Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Now I Got Worry
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Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Now I Got Worry
Matador, 1996
RiYL: Beck, Rolling Stones, James Brown |
Take Now I Got Worry, the JSBX's fourth full-length release on Matador Records. A scream opens the first track, signifying perhaps the angst-ridden sympathies of the '90s grunge movement. A funky beat follows, hearking to the hip-hop backbeat Jimi Hendrix brought to rock 25 years earlier. A dirty guitar comes in next. Then some half-baked chords. Let's just call that punk.
After a slight pause, a second guitar starts moving through a crunchy chord progression. It sounds like shit but feels fucking perfect. Listen closely, now. That's the blues.
Jon Spencer, along with a few other artists in the field, is currently working on a project of incredible significance to modern culture -- he is saving rock and roll (whether it needs saving or not, I have no idea. But it sure is fun to watch)! The aforementioned track "Skunk" alone earns Spencer his "Saviour" title, melding popular styles left and right and creating a niche into which new artists can climb.
Indeed, the biggest boon to the band's bizarre success has always been its willingness to break down boundaries between music genres. On this album, the members show they have picked up a little knowledge from the Dust Brothers, who helped re-work the tracks from Orange on Experimental Remixes, as production techniques most commonly associated with rap pervade the entire album.
On other songs, such as "Fuck Shit Up," the Blues Explosion have created a song that is an answer to the Sex Pistols and James Brown alike. The bass-less trio add punk punctuation to the song's blues feel. The result is dazzling. Equally impressive is the tasty "Chicken Dog," featuring blues minstrel Rufus Thomas on vocals, and the instrumental "Can't Stop," which calls to mind "Slave"-era Rolling Stones.
Now I Got Worry is not necessarily a vast improvement over Orange. But, to the joy of many, Spencer is no longer shouting "Blues Explosion is Number One!" every minute. More importantly, the leader and his bandmates have discovered some new sounds and broadened their tastes just enough to keep things interesting for loyal fans.
BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.