| Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Summon ‘Sam’Hollywood’s celebrity starlet tabloid fodder — who use rehab like the Ramada — could learn an important lesson from the Jon SpencerBlues Explosion: just push through it. Sounding unhinged,self-destructive and most importantly, booze-soaked for the better part of 20 years, the Blues Explosion is nothing if not resolute. And in their mania they excel, stampeding through gritty garage punk with raw throats and bloody knuckles. On Jukebox Explosion the group conveniently presents a decade’s worth of singles originally released in a series of seven-inch singles including A-sides, B-sides and outtakes, like a gift-wrapped stick of dynamite.
“Son of Sam,”originally released in 1992 as the second record in the jukebox series,is a burst nearly as brutal as its subject — the 1977 serial killer who terrorized New York City at the behest of a demon dog. Written by primordial underground NYC act Chain Gang, “Sam” also celebrates theCBGB scene that was thriving amidst the panic of the murders as theJBSX version pairs filthy punk guitars and a shrieking sax beneathSpencer’s belligerent roar. “Cops won’t protect you,” he sneers, and he’s right. Each time the song’s vicious discordant chorus hits, the body count goes up one. Jukebox Explosion detonates in stores on Nov. 13 via the In the Red label. – Joseph Coscarelli |
