THOMAS JEFFERSON SLAVE APARTMENTS - NEGATIVE GUEST LIST (Siltbreeze, 1994)

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments' snide mania with pop formalities would seemingly fit nicely into today's noise rock niche. For that reason it is not surprising to find this band being mentioned more and more, finally earning their due after a mere 20 years in existence. After releasing a series of self and independently released singles and EPs (including the formidable "Negative Guest List" on the Silt Breeze label in 1994), Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments found themselves releasing their debut LP, "Bait and Switch" on Rick Rubin's American Recordings in 1995. Retrospectively this might seem like a peculiar fit, but keep in mind that American's mid-1990's output included releases by Flipper, Danzig, Love And Rockets, V.3, and select others.

That aforementioned snide mania is ever-present on "Bait and Switch" (see 'Is She Shy', 'RnR Hall of Fame', and 'Cyclotron'), as are those pop sensibilities that give Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments their timeless sound (see 'My Mysterious Death', 'Down To High Street', and 'You Can't Kill Stupid'). I could go on to describe the various nuances of other tracks, but quite frankly this record is too good for you to be wasting your time reading this while you could be listening instead. While some might have treated this album upon its release as a dollar bin throwaway, those in the know treat it as the classic album it truly is. And for those who have never listened, the decision is now yours to make.

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