It seemed like the perfect marriage: Steve Albini, noted for his bare-bones, live-in-the-studio underproduction and his emphasis on the sweatier elements of the rhythm section, and the Jesus Lizard, an aggressive post-punk band with a fondness for off-kilter time signatures, unusual guitar shifts and vocals that sound best when masked in a web of distorted effects. But after peaking with the...

I think I can Learn," snarls David Yow on "I Can Learn," before worrying, "but I am not that sure." He can't. Since 1989, the Jesus Lizard, using jazz chord progressions, quick changes and clever riffs, have mixed deft playing with the filth in Yow's imagination. On Blue (their seventh four-letter album title), they've figured out some new tricks – this time out they use tape loops and...

In the world of frightening things there's scary, and then there's real scary. It's like the difference between Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter. One's safely fictitious while the other's chillingly believable. In rock & roll there are more Freddys than Hannibals. GWAR are a Freddy, NIN a Freddy with a dash of Hannibal, while the Jesus Lizard are pure Hannibal – no special effects...

In the world of frightening things there's scary, and then there's real scary. It's like the difference between Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter. One's safely fictitious while the other's chillingly believable. In rock & roll there are more Freddys than Hannibals. GWAR are a Freddy, NIN a Freddy with a dash of Hannibal, while the Jesus Lizard are pure Hannibal – no special effects...