Jaks
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Hollywood Blood Capsules CD
Choke, 1995
Two bands in the mid-90s were often described as “The Jesus Lizard with female vocals” and strangely enough:
- Both had the word “jack” in their moniker
- Both came from college towns
- Both featured female vocalists with the last name of a U.S. President.
Despite these intriguing similarities, neither really got the attention they deserved outside of their respective hometowns. Considering the novelty and force of each band, it’s puzzling to imagine a time where the output of these groups could be so utterly overlooked and unnoticed. Read more about Athens’ Jack O Nuts here. Like Jack O Nuts, Ann Arbor’s Jaks employed snaky, propulsive bass and tensely clashing minor key guitar shards — but to a slightly more gnarled degree. And while Jack O Nuts’ Laura Carter had the David Yow-ish howl of a crazy person, the Jaks’ Katrina Ford (who would later go on to Love Life and Celebration) forces the sketchy thrill of a carnival sideshow through a blown-out transistor mic, half rambling, part singing and part screaming. It’s a rambunctiously noisy and fun album with a slight gothic tint. You can find it and their earlier singles collected on the Here Lies the Body of Jaks collection released on Three One G.
DOWNLOAD
Jaks – “Dumb Waiter”
Jaks – “Spider”
LINKS:
Jaks on MySpace
Buy Jaks “Here Lies the Body of Jaks” discography CD at Three One G