ALTROK Ordinals 45

Jesse Malin - The Fine Art Of Self Destruction (Artemis Records)
 
Billboard Magazine: "the first gem of 2003".
Uncut Magazine (UK): "Truly brilliant stuff, one of those amazing records that appear seemingly out of nowhere, that within a couple of plays already sounds like something you've been listening to for years." "An instant classic."
Village Voice: "...beautiful heartbreaking tunes and elegant twists..."
 
Jeff says:
Believe the hype. Former Lower East Side glam/punk kingpin Jesse Malin, with his friend Ryan Adams producing, has indeed created a landmark album in his already illustrious career. He began in his pre-teens with the hardcore band Heart Attack, eventually spending most of a decade fronting the band that should have saved New York punk rock, D Generation. After that band dissolved, he tried a number of bands in the same vein, finally deciding to make a solo record.
 
He's still writing about things "very New York City" (Queen Of The Underworld, Brooklyn, Riding On The Subway), but with age and the help of Ryan Adams he's created a record that will win him more praise and fans than anything he's done to date. Bringing his non-punk-rock influences to the forefront (Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Lou Reed, even Bruce Springsteen) you can finally hear what he's been screaming over the volume of D Generation all these years.
 
He says, "One thing I always liked about the Replacements and the Stones is they weren't afraid to bring it down. They had the cool sad moments as well as fun sleazy rock'n'roll!"
 

(Ordinals appear by the courtesy of Jeff Raspe.)