UPDATED 12:11 11/21
Gimmicky reggae tributes to rock bands are definitely cringeworthy (sorry, Dub Side of the Moon and Dread Zeppelin). That wasn't the case with Jäh Division.
Today, the group — which puts a tropical, experimental spin on Joy Division songs — announced a reissue of its 2004 EP, Dub Will Tear Us Apart. The deluxe reissue is titled Dub Will Tear Us Apart… Again, due on January 25 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. and notable because it features Brad Truax and Chris Millstein from once Tampa-based band Home.
The experimental-pop group released a series of cassettes in the early '90s and went on to work with Flaming Lips, Sparklehorse and Mogwai producer Dave Fridmann. Jäh Division's re-imagining of classic Joy Division songs transcends normal tribute recordings thanks to its true pioneering spirit and the recording's trippy, dubbed-up interpretation of post-punk classics.
A press release says that the four-track EP has been expanded to include a fifth Joy Division track ("Isolation"), two unreleased originals from a scrapped album, and a bonus 7-inch with previously unreleased covers of tracks by Desmond Dekker and Jackie Mittoo from the original sessions.
Listen to some of the album below and call your local record store to see if it'll carry the release.
This article appears in Nov 15-22, 2018.