Before there was emo, there was Jawbreaker. As time has shown, the legacy that they, Weezer, and many of the firstwave alternative punk bands that got lumped-in as “emo” forefathers, has since been tainted by a terrible gusto for the poignantly schlocky power-punk aspect that fart jock singers Blink 182 steered towards. But regardless of this clear decision on all the bands that came from the original mold, they all call Jawbreaker extremely influential; that’s just because Jawbreaker are one of the best, if not the best of the originals. On 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (1994), Jawbreaker find themselves in the midst of the grunge revolution writing smart and catchy songs about the same subjects as their contemporaries, but treating it far more personally and academically. Grunge was enjoying its moment, but the music that Jawbreaker created far outlasted the “Smells Like Teen Spirit”-isms of the time; songs like “Boxcar” and “Jinx Removing” all are gruff and thick with punk rock fury and alternative styling, but the tough shell of musical investment belies an even greater investment in the emotional and mental content of the songs. Jason Scwarzenbach, the raspy and rough bandleader and chief songwriter explicates the plight of the average twenty-something with sadness as well as raw defiance, but they outline themselves in less of a mopish, “hate my parents”-kind of way that the grunge kids did. They used their power and sway as an alternative to the alternative, mixing expertly crafted and challenging music with much more bookish aspirations, to masthead a movement that called their fanbase to action, rather than allow them to stew in misery. If anything, the Jawbreaker discography is one of those collections that you still hear people talk about as the reason they picked up a guitar and formed a band, much to the chagrin of Jawbreaker themselves; they were a band that were so indebted to their time that many forget that they are just as important now, and 24 Hour Revenge Therapy is just one part of a perfect legacy.
Listen to “Boxcar” and “West Bay Invitational” (Live in Leeds at the Tower of London, 1994)
Download “24 Hour Revenge Therapy“
