Jay Reatard

Memphis punk rocker Jay Reatard has lit up the blogosphere over the last couple years, but he's been raising a racket for the better part of the past decade. His formal introduction to some will be Singles 06-07, which seems to make clear that Reatard considers recent years to be his most fruitful. Singles re-visists a few tracks from his big solo breakthrough, 2006's Blood Visions, and charges through a total of 16 songs in 36 minutes. For anyone familiar with Reatard by name only, the compilation is a fine way to become acquainted. Unless you're a collector or Reatard completist looking to shell out big bucks for vinyl on eBay, it’s also the only way to get your hands on many of the tracks within.

Singles 06-07 kicks off with a sound of shattering glass, like someone breaking into the listener's home, and then Reatard starts yelping over a bass line about a "Night of Broken Glass" until kicking into overdrive for a pounding chorus that provides one of the album's best adrenaline shots. Reatard doesn't bother to give much back story, but when he shrieks about not wanting to go back and revisit old feelings, he's very convincing. He likes to adapt a snooty, faux British accent at times, and there's a lot of old-school punk ethos to his lo-fi approach to the material; the guitar playing is aggressive but rooted in pop sensibilities (as on the infectious "Hammer I Miss You"), and the percussion provides a propulsive spine throughout. As is typical for an artist who releases so much material, he lets some filler slip out–even during the course of a "singles" compilation. But anyone seeking for a straight-ahead blast of no-frills rock will walk away from Singles 06-07 satisfied and anxious for the 08-09 edition.

—Adam McKibbin
07.22.08

Jay Reatard's first solo record, Blood Visions, was a big step forward for the noisy, bloody rocker. A furious jerked-out full-frontal attack of noise and hooks, it served notice that Reatard meant business. He spent the year after the recording of the album making singles for a variety of labels like In the Red, Goner, Squoodge, P. Trash, and Stained Circles. Singles 06-07 collects them all and throws in a DVD of live performances, including his infamous night at the Cakeshop in October of 2007. The singles contain all of the energy and abandon of the album, but Reatard tempers his previously monochromatic art-attack with some well-timed sonic sophistication and songwriting variety. That's not to say he's suddenly traded in his Flying V and sweat for a pipe and slippers, but it does mean that on a few songs he trots out some acoustic guitar and dials his howling yelp down to a vulnerable whine. He covers a Go-Betweens song ("Don't Let Him Come Back"), essays a tender love song ("Searching for You"), and even jangles a little (the super-poppy "I Found a Place"). This surprising subtlety only tells a small part of the Reatard story. He still rocks like a man possessed much of the time on songs like "Night of Broken Glass," "Turning Blue," and "It's So Useless." Indeed, Reatard is still creating storming modern garage rock-new wave nuggets; he just does it with less clatter and more precision and focused power now. Looking back at his 2006 and 2007 music makes it obvious that Reatard has taken an impressive step forward, and this points to more great records down the road. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide