Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Jawbreaker
Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Jawbreaker-“Fireman”
Signed in the major-label feeding frenzy in the wake of Green Day and the Offspring, San Francisco’s Jawbreaker released one album on a major label before breaking up but that album contained one of the catchiest alterna-rock songs of the late ‘90s: “Fireman.”
Before the release of their lone shot at the big-time, 1995’s Dear You on DGC/Geffen, Jawbreaker had released four albums on an indie, each with more success than the last. The surrounding hype led to a deal with Geffen and a shot at working with Green Day producer Rob Cavallo. The result, Dear You was critically ignored and initiated a huge backlash from their fanbase which didn’t seem to understand the direction the band was heading in.
“Fireman” starts off like other songs of the era but instantly sets itself apart from the rest as soon as Blake Schwartzenbach begins singing. His raspy style, the result of recent surgery to remove nodes on his vocal chords, gives the song an airy style not heard on the radio circa 1995. The rhythm section of drummer Adam Phaler and bassist Chris Bauermeister find the groove and never let go of it. Overtop of it all, Schwartzenbach jams along on the main riff and carries the song. During the breakdown, his vocals take on an eerie vibe, in line with the song. The idea of following an ex-love around has been seen in dozens of films and heard in dozens of songs but Jawbreaker were able to make the subject sound all the more creepy.
Alas, punk fans weren’t ready for this quite yet; it appears they were willing to wait for the likes of Fall Out Boy and The Starting Line and consequently Jawbreaker and the single flopped with the general public and the band ended up calling it quits a year after Dear You’s release. But the band and subsequently, the album’s legacy have grown over the years and will most likely continue to expand as more people hear Jawbreaker and “Fireman” for the first time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMtEDzOfwOQ
Signed in the major-label feeding frenzy in the wake of Green Day and the Offspring, San Francisco’s Jawbreaker released one album on a major label before breaking up but that album contained one of the catchiest alterna-rock songs of the late ‘90s: “Fireman.”
Before the release of their lone shot at the big-time, 1995’s Dear You on DGC/Geffen, Jawbreaker had released four albums on an indie, each with more success than the last. The surrounding hype led to a deal with Geffen and a shot at working with Green Day producer Rob Cavallo. The result, Dear You was critically ignored and initiated a huge backlash from their fanbase which didn’t seem to understand the direction the band was heading in.
“Fireman” starts off like other songs of the era but instantly sets itself apart from the rest as soon as Blake Schwartzenbach begins singing. His raspy style, the result of recent surgery to remove nodes on his vocal chords, gives the song an airy style not heard on the radio circa 1995. The rhythm section of drummer Adam Phaler and bassist Chris Bauermeister find the groove and never let go of it. Overtop of it all, Schwartzenbach jams along on the main riff and carries the song. During the breakdown, his vocals take on an eerie vibe, in line with the song. The idea of following an ex-love around has been seen in dozens of films and heard in dozens of songs but Jawbreaker were able to make the subject sound all the more creepy.
Alas, punk fans weren’t ready for this quite yet; it appears they were willing to wait for the likes of Fall Out Boy and The Starting Line and consequently Jawbreaker and the single flopped with the general public and the band ended up calling it quits a year after Dear You’s release. But the band and subsequently, the album’s legacy have grown over the years and will most likely continue to expand as more people hear Jawbreaker and “Fireman” for the first time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMtEDzOfwOQ
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