the undisputed kings of an infinite amount of nothing

J Church
"The Drama Of Alienation"
Honest Don's, 1996

Nearly a decade after it was released, Sunday evening seemed like as good a time as any to return to my favorite J Church record. Maybe I heard some J Church song last night at Punk Rock Night or just drunkenly remembered a stanza, but something jogged the ol' memory. Why not, right? The pop-punk band (then from the Bay Area, now of Austin) was one of my favorites when I was a wee lad of less extensive brilliance back in, uh, high school.

"The Drama Of Alienation" doesn't really sound particularly contemporary, though I sorta wish it did. Because the "pop-punk" scene has made such a tragic shift that, while a few "true believers" still hang on, its definition has mostly changed to post-hardcore dudes with part screaming, part sung vocals or they sound like Saves The Day facimiles. Either way, it pretty much sucks and what was at one point huge - remember when Green Day wasn't a total Arena Rock entity? - has all but vanished from the mainstream and is buried in the way underground. Don't tell Jimmy Dastardly that, though. Some of us still fucking remember, right?

Well, anyway, this record still sounds pretty good and rocks OK. "Undisputed King Of Nothing" totally rules and could still be my theme song (or it feels like it at times). "Smell It Rot" rocks. "You're On Your Own" takes a slightly heavier riff and punks it out to satisfying degrees. For those who need an aural comparison, J Church fall into the Jawbreaker/MTX canon. Solid lyrically for sure. And they also hit on a lot of Pixies/Nirvana territory...and if you don't like that, you're a mo-ron. Or at least you are from this guy's perspective...ya know, this guy? The one with two thumbs that loves blowjobs. Yeah, this guy.

Old tunes to start the new year. Look for a review of the new Witchcraft forthcoming, as well as some other tricks and treats.

Bottom line: I bet you could buy this record used for pretty cheap these days. Might not be a bad idea if you like pop-punk and don't own it.

-Mike

www.j-church.com