Greg Ginn & the Taylor Texas Corrugators
Bent Edge (SST)Gone
The Epic Trilogy (SST)Mojack
Under the Willow Tree (SST)
Greg Ginn’s not one for nostalgia. Even in the early years of Black Flag, the seminal guitarist was evolving past hardcore, incorporating atonal jazz into 1985’s instrumental EP, The Process of Weeding Out. Shattering SST Records’ decadelong silence, Ginn returns with three of his many projects, each of which would be better suited for the jam-band circuit than the punk clubs of yesteryear. Mojack’s latest, Under the Willow Tree, picks up where 1997’s Home Brew left off, fusing Ginn’s funkiest grooves with the jarring saxophone of Tony Atherton and resulting in an expectedly hit-or-miss, 17-song collection that peaks with the chaotic “Bridge to Somewhere.” Even more confounding is the 10th LP from Gone, The Epic Trilogy. The aptly titled double album contains three, 15-minute movements that shift rapidly from the dub-influenced trance repetitions of Sound Tribe Sector 9 to abrasive psychedelia and Black Sabbath sludge, thoughtfully presented both with and without the improvised, lyrical gibberish of the Bad Brains’ H.R. More confounding still, Ginn’s debut with the Taylor Texas Corrugators, Bent Edge, ventures into Western swing. Layering slow patterns of old-timey piano and upright bass atop Steve DeLollis’ bare-bones backbeat, Ginn casually embarks on twangy guitar explorations. Guess that’s what happens when you move to Texas. (Greg Ginn’s Taylor Texas Corrugators side Emo’s Lounge Friday, May 23.)
This article appears in May 23 • 2008.