In Brief

* * * The Jesus Lizard, “Shot,” Capitol

The Chicago cult band’s major label debut is a characteristic combination of hard-rock drive, jazzy finesse and warped world-view, plus swatches of color here and there--a touch of twang in “Good Riddance,” the odd rockabilly punch of “Skull of a German” and the mesmerizing drone of “Trephination.” The Lizard appears with Ministry at the Hollywood Palladium on Thursday and Friday.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).