| Spit Blood (CD) | 2002 | Meteorcity |
This disc is somewhat of an odds-and-sods affair. First off, there is just over half an hour of music including a cover song, several new songs, a re-make of a song on their second album, and some previously unreleased material. 'Spit Blood' starts off with a faithful cover of the AC/DC chestnut "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." Its got a strong groove, of course, and...uh..I doubt if I really need to go on. You know that one, right? Next up is a re-make of 'Liquor Queen' off the second album, with a new spacey intro and a new ending. Suffice it to say that this is ATB at their jammin' best. The new songs, such as 'Get Your Gear,' show the 'Wax's 70s influences to their best advantage. 'Spit Blood' is more experimental and laid back, but suffers a bit from a feeling of being pasted together. The album winds up in fine style with a tune from 1996, 'U Want I Should' which kicks out the jams completely, recalling the energy of ATB's first album. The video portion of the disc has interviews and video clips galore, thanks to Nod Zine, whose fine chronicles of the U.S. New Jersey scene are legendary.
As a possible swansong for the band, this is an interesting effort. Musically, it offers glimpses of ATB from the early days to the present. Visually, it should be enough for anyone! But I have to admit that I was almost more excited to hear the free sampler disc of coming label releases. After all, The Atomic Bitchwax may be the past, but these future releases show that the future is so bright, you gotta wear... you know. So think about it: new ATB, lots of visuals, and a bonus disc. How the hell can you go wrong?
1. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
2. Liquor Queen
3. Get Your Gear
4. Cold Day in Hell
5. Spit Blood
6. Black Trans-Am
7. U Want I Should
Approx. 33 minutes
Note: This is an enhanced multimedia CD. A second sampler CD of label bands is also included.
| 3 (CD) | 2005 | MeteorCity |
By the time the MeteorCity label's odds n' sods 'Spit Blood' album came out in '02, it looked like Bitchwax was calling it a day. A sad day indeed for those of us that listened to them for hours on end, but at least they left a couple of solid albums behind, and there was always bassist Chris Kosnick's new project, Black Nasa, for those that wanted to keep up. Nasa emphasized a more structured approach, favoring shorter, well-crafted, 70s-inspired tunes that you might have heard on a progressive underground radio station back in the day.
Enter old Bitchwax pal Finn Ryan, guitarist of the fascinating acid jammers Core, an unfortunately underheard - though critically acclaimed - Jersey group that had been silent for years. Ties between T.A.B. and Core went back to the 90s, when Bitchwax covered the excellent 'Kiss the Sun,' on their first album, which dated back to Core's criminally obscure proto-stoner/space album from 1996, 'Revival'. With Mundell permanently back in the Magnet fold, T.A.B. was now free to mutate, taking into account the group members' collective pasts and current musical preferences.
Kosnick describes the result, '3', as "all the same craziness, but wrapped around actual tunes". Fair enough, though I'd say that at least on disc the songwriting has taken the front seat to the craziness. Then again, T.A.B. were always at their best live. Ryan contributes clean vocal harmonies and concise guitar solos, drummer Keith Ackerman throws down in his patented death-before-decaf speedfreak Bitchwax style, while Kosnick sounds more like he did with Black Nasa than he did on the first two T.A.B. albums. The musical staple of the Mundell days, the instrumental, is represented by only one track, and none of the other tracks are over five minutes long. The album starts with 'The Destroyer,' which sounds the most like the Bitchwax of old, followed by the speedy 'You Oughta Know,' with its background vocals giving it an almost QOTSA accessibility. 'You Can't Win' is complex, tightly crafted, boasting a concise guitar solo and plenty o' cowbell. The vocal harmonies on 'If I had a Gun' are outstanding, and there's some sly goings-on with the last tune, a freakout called 'Half as Much' with its T.A.B. II and Core samples (get it?).
If you think that the heart of music is a 15-minute jam with each musician giving their sweaty best, you may think that T.A.B.'s best work is behind them, On the other hand, if you conceive of the apotheosis of good rawkin' to be a wonderfully constructed 4-minute tune filled with energy and tight playing, then you're likely to think that '3' is their best album. Bitchwax is certainly a more arranged and refined beast than in the days of yore, but still vital and willing to change. In any case, when talent like this gets together, you'd best listen.
1. The Destroyer
2. You Oughta Know
3. You Can't Win
4. Dark Chi
5. Maybe I'm a Leo
6. Force Field
7. Going Guido
8. The Passenger
9. If I Had a Gun
10. Half as Much
Approx. 39 minutes