Having learned from the mistakes of their past, the members of Jawbox will not be condemned to repeat them.
The Washington, D.C., four-piece has garnered great reviews and an ever-increasing fan base for albums like 1994's "For Your Own Special Sweetheart." But vocalist/guitarist J. Robbins said the band didn't want to make the same record again.
"That's not to take anything away from the last record, because we still really like it," Robbins said in a recent telephone interview. "But it's important to push yourselves creatively, so you're not stagnant. We tried to set new challenges for ourselves when we were recording the new record."
Jawbox plays with Shiner, Tanner and Delta 72 on Saturday, July 26, in an all-ages show at the Bar and Grill, 60 E. 800 South.
The group was once lumped into the "punk-rock" or "hard-core" genres with other groundbreaking acts like Fugazi. But Robbins said those terms have lost much of their meaning, especially with the commercial successes of bands that create music with a "punk-rock" formula.
"It used to be that every time you got that `holy crap!' feeling that was kind of undefinable from the music, that's what punk was," he said. "It's to the point now where I'm like, `Can we please discuss something else?' "
Consequently, the new CD, titled simply "Jawbox," showcases a warmer, more melodic side of the band. In particular, "Iodine" and "Desert Sea" feature some of the most straightforward lyrics Robbins has ever written.
"This time I'm not couching anything in a vague metaphor," he said. "In the past, many of the songs were up for interpretation, but it was a challenge to write songs that were so direct."
For its fourth release, Jawbox enlisted the help of John Agnello, who produced efforts by Dinosaur Jr. and Screaming Trees. In addition to employing his trademark sound-effects boxes, such as an electro-harmonics frequency analyzer, Agnello had the band using a toy drum kit, saxophones, acoustic guitars and a large steel funnel.
"He really helped us articulate what we wanted to say with this record," Robbins said. "And at the same time, because we were doing things we weren't accustomed to doing, it made us become even more of a real band."
For example, where the other three albums had mainly featured Robbins' concept of how the song should sound, Agnello specifically sought out everyone's input.
"It's really a democratic record in that regard, but it's also the one that gets to the root of the band," Robbins said. "I think we're all so proud of this one because it finally sounds like we do when we're playing live."
Tickets for the show, which starts at 7:30 p.m., are $7 in advance from the Heavy Metal Shop or Raunch Records in Salt Lake. It is a Cashmere production.