Jolt - Proof of Total Collapse tape (1992)

When I served up Jolt's singles discography in 2008, I was worried it would fall on deaf ears, given the not-so-robust following they garnered in the mid-90s.  Fortunately, I was proven entirely wrong, and received a healthy amount of comments and emails regarding that rather exceptional Bay Area trio.  I recently learned of a demo tape they put out in 1992, and had the good luck of being able to track down an original copy in quick order (thank you Musicstack).

For the uninitiated, Jolt never produced a proper album or toured extensively, but seemingly everyone who encountered their music became an instant convert.  Bassist and frontman Paul Duarte possessed a strenuous timbre that was full on rasp (a la Blake from Jawbreaker and Jeff Ott of Crimpshrine/Fifteen) but what made Jolt so effective were their ambitious and infectious melodic structures, turning virtually every song into a keeper.  The Proof of Total Collapse cassette features six songs, including five that never made it to vinyl.  More info on Jolt can be had at last.fm and my original entry featuring those crucial singles I mentioned, which are pretty much mandatory listening if this tape makes an impression on you.  Cheers.

01. Lullaby
02. Headache
03. Heaven's Child
04. Isolate
05. The One for Me
06. Goldilocks

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