Artist Jay Reatard

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Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard makes music that’s complex for its simplicity. His jangly, guitar-heavy songs embrace the frantic drive of punk while steering into gleeful sing-along choruses, and he’s churned out enough singles and albums—as a solo act and a member of bands like The Reatards and The Lost Sounds—to rank as a collector fetishist’s dream. Reatard's new full-length, Watch Me Fall, makes good on his penchant for frenetic, sweaty rock that practically begs to be heard loud and live—an argument either strengthened or weakened by your take on antics like the golden shower he gave Reatards bandmate Steve Albundy during a 2009 reunion show. (Coincidentally, the members of Reatard’s solo band ditched him a few days later.)

Updated 11/23/2009