SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FISHBONE – IN YOUR FACE / COVER YOUR FACE (40th ANNIVERSARY REISSUE)

FISHBONE
IN YOUR FACE / COVER YOUR FACE (40th ANNIVERSARY REISSUE)
INDEPENDENT

In 1986, alternative rock pioneers and legends Fishbone released their debut full-length studio album, In Your Face, following their eponymous EP, released the year prior. In celebration of four decades since this milestone, the band has reissued the original album, now as a double LP. The first half comprises of In Your Face, while the second half, titled Cover Your Face features an array of artists, including Twin Shadow, Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, Wheatus, Silversun Pickups, and many more, covering the seminal record, making In Your Face / Cover Your Face – 40th Anniversary Reissue a unique take on the reissue format.

In Your Face is a snapshot of a band approaching their boiling point. What Fishbone lacked in refinement at this point, they’d made up for in raw and, at times, visceral energy. This is a band comfortable with experimental songwriting and bombastic performances. From the dark funk of the opening “When Problems Arise”, the loose, reggae inspired shuffle of “Cholly”, or the New Orleans saunter behind “Turn the Other Way”, In Your Face remains an impressive debut that sets the tone for Fishbone as a band pioneering a post-genre sound as far back as 1986.

The second half of In Your Face / Cover Your Face – 40th Anniversary Reissue commences with the dark wave synth of Twin Shadows, providing a hauntingly dystopic cover of “Problems Arise.” This adaptation is immediately arresting and likens the original to Depeche Mode with an ever so slight hint of industrial through sparse guitars with the distortion cranked. Where a majority of the covers leaned hard into a ska direction, Twin Shadow’s adaptation stands out among the strongest offerings on Cover Your Face for its innovation approach. Despite this, the ska performances speak to the legacy of the original record and Fishbone, with performances from Patrick Stump (“A Selection”), Bite Me Bambi (“Cholly”), and Catbite (“I Wish I Had a Date”) standing out. Additional highlights include the psychedelic haze of Silversun Pickups “In the Air” and the relentless thrash of Doom Regulator’s “Simon Says The Kingpin.”

By recruiting other artists to cover their original work, Fishbone have found an exciting way to flip the common anniversary reissue format on its head. While not all covers are created equal, the contributions from other artists demonstrate the enduring relevance of Fishbone and early alternative music, while further highlighting the power of their songwriting. If In Your Face captures a band overflowing with potential on the cusp of finding their voice, then In Your Face / Cover Your Face – 40th Anniversary Reissue not only cements this but demonstrates the continuing influence and lasting importance of Fishbone.

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