Artist

Jawbox

This once-was Dischord post-punk band (who later moved to Atlantic before spinning out on DeSoto) brings you a compilation of B-sides, last recordings, Peel sessions, and other forget-me-nots. These veterans will leave you craving for more, but fear not: they have more releases than a cat has lives.

If you were forced to put a finger on Jawbox, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with a single adjective or phrase to describe them. Harmonically rich? You betcha. Rhythmically diverse? Uh-huh (drum boy Zachary Barocas really likes jazz). An energetic post-punk crystal-clear distorted epic guitar gasoline-powered explosion factory? You'd think such a description would be pushing it, but you'd be wrong.

Jawbox has a big enough library of music to satisfy any fan, but alas, the band is no more. After two albums on Dischord Records and two more on Atlantic Records, the band released their final album on their own D.C.-based DeSoto Records, run by Kim Coletta and W.C. Barbot (a.k.a. 3$ Bill).This little omnibus features the Peel sessions, unreleased tracks from their final recording sessions, and almost every B-side, cover, and compilation track they ever recorded! Essential for fans and a good intro for new folks as well.

While Jawbox no longer haunts D.C. clubs and touring circuits, you can still find the shrapnel of their breakup in other places. The brains behind DeSoto are still strong and you can hear echoes of Jawbox's lush harmonies and textures in the label's catalogue. And you'll find members of Jawbox still kicking out the sing alongs in Burning Airlines.