Jack Oblivian
Rat City
Fat Possum
Jack Oblivian's latest release, Rat City, doesn't just start, it blasts off. The eponymous first track is a whirl of killer guitar riffs, a driving rhythm section and Oblivian's gritty vocals. In fact, it's Oblivian's (aka Jack Yarber) vocals that hold together an otherwise disparate album. Yarber, a veteran of the Memphis music scene, was a founder of the influential bands Compulsive Gamblers and The Oblivians. Because of this history, there are very high expectations for his solo career (which began in the 90's). Rat City is his third album as Jack Oblivian and, although it is still reflective of the "Memphis Sound" he is known for, it ventures into several other genres as well. While Oblivian sticks to his garage rock roots, he also explores the influences that created it. His cover of Tommy James' "Moses And Me" is a perfect slice of blues pop; "Dark Eyes" is power pop with a side of punk, while "Girl On The Beach" evokes Springsteen at the Jersey Shore. But Oblivian doesn't just look back at his influences, he reinvents them. By using the line "What are you gonna do now?" from The Clash's "Clampdown" he builds a song about a teenage girl escaping a violent relationship in "Girl With The Bruises" Although stylistically diverse, Rat City is not disconnected. Mining the influences of his sound actually creates an album that is engaging and fun for the listener; something that will please hardcore fans as well as any newcomers.
—Pamela Obenchain
