The Jesus Lizard

The Jesus Lizard's first formal release, this five-song EP shows that the engagingly evil minds behind Scratch Acid songs like "Mary Had a Little Drug Problem" were hardly about to change their ways, certainly not by coming up with a murky, echoed beat-fest called "Happy Bunny Goes Fluff-Fluff Along.

" The use of a drum machine on this initial release doesn't actually hurt the group, if anything, it intensifies the brute punch of the music. Denison's freaked-out sheet-metal-abuse approach to guitar playing gets plenty of moments to rip forth; the teeth-grinding squeals of songs like "Blockbuster" and "Rabid Pigs" are hardly easy listening. Yow oddly sounds distanced and mysterious at many points, almost conversational, but more than once he unleashes his ghost-of-Nick Cave breathless howl. Certainly the chorus on "Bloody Mary" will have most checking for bodies or monsters under the bed.