Jerk With a Bomb

In 1998, Archers of Loaf put out an underrated record called White Trash Heroes just before calling it quits. Those who grew up obsessing over AOL's earlier records didn't take kindly to the band's change in style, upset they had traded in their gritty pop songs for the gloomier material that made up their final studio album. Some of us, however, welcomed the change and were disappointed that the darker route wasn't explored further before they broke up. Well, Jerk With A Bomb is here for us. With Pyrokenesis, the Vancouver trio has perfected that solemn, alcohol-fuelled sound that White Trash Heroes hinted at, collecting ten gut-wrenching, bluesy laments and compiling them to make one truly great record. Comparing Pyrokenesis so closely to another record doesn't do it enough justice (it's obvious that JWAB's influences extend well past a few relics of the indie rock scene), but somebody has to carry this torch. While it may be hard to get over the loss of an institution like Archers of Loaf, thankfully incredible bands like Jerk With A Bomb are making music to console us.