Album Review

It’s somewhat ironic to consider anything as harsh as Black Flag or The Jesus Lizard “refreshing,” but that was the first thought that raced to my mind when “False Jesii Part 2,” the opening track on King of Jeans came blasting out of my headphones.

To put it simply, this album smokes. Perhaps the strangest aspect of listening to this record is that it sounds completely familiar and entirely new at the same time. It’s funny that Pissed Jeans have ended up on Sub-Pop because they sound exactly like pretty much every other band on that label…20 years ago.

Talk about a harsh reminder of your past! Pissed Jeans’ fuzzed out grunge rock is the perfect compliment to the likes of Nirvana, Tad, and Mudhoney, but feels out of whack alongside current roster-mates such as the Fruit Bats, Iron and Wine, and Blitzen Trapper. What’s even more amazing is how this sound has basically disappeared from the musical landscape in the interim. Nirvana’s aural assault morphed into the “grunge-lite” delivered by the likes of Bush and Creed, punk steered away from the sludgy ferociousness of late-era Black Flag and initially devolved into a gaggle of bands which sound like Bad Religion, NOFX, and Green Day and then got ten times worse with the onslaught of Emo. On the other end of the spectrum, the majority of indie-rock bands embraced pop over rock, as groups like Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists, and the New Pornographers achieved tremendous pop success with the distortion turned down and the keyboards turned up.

In a way, this noise probably sounds as fresh to me today as it did to millions of kids who heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for the first time back in 1990. It’s like the return of an old friend. It’s kinda like “Hey man, where’ve you been? Have you heard how lame things have gotten lately? Thank God you’re back to shake things up!”

And that’s exactly what King of Jeans does. The aforementioned opening track, “False Jesii Part 2,” is the prime cut on the album, and it’s probably the greatest grunge-rock song of the last 15 years. All the classic trademarks are present, Big-Muff fuzz drenching every guitar, yelled vocals, tribal drum beat, and the everyman/loser lyrics. Lead singer Matt Korvette simply runs down a laundry list of activities he won’t bother to do before launching into a chorus that consists of manic yelling. He will not participate in going out with his friends, wearing a tight black shirt, hitting the gym, telling a joke that will make the whole world laugh, and showing up with a colder six-pack. This is Grade A grunge conversation here, folks. Forget the overwrought lyrics delivered by the likes of Ben Gibbard and Colin Meloy, sometimes you just gotta get back to the basics when it comes to your rock songs.

And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Korvette has quite the throat as well. On many occasions he morphs into a Henry Rollins clone, as does his band, delving into those weird instrumental passages which peppered Black Flag albums such as Loose Nut and In My Head. “Spent” and “Goodbye (Hair)” are a couple of true artifacts – slow as molasses, Sabbath-style numbers that feature almost spoken-word lyrics. The latter very much reminded me of “Schizophrenia” by the Descendants – one of that band’s heaviest, and strangest songs. Other highlights include the riff heavy, “She Is Science Fiction,” the bombastic “Half Idiot,” and the bass and noise dominated “R-Rated” movie.

Of course this isn’t the band’s first album – not even the first on Sub-Pop, so all of my accolades may be arriving a couple years too late. Having been a humdrum citizen of Pennsylvania for twenty-two years of my life I can say I am honestly proud of these dirty boys, even though I’m just now straggling into their parade of filth. One might not automatically associate high octane grunge with the Keystone State, but spend a couple winters there and you may think otherwise.

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