Scaterd Few - "Jawboneofanass"

Scaterd Few - Jawboneofanass
1994, Faceless Gen

1. Witchcraft
2. Dreams
3. Sinking in Sorrow
4. Sheets
5. Stretch
6. Once Upon
7. Oom Pah Pah
8. Reel Not Real
9. Holding Stare
10. Dame
11. Ransom
12. Pinnacle

Back in the day I was really miffed that I never got to hear Jawboneofanass. Sin Disease ranks as one of my favorite albums of all time so I always wanted to hear the follow up. Sadly, no Christian book store anywhere near me carried it so I went without. I was sad. However, the band has recently released their entire back catalogue online! Now you can get everything. I quickly bought Jawbone and sadly, was disappointed. This album is far more melodic and mellow than the previous one. Where the first one was filled with short, punchy songs, this one is filled with longer, sprawling compositions that didn't really grab me. It makes me a little sad inside. I'm hoping that this will grow on me over time but right now I can't say it does much for me.

Useless Fact: Rumor has it Jawboneofanass was recorded three times before it was finally released. That may be some of the reason this doesn't quite jibe with me.

Scaterd Few - "Sin Disease"

Scaterd Few - Sin Disease

1990, Alarma

1. Kill the Sarx

2. While Reprobate

3. Beggar

4. Lights Out

5. Later (L.A. 1989)

6. Groovey

7. Glass God (No Freedom in Basing)

8. As the Story Grows

9. U

10. A Freedom Cry

11. Scapegoat

12. Wonder Why

13. DITC

14. Self

15. Look Into My Side

16. Kill the Sarx II (Apocalypse)

Sin Disease is an amazing, awesome album. Even if it were released tomorrow it would still be ahead of its time. Its raw, dirty, frenetic, and dark. Completely infused with an urban vibe the album captures moments of life in the ghetto. From gang bangs to drug addictions every note delivers a painful message that's genuine and pulls no punches. There's almost an "otherworldy" quality about this disc which comes to a head in the album closer "Kill the Sarx II (Apocalypse)." It's a sprawling seven-minute track that starts off as a lounge version of "Kill the Sarx" but ends up a disconnected mess that's very off-putting. Not to mention the spine-warping bass guitar that actually takes center stage while the psycho guitar flies over everything. Then you've got Allan Aguirre's voice which sounds a little like David Bowie mixed with... I don't know... a cat being strangled. I know that doesn't sound like a good thing, but trust me, it totally works to make this one of the most interesting vocal performances I've heard on an album. Is it punk? No, it's far too progressive for that. Is it rock? No, it's far too agressive and caustic. It's not metal either, it's its own mixture of all these elements that had never before been done and hasn't been to this day.

Useless Fact: I think some of that "otherworldy" quality I was talking about was due in part to the fact that the band was toking up some fatties while making this record. For those who don't know that means they were smoking marijuanna.