A split single with Nirvana made feral Chicago-based punk four-piece the Jesus Lizard unlikely UK chart stars in 1993, but they suffered diminishing returns after signing to a major label a couple of years later, and had disappeared with an uncharacteristic whimper by the end of the decade. Thankfully, Rack, their first album in 26 years, has far more in common with the thrillingly out-there run of records released on Touch and Go between 1989 and 1994.
As then, the pyrotechnics are underpinned by the telepathically concussive bass and drums of David Wm Sims and Mac McNeilly respectively; guitarist Duane Denison’s imaginative riffs are as compelling as ever; David Yow’s by turns panicked and panic-inducing vocals remain sui generis. In between the furious energy of propulsive opener Hide & Seek, the brutally streamlined Falling Down and the standout Moto(R), there are occasional moments of (relative) respite. Over a riff that comes across like a less menacing cousin of 1991’s Monkey Trick, What If? finds Yow in ruminative, conversational mode. But for the most part they still offer tightly controlled chaos as skilfully as they did a third of a century ago.
