the more a classic record. Weird how they come of so tight and still sound like they’re on the verge of imploding. Anyway, an expected break-up resulted in Blake clearing his throat and quickly bouncing back on his feet by relocating to Brooklyn where he surrounded himself with Jeremy Chaterlain and Chris Daly, ex-HANDSOME and ex-TEXAS IS THE REASON respectively. One can do worse I’m sure… Being the ‘supergroup’ that they were, JTB quickly managed to ink a deal with major indie Jade Tree and squeezed out an anticipated album only a year or so after the band’s inception.
Now this is usually the paragraph where I blabber about my personal involvement with the band’s music but before I can go on with that part I just have to bring up JB one more time. I can’t help it, I’m the boy who cried JAWBREAKER. I was just so awestruck with this band hitting home that I decided not to acknowledge anything else these dudes did afterwards. That way I could keep them alive in my head for as long as possible. I know that sounds crazy and all but the fucked up part is that when I finally gave in and checked out JTB it actually did change the whole JAWBREAKER experience for me. But that pretty much is the only real downside to orange rhyming dictionary. It’s vintage Blake Schwarzenbach and very hard not to like.
‘Cause in all honesty, this could’ve been the perfect batch of songs to follow up dear you and the only real significant difference lies in the execution of the material. The whole vibe around orange rhyming dictionary is a bit looser with an almost jam-like approach at times. I guess it’s the start of a natural departure from the urgent and angsty sound JAWBREAKER had at their most desperate. These men are experienced musicians coming into their own, wilfully shaking the urge to help out every lost teen soul out there. Same goes for the lyrics, it’s real obvious that Blake worked hard on them in an attempt to steer away from his past endeavours and the way he plays with the English language is just plain amazing. As usual he pours heart, soul and craftmanship into almost every sentence turning them all into little works of art but never neglecting the bigger picture of the story he tries to tell. Only this time the picking of words is just that tad bit smarter and not solely relying on the spur of the moment. The fact that there isn’t a word in the English dictionary that rhymes with orange should already give you an idea.
In my blurriest of days I sometimes see ORD as the record bivouac should’ve been. Where the latter was too serious and forced in it’s attempt to create a moodier and more epic sound, ORD comes of a lot more natural and just sounds like there was a lot more fun involved in the making of it. But I’d still pick bivouac though, I’m such a fanboy.
Peace.
