The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Acme

Fans of the classic 1994 album Orange were confounded when The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion released Now I Got Worry two years later. After a few wary spins, hesitance grew into acceptance, which grew into love, and Now I Got Worry ultimately joined the pantheon of great Blues Explosion records. Acme is going to rock a few more boats than Worry did, and fans may never recover. The album is a blunderbuss of styles, missing the mark as often as it hits. The most recent acquisition in JSBE's repertoire is a stab at Stones-style soul, and it'll take time to determine whether this is a good thing. When Spencer gets soulful, as on "I Wanna Make It All Right," it's still with the same demented self-loving/self-effacing delivery for which he's known, undercutting the soul spirit in a way that's not particularly insightful or interesting. Also newly acquired is a defensive posture: "I do not play no blues / I play rock 'n' roll," he spits in the angry "Talk About the Blues," answering critics' cries of minstrel-show aping. Those same critics will have a field day with Acme's more pronounced hip-hop and soul overtones, though there are moments of brilliance. "High Gear" is a great example of the new Blues Explosion chemistry clicking; the whole thing simmers with heat and marginal restraint. "Attack" and the aforementioned "Talk About The Blues" (defensive though it may be), are terrifying collages of rap and punk that are more threatening and energetic than anything Korn or Rage Against The Machine have brewed up. Compared to the over-the-top textures of Orange and the frenzied noise of Worry, Acme is sparse and confusing, never unlistenable but seldom as rewarding. Spencer is either a genius ahead of his time, or he's off his nut.