I was unable to find Blue, their final album before the reunion, anywhere so I never listened to it. I mention that because it’s considered their worst album and it’s supposedly the only album where The Jesus Lizard deviated from their formula.(Though I don’t know how much they actually did.) When reuniting, it seems they wanted to get back to what they did best. Because this album sounds very much like The Jesus Lizard and nobody else.
These guys are all old now. They are in their 60s. I used to strongly believe that bands mellowed as they got old and I suppose there’s always a danger. But “Hide & Seek” disabused me of that pretty quickly. Not every track has the immediacy of that first one, of course, but many do. It’s a credit to the band that they can maintain even some of the manic energy that made them such a great band 30 years ago in their 60s.
It’s a little weird to hear Yow sing briefly. Maybe he’s getting mellower in his old age. But mostly he still sounds like himself, with the same manic energy and force behind his shouting/speaking. The drums feel as powerful as ever and are one reason the album feels so heavy despite this band never doing the classic “heavy” things everyone else did (overuse of distortion/overdrive, palm muting). And the guitar and bass are as knotty as ever, with Denison’s playing being the highlight for me, as it always is.
They do mix it up from track to track. There are a few tracks here that feel like Denison would have saved for another project had he written them during the band’s prime, but maybe that’s just because Yow isn’t being his usual self on them. It does make for a slightly more diverse record than you might expect but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.
The sound reminds me of Down and Shot though I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing at this point. You might as well sound good if you can and, well, they still can. Clean production isn’t a bad thing when you sound like this – the recording doesn’t have to supply any grit.
Anyway, this is a reunion album that makes me happy. It sounds like the band close to their peak despite their ages. I hope they tour Canada.
7/10