Search - Jawbox :: For Your Own Special Sweetheart

It's all about quality

Phil Avetxori | 01/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's dispel one possible misconception about Jawbox, in light of the well-deserved praise they've received: Jawbox were not innovators. While they certainly had their own sound, their music wasn't revolutionary. That's because it didn't need to be."For Your Own Special Sweetheart" is one of the great rock albums of the 90s. Their's was a noisy, often dissonant, angular sound, firmly rooted in the post-Fugazi D.C. sound, which, of course, means hardcore energy, post-punk structures, and sheets upon sheets of guitar. So what's the big deal? Songs, baby: the ability to write memorable tunes. Jawbox had melodies that traversed the emotional spectrum, but always tinged with elements of bittersweet, melancholy dissonance. The haunting overtones of Sonic Youth, at their most transcendent, are channeled into high-energy, rhythmically dynamic tunes. This mixture of the subtle and the muscular carries over into the vocals, where thoughtful, allusive lyrics are belted out with conviction and power. By the time this album was recorded, Jawbox were a tight, kinetic force, and the pristine recording successfully captures their unstoppable live energy.
It's too bad this album didn't sell better. In a decade when scores indie rock bands, in the wake of Nirvana's success, were being signed to major labels, Jawbox were particularly unfortunate victims of the indie snobbery that caused many of these endeavors to tank. They were a band that were able to succesfully combine musical professionalism with noisy rock of the post-punk lineage, and there's little doubt that had they chosen to continue into this century, they could have provided a valuable example for younger bands, showing that accessibile guitar rock need not be retro."

Calls and responses you can't see

Brian Howe | Chapel Hill, NC United States | 06/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"J. Robbins (currently in the also excellent Burning Airlines and producing about twelve other bands' albums per diem) & co.'s band Jawbox produced many a fine album, so it's difficult to call "For Your Own Special Sweetheart" the best one without compunction. But it is. "Savory" is one of my favorite songs from any band, and "Motorist" is a close second. A fierce attack of complex guitar patterns and multi-layered vocals pervades throughout; the songs feel jagged and incisive in a pleasing manner. If you listen to Jawbreaker, Glass Jaw, or any other band with "Jaw" in the name, you probably will like this, but then again, you probably already do. If you can't find this, the eponymous Jawbox album is stellar as well. Rock music to raze houses by."

Run, don't walk to pick this one up

Brian Howe | 12/31/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"By the mid-nineties I had become completely disillusioned with rock music. The glory days of punk and new-wave seemed a distant memory, with nothing but derivative, unchalleging pablum dominating the scene. For Your Own Special Sweetheart changed all of that, giving me faith that indeed, there were still creative, driven, inspired musicians around. Get this album."