Albums by this artist

Sea To Shining Sea (2001)

Destination 2000 (1999)

Love As Laughter

Destination 2000

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» PIERO SCARUFFI | STAFF WRITER

Love As Laughter Destination 2000 Sub Pop, 1999 RiYL: Ween, Fugazi, Rolling Stones, Beck

Destination 2000 continues the maturation process for this Sam Jayne-led project, so much so that the band comes close to surpassing its idols in a few songs. The title track relies on a riff by the Rolling Stones ("Brown Sugar") but envelopes it in a clatter a la MC5. "Freedom Cop" is a demented shuffle like those of Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited/, while "On The Run" revives the epic riff and choir of "Hey Joe" and weds it to a gospel organ and passionate shouting.

"Margaritas," possibly the catchiest track, presents a weird hybrid of Lou Reed and Sonic Youth. "Demon Contacts" and "Stakes Avenue" are short instrumental nightmares which return to Jayne's more solo-oriented experiments.

All in all, the "rock" tracks, such as "Stay Out Of Jail", are even more rude and violent, overflowing with "teen angst" and threatening riffs. The angular timbres of the guitar, Jayne's agonizing wails and the chaotic beat of the drums belong to the Jesus Lizard/Fugazi school of progressive punk-rock. Indeed, the desperate agony of ballads such as "Aftermath" and "Body Double" is the same of those villain gurus of urban neurosis. Destination 2000 is another album full of visceral and psychologic music which emphasizes the dramatic skill of Jayne as a player and singer.

PIERO SCARUFFI | Piero Scaruffi runs the exhaustive music database Scaruffi.com. A native of Italy, he has also been praised for his work on the General Theory of Relativity, formal theories of the mind, and artificial intelligence. And no, we aren't making that up.