Jay Reatard

Watch Me Fall (Matador)

By Emily Becker
Published: August 16th, 2009 | 7:00am

Jay Reatard brims with storm and stress. Born Jay Lindsey in Memphis, he dropped out of school as a teen before transforming himself into the Tasmanian Devil–cum–rocker that he is today. Fortunately, Reatard’s more than just the sum of his questionable choices. If all he had to offer were his offensive moniker and the image of himself — nearly naked and drenched in blood — on the cover of Blood Visions (In the Red, 2006), there wouldn’t be much to talk about. The magnitude of his talent actually dwarfs these acts of idiocy, making them almost meaningless, and much less off-putting.

On Reatard’s second solo release, Watch Me Fall, he channels boundless energy and rage into a perfect storm of punk, New Wave, and power pop. In comparison to Blood Visions, Reatard tones down the vehemence and the venom in favor of adrenaline-soaked hooks, slightly slower tempos, and more varied instrumentation. If Blood Visions captured punk circa '77, then Watch Me Fall follows up, circa '79. Reatard’s not the first artist to recreate a musical zeitgeist that existed before his own birth, yet on Watch Me Fall, he ensures his music is more than a mere throwback or a curiosity.

Lyrically, Reatard takes on freedom, or its lack thereof, more than once (“Before I Was Caught,” “Man Of Steel”). On “Can’t Do It Anymore,” the year’s best sub-two-minute anthem, Reatard shouts, “They control my feeble brain / Telling me to go insane / Anymore / I can’t do it anymore!” “I’m Watching You” is a tight, two-chord ditty, which is as close as Reatard gets to a love song. He’s no longer afraid of a little two-part harmony, either, but shows he hasn’t gone soft as he sings, “People want to watch me fall / I just want to kill them all,” on the ‘Mats-inspired “Rotten Mind.” “Nothing Now” sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well while “There Is No Sun” boasts strings (gasp), sounding nearly epic as it kisses the four-minute mark.

All of this variety is good for Reatard. Recorded nearly entirely at his home (Reatard played almost all of the instruments), Watch Me Fall is strong from start to finish. Whether he’s experimenting with the style of the Jam or the Damned, the music world could do with a touch more of his intense brand of punk revival.

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