Jawbox
My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents
DeSoto
April 1997. An e-mail with the subject line “Jawb-ex” circulates announcing the breakup of indie faves Jawbox. In it, fans, friends, and unsuspecting low-budget rock critics are delivered a personal thanks from vocalist/guitarist J. Robbins. In the wake of a classy goodbye we are left with so many wonderful songs and a wish for more.
November 1998. Wish granted.
My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents is a twenty-two-song documentary of sorts, and it hasn’t left my CD player for the better part of a month. I definitely wouldn’t call this the best Jawbox record ever, at least musically speaking. It more than succeeds, however, in capturing the spirit and history of the band, which is exactly why they released it anyway.
From a fan’s standpoint, this is an invaluable collection of much of the harder-to-find material. There are even two previously unreleased songs, along with some great covers and live tracks. From a musical/historical perspective, it’s interesting to listen to Zach Barocas play the songs that were recorded before he became the drummer. He makes it even more obvious that he was the perfect fit for Jawbox. His playing breathes new life into old songs like “Static.” DeSoto Records, P.O.Box 60335, Washington, DC 20039; http://www.his.com/~desoto/
