The Jesus Lizard are back with a bang, referencing their past, building on it and retaining their sense of humour
Formed in Chicago during the late 80s, the Jesus Lizard were one of the most uncompromising noise-rock bands of their era, drawing famous admirers including Nirvana and Fugazi. They disbanded in 1999, with each member involved in separate projects, although they've undertaken a handful of reunion tours since.
Now the classic quartet of vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison, bassist David Wm. Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly are back in earnest with the caustic, chimerical and thrillingly belligerent Rack, their first studio album in 26 years.
So what brought this album on?
Duane Denison: We've been playing sporadically since 2009, but I was tired of doing the old songs. I'm always sketching something, there's always ideas accumulating, and it seemed like now was the right time. So David Sims and Mac and I just started working on stuff. Then we thought let's throw it to David Yow and see what happens.
David Yow: The stuff they came up with was cool enough. I thought: "Okay, time to do this rock'n'roll shit again!"
How did you approach Rack?
DY: This album isn't predictable - we're not interested in clichés - but it sounds like the Jesus Lizard to me. I think the record sounds incredible. There are some places where I'm just going: "That guitar is a fucking monster!"
DD: To me, the Jesus Lizard is a balance between something cerebral and interesting and artistic, but at the same time something primal and driving and forceful. It's kind of its own category.
The song Lord Godiva is an old one that you've resurrected.
DD: We've already been playing it live. I was conscious of using it as our point of departure, so there's some continuity there. We're not divorcing our past, we're referencing and acknowledging it. But we don't stay there, we keep going, adding new things.
New song Swan The Dog is prime Jesus Lizard: surreal, dark, comedic.
DY: I think we've always had a fair amount of comedy in our stuff, both musically and lyrically. I don't remember exactly how I came up with the lyric about wanting to open a bakery and brush the teeth of everyone I see. I just thought of the nicest things you could do. Then I wanted the opposite for the second part. It was like: "I want to jerk off and go on a killing spree!"
If the Jesus Lizard had their time again, would you do anything differently?
DD: I don't think so, but you just always want to go back and fix little things. I'd like to do a reality show and go back to Chicago with the four of us living in a squalid three-bedroom apartment in a bad neighbourhood. And start over again. One guy has a car that doesn't run half the time, we all have shitty jobs...
DY: Outside of splotchy touring between now and a year from now there's nothing on the books. Hopefully by the time we finish all that, and if we're all four alive, we can take it from there.
DD: People are happy to hear from us because they haven't seen us in a while. But a year from now that might change. They might be like: "Okay, that's enough! You've made your point!"