Release Radar: J Robbins 'Basilisk'

Five years after releasing his solo debut, the Jawbox frontman is back with an incredible sophomore record.

Good Morning!

Today we’re listening to ‘Basilisk’’ by J Robbins

---

We don’t run ads here. On Repeat is made entirely possible through the support of our paid supporters. If you enjoy what we’re doing, please consider becoming one.

---

I was recently asked if, growing up, I had a specific “go-to” record label—the kind where I’d grab whatever release was issued. I rattled off a couple of the usual suspects: 4AD, Sire (obviously not an indie, but Talking Heads, Replacements), and even Nettwerk for the fantastic industrial records they were putting out. Same with Chicago’s WaxTrax! (later TVT) for mostly the same reasons.

All well and good, but I forgot a big one: 

Dischord.

The DC label was home to plenty of groundbreaking bands, most notably Fugazi, with their $5 shows and whose insistence on making them all ages meant everything to me and my (then) underage friends in the early ‘90s. 

There were other bands, too, and if you find the right person, mentioning them can be like unlocking some secret code. I’ve previously written about talking to a record store employee about Slant 6 and how he lived in the same neighborhood as one of the band members. I also picked up a Nation of Ulysses record at a store near me, and that led to the shop owner and going down a rabbit hole of shows, seeing the band and, well, Fugazi (we’d both seen them as openers for the band). 

---

Jawbox was another one. Led by frontman J Robbins, the band’s sound was more muscular than their labelmates. The band married loud, angular riffs and propulsive bass lines with Robbins’ polished vocals. The result was a slightly discordant, occasionally chaotic sound that (for me, anyway) redefined post-punk/post-hardcore, especially on tracks like “Breathe” and “Savory” from the band’s For Your Own Special Sweetheart (which turned 30 yesterday, btw). 

Robbins went on to play in Burning Airlines, and in 2019, he released his first solo record, Un-Becoming. There was also plenty of engineering work and a Jawbox reunion along the way. 

5 years on, his latest, Basilik, feels more like an extension of Un-Becoming than anything from the Jawbox discography.

---

The three-track opening runs of Automaticity, Exquisite Corpse, and Last War get the record started in high gear. Robbins keeps the momentum going with Gasoline Rainbows, a track the casual listener would be excused for mistaking for a GBV song. 

Like our friend from Dayton, listening to Basilik, you get the impression that Robbins wanted this to sound as immediate as possible. There’s not much time (or many notes) wasted here. 

Robbins takes his foot off the gas a little bit with the slower Not The End, but that doesn’t last long, as things pick up a couple of tracks later with A Ray of Sunlight, the most “pop” song on the album, with a chorus that you could sing along with if you wanted.

While the sound may still have one foot firmly in the Jawbox camp, the lyrics–and Robbins’ songwriting represent a marked departure. That sort of accessibility is the biggest jump from his time in the band, where, admittedly, many of his lyrics were often word salads.

Basilisk is my second solo record. I’ve been writing and co-writing songs in bands since I was 19, but for a long time the band was always the point, more than anything I personally was trying to express – though there was a lot in there that was always trying to come out. In 2010, Chad Clark invited me to play my first solo show as part of the “Story/Stereo” live series he was curating. That experience focused me on the fact that I had been writing songs for most of my life, and that pursuit was feeling more urgent with time, not less. After this I chose to start writing in a way that was more personal and more portable, where songs would be more adaptable to different formats and not so dependent on the dynamic of a particular band to make their point. Which is to say, Basilisk (and my first record, Un-Becoming) are not anomalies or side projects, they represent the main current of my creative efforts.

Jawbox can be an acquired taste, but Basilisk represents a much smoother on-ramp to Robbin's sound with its driving rhythm, (almost) anthemic choruses, and shinier melodies. 

For Your Own Special Sweetheart is a record that sounds as good now at 30 as it did when I first picked it up. I think I’ll feel the same way about Basilisk in 2054.

---

---

Listen:

J Robbins | Basilisk, 2024

Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this record!

---

Thanks for being here,

Kevin—