Basilisk

Album review

In the early days of the Washington, D.C. hardcore movement, some outside observers called the tough kids that populated the scene "muscleheads," an insult they embraced as a compliment, declaring a muscular brain must be powerfully strong. By this logic, J. Robbins is one of D.C.'s supreme muscleheads, a man whose music is smart, agile, and imaginative while also boasting a powerful physical wallop. Robbins' work in Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Office of Future Plans has shown he's got both brain and brawn to spare, and on his second solo album, 2024's Basilisk, he reveals that while his music is a bit more dynamic and subtle than it once was, he's not lost the ability to craft literate, liberating music that rocks hard without sacrificing its sophistication. Robbins cut most of Basilisk live at his Magpie Cage Recording Studio with bassist Brooks Harlan and drummer Darren Zentek, and though Robbins added thoughtful electronic flourishes and keyboards after the fact (as well as some guest soloing from Naked Raygun guitarist John Haggerty and pedal steel master Dave Hadley), at its best this is music that roars with sweat, blood, and energy. It's clever and well-crafted indie rock that isn't afraid of its own physicality or Robbins' desire to move back and forth between carefully shaded atmospherics and the heady joys of a power trio in fourth gear. Melodically, Basilisk is a bit more user-friendly than classic Jawbox, but it never sounds as if he's sanding off the rough edges; instead, he's aiming for cleaner and more melodic surfaces that are challenging and defiant in their own ways, and a keen match for the steely intelligence of his lyrics. Basilisk shows J. Robbins is still working at full strength and making music that demands to be heard, and anyone who liked his work in the past will find plenty to appreciate here.

© Mark Deming /TiVo