A familiar name to those in with the emo music of the early 90's, Jawbreaker more or less created the second wave with 1990's
Unfun
However, it wasn't until 1994, when they released their opus
24 Hour Revenge Therapy that they truly hit the nail on the head, blending catchy punk tunes with emotional and complex vocals by Blake Schwarzenbach.
From the first track,
The Boat Dreams from the Hill, we get a taste of Jawbreaker's style: Fast and upbeat guitar work, driving bass and Blake's raspy, strained singing style. The song sounds so sincere, despite the fact
that the lyrics are about a boat being fixed by a pensioner, but will never be at sea again. This is more or less an example of what the rest of the album has to offer, which is not to say the songs all sound the same.
Condition Oakland is perhaps the most defining song on the album, and is also a great example of the musicianship within the band. The guitar and the bass work superbly together, stopping and starting to emphasise Blake's vocals. The emotion in the track is also outstanding, presented in aggressive verses, personal choruses, and the melancholy outro, which features heavy drums, prominent bass, and bursts of guitar punctuating a sample of Kerouac reading a poem and playing piano.
These two songs are a taste of what the entire album has to offer. The feeling on this album is unreal, and the fact that Blake damaged his voice after just a few years with Jawbreaker is a testament to how well he was able to express himself. At the same time, however, he does not overshadow the bass and rhythm work, which hold their own on all of Jawbreaker's releases.
In summary,
24 Hour Revenge Therapy completes what
Unfun started, and in the process, became a classic for many later bands to make poor imitations of. Though their next album,
Dear You was another classic (and I believe one of atsonicpark's favourites), it was in a different vein and will be covered another time.
Thanks for reading.