Jesse Malin was the former frontman and main songwriter for the 1990s New York City punk band D Generation. After a few other projects, Malin ventured out on his own and recorded "The Fine Art of Self Destruction" in 2002 with Ryan Adams producing. The album came out late last year in Europe and received rave reviews in the popular European music press. The album was released stateside on Artemis Records, early 2003.
For the force that D Generation was, the fact that Jesse Malin's work has long hovered somewhere under the radar of mainstream American, even "underground," popularity is something of a scandal. With "The Fine Art of Self Destruction," that should all begin to change. Drawing on a wide array of influences, this album brings a punk rock sensibility (a la The Clash or Ramones) to a folksy, independent style of rock and roll (a la Bob Dylan). That, combined with Ryan Adams' production (Adams also plays on many tracks), leaves the listener with something sounding like a punk rock version of Bruce Springsteen. On "TFAOSD" Malin demonstrates clever turns of phrase and catchy songwriting. This solo project contains less angst and more melancholy than his D Generation recordings, yet all-in-all Jesse Malin offers some pretty rocking fare. Certain to appeal to fans of a variety of rock and roll genres, it doesn't get much better than "The Fine Art of Self Destruction."
A+
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