6th October 2010

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Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s Orange keeps me from listening to anything else

It feels like it’s become a rare thing for a garage rock record to groove so well and feel like genuine funk. But I guess for the Blues Explosion that’s not really a big deal, since that’s all they do. Basically every track on this record rules. The album opener, “Bellbottoms,” displays such a tightness between the musicians, with Russel Simins knockin’ the shit out of the snare and making it sound like he’s just barely gonna land it right, but every time he hits that one, you know there was no chance of a miss. And with such a strong but bare-bones foundation (three drums and a couple of guitars), the more experimental lead stuff that gets thrown on top has so much more room to be weird.

The second track, “Ditch,” is one of the gnarliest tracks I’ve ever heard. Again, Simin’s drums are HUGE, so much so that I think if they were the only thing on the track, I might still love it (but then again, I’m into that shit). But the slam of the guitar-and-sax on “I’m gonna dig that ditch!” and the mostly unintelligible lyrical work do some fuckin’ mysterious work and it all comes together for one of the most rock’n’roll tracks imaginable.

I suppose I should shut up pretty soon because I could probably say similar things about every cut on the album, but first I do need to say that “Full Grown” knocks out an upside-down groove so hard, of course, the straight frenetic weirdness of “Dang” is somehow both cathartic and energizing. Okay, enough.

Mainly, Orange is just insanely infectious and replayable. Every groove or riff on the record is one that gets stuck in your head, but there’s enough interesting stuff going on backed with that primal energy and rough timbre that merits multiple listens. This keeps it from being one of those records where things get stuck in your head but you want them to get out. It feels like knowledge getting stuck in your head. Or something. Over the past month, I’ve found myself putting the record on and not even thinking about it. It’s become my default. But also, it’s become a kind of all-purpose salve for whatever mood I might be in. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this addicted to a record. Plus, it almost makes me feel like I’m cool just because I’m from New York (I still think that kind of tribal-loyalty is lame).

So, that’s why I haven’t been going to that many shows or showing you guys that much new music. Well, that, and my laziness and broke-ness.

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