Weezer put out a song recently called I'm Your Daddy. Man, they suck these days. The Melvins, on the other hand, have been around for centuries longer and certainly don't suck, continuing to produce quantity and quality. Sugar Daddy Live is their latest release, a live show recorded with the Big Business duo but before The Bride Screamed Murder album.
Here's a short review I did of the recording, it's fairly tame and short, but it's straight to the point, just like the Melvins live:
It takes approximately sixty seconds for the Melvins, these days made up of Buzz, Dale, Coady, and Jarred, to warm into their work on Sugar Daddy Live; then the foursome up the ante and proceed to melt the listeners’ brains for the next hour.
The (A) Senile Animal and Nude With Boots albums get a heavy workout as the Melvins provide some thunderous and crunching versions of what are already booming tunes. In classic Melvins fashion, or lack thereof, there is no filler, no banter, no bullshit, just straight up monstrous riffs which sludge the senses.
Due to his role in Faith No More and his massive array of other projects since, and also because he's a complete genius, Mike Patton is the most well known member of Mr. Bungle. While he played a large part in making Faith No More and Tomahawk what they are/were, they were never solely his responsibility. Fantômas is his baby, his creation, his warped point of view.
(Ipecac Recordings, 2005)
Fantômas have released four studio albums to date; their self-titled debut was (and still is) unlike anything I’ve heard; experimental to say the least, with Mike Patton using his voice to frighteningly great effect. Next came an album of horror movie songs, The Director’s Cut, which was surprisingly accessible. The masterpiece in Patton’s entire library would have to be Delìrium Còrdia, a 74 minute mind-fuck where the listener overlooks a surgical procedure. However, for me, Suspended Animation best sums up Fantômas – playfully evil.
The album retains Fantômas dark and twisted way of looking at things. Patton is once again screaming, squealing, and making any other sound effect he finds appropriate; his support cast of Buzz Osborne (Melvins, guitar), Dave Lombardo (Slayer, drums), Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, bass) as precise as ever. The difference comes with the abundance of samples, but they’re not just any samples; they’re all linked to children. Cartoons, toys, and kids laughing and playing; not exactly what you associate with music of this variety.
Each track represents a day in April, and by 04/10/05 Saturday there’s an overload of samples and a myriad of "uh oh’s", "bye bye’s", and "boing’s" thrown in. 04/24/05 Sunday is a prelude to the work Patton did on the Crank 2: High Voltage soundtrack and 04/14/05 Thursday somehow stands out above the rest, its production simply superb.
The end result is total meltdown of your senses best listened to on headphones; disturbing yet cheeky, sinister yet merry. It’s pure Patton; you’re unable to tell if he’s just plain evil or if he’s got tongue firmly planted in cheek and is just fucking with your head.
Today's review comes courtesy of long-time Beezy Listener, Christ Pearce. Christ is a well traveled festival-goer who last week made the pilgrimage over to Sydney for the mostly metal/punk festival Soundwave, taking in bands such as Monster Magnet, Millencolin, Primus, Gang of Four, and Melvins. No mention of Third Eye Blind, however. Here's his take on the day's action:
Sydney Showground - 27 February, 2011
A change of venue from Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway to the more accessible Olympic Park Showgrounds meant that Soundwave 2011 became more like a heavy Big Day Out. So although most of the same stages remained from Australasia’s biggest music festival, the ironic t-shirts were replaced by black Slayer and Iron Maiden merchandise and the normally fluoro accessories were more of the permanent ink variety here. Mid strength beers and mixers were still being peddled however, although it presented little barrier to intoxication (I suspect the frozen cocktails had a bit more venom). The forty degree heat which plagued last year’s Soundwave was thankfully absent, and the occasional rain shower maintained an ideal atmosphere for accepting punishing aural attacks.
British legends Saxon should have appeared first on one of the twin main stages but had pulled out in the days prior to the event, reportedly in order to finish recording their new album. It sounded a bit weak to me, since I don’t know anyone likely to buy such an album, though plenty who were keen to see them perform. So instead we arrived a bit later to see Saxon touring partners The Sword play a very loud and energetic set on a smaller stage. With a clear Sabbath influence these Texans knew how to kick off a festival, and the large and ever increasing crowd were receptive. I passed by British band This Town Needs Guns who began by admitting that although they were neither metal nor punk, they were at least pleased to be at Soundwave. So what would they be then? An At the Drive-In derivative from what I could tell. The wavering vocals were spot on if a little wimpy, but the jumpy guitar riffs not quite as melodic as some of the better bands of their type.
Waiting for Monster Magnet to start at the main stage, I caught the last few of songs from skate-punkers MXPX with some dismay (I had planned on a more heavy agenda). Although the loyal crowd screamed along to every lyric – their closer Let’s go to the Punk Rock Show is classic sing-a-long punk – I am sure the band could have squeezed in another two minute rocker rather than carry on with their inane stage banter which included plugging a DVD in which singer-guitarist Mike Herrera apparently stars half-naked. This sort of time-wasting rubbish seems to be typical of a lot of pop-punk bands of late. As the feedback faded, space rockers Monster Magnet strode out with real purpose and frontman Dave Wyndorf announced they would start this one off slow and build it up. He wasn’t kidding. Beginning with sludgy cruiser Nod Scene and the drug-addled Tractor, the set became ever more erotic and by the middle of Look to Your Orb for the Warning, Wyndorf and guitarists Garret Sweeny and Phil Caivano were gyrating all over their monitors. I was sweating at this point myself, despite keeping a safe distance. Wyndorf’s vocals sounded a lot more gruff than on their records, and I’m certain he cranked up the levels of growling and heavy breathing as well. For their final song Spacelord, we were told that the chorus would sound a lot better if we all sang “mother fucker” at the same time, which of course it did. And the scene was complete with Wyndorf pelvic thrusting all the way to the end. Brilliant.
Bullet For My Valentine followed immediately after and with a unexpectedly powerful intro. I almost thought Slayer had come on early as the three guitarists charged out and swung their hair and flying V’s to the punishing Your Betrayal. It deserved applause but I had other tasks to attend to such as wrist-banding, gaining some more friends, and booze. On the way I made a stop at old Swedish punk favorite Millencolin, who were playing their classic Pennybridge Pioneers album to a packed tent. Millencolin are one of only a handful of pop-punk bands who can get away with touring an album over ten years old, and by all accounts the sound was better than most of the outdoor stages.
I was intrigued to hear what Terror would sound like – terrific, terrible? My initial experience turned out to be not of the band but of a fan wearing a Terror t-shirt being dragged away from the stage. Perhaps I’d already missed the best of them... you had to assume the guy had been enjoying himself. Unlike him, I managed to catch the end of the Californian hardcore act, which sounded heavy enough but didn’t seem to offer much more than what hardcore from the late 90's has already given us. Though to be fair I didn’t hear or see enough to pass a considered judgment.
Having bought a can of beer and a can of whiskey and dry I mulled over what to drink first. They were both barely satisfying cold so I decided to drink the beer first on account of the whiskey RTD being most likely to keep its flavour when warm. As I later found out, the superior drink choice was the multi-coloured, multi-flavoured, oozing frozen cocktail. Music festivals demand many such considered decisions as this from all punters. Pizza, hot dog, noodles, nothing? Spew on the ground or in the toilet?
Choosing Primus over High on Fire was an easy decision. I was drawn immediately to the front after watching opener To Defy the Laws of Tradition from afar. Having only listened to Primus’ albums I had never guessed at how much of their overall sound actually comes from Les Claypool’s bass. The man is simply a magician. While rapidly slapping and finger tapping his various basses (bass is not even the appropriate name fro them, he produces the whole range of pitches as well as percussion) he strutted about the stage at times like a prancing parading moustached soldier, his distinctive vocals instantly appealing even when chatting to the crowd between songs – “there are so many things I’ve been wanting to say to each and every one of you, but they told me to just get up and play this four-stringed piece of furniture”. There were no let-ups throughout the whole set, with American Life, My Name is Mud and Tommy the Cat all producing spontaneous freak-outs from the crowd when they weren’t staring mesmerised by one of the most unheralded groups of the last twenty years. A large gathering of backstage admirers was testament to the genius on show. My highlight of the day. I later heard that the High on Fire set was halved by technical difficulties.
On to the eagerly anticipated Gang of Four. The British post-punk band immediately engaged everyone by destroying a Fender before the first song was over. After replacing it, besuited guitarist Andy Gill announced oddly “I’m like ya dad”, singer and tambourinist Jon King added for clarification “he’s like ya dad... after a bottle of rum... on Christmas Eve”. There was so much energy in this performance they made the rest of the bands look like a rehearsal. King repeatedly crashed into equally as sharply dressed bassist Thomas McNeice who barely noticed, and knocked his mic stand to all parts of the stage. Whenever he managed to calm down King would go into what appeared to be a sort of ‘rock trance’. It was reminiscent of a younger Peter Garrett, although unlike his also politically motivated band, Gang of Four haven’t compromised anything and are still going strong. Highlights included Do As I Say and closer To Hell With Poverty which King screamed himself hoarse and soaking wet.
Just as anticipated were thrash legends Slayer, and naturally a sizeable crowd was building. After a ten minute delay the murmuring crowd was silenced by the arrival of some kook coming on stage to say “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...” - cue a shower of bottles and cans. Apparently singer Tom Araya was ill in hospital and unable to perform. The fence I was leaning against shook dangerously and air was tense, but everyone eventually gathered control. Although I later heard reports of fans pissing on their Slayer shirts and burning them (or probably the other way around). A few quotes overheard from fans moments after the cancellation – “he’s gonna get his arse reamed!” (metal is occasionally homoerotic); “let’s go and see Foxy Shazam” (I don’t think anyone did); in response to the surprising calm - “that’s why we’re on mid-strengths”; and the sensible “let’s visit him in hospital and bring him donuts”.
Queens of the Stone Age turned up on time and played a set from most of their catalogue, opening with Rated R classics Feel Good Hit of the Summer and Lost Art of Keeping a Secret. Always tight and heavy, frontman Josh Homme sculled from a bottle of Smirnoff and urged the crowd to dance. Before the show I’d been led to believe they were touring partly to promote a reissue of their self-titled debut, so I was looking forward to hearing at least a couple of tracks from the Kyuss era. But no such luck with this set. Anyhow, every song had the crowd rocking out from kick off and the closing three from Songs for the Deaf – Go With the Flow, No One Knows, and A Song for the Dead and made it a solid, if a little predictable, performance.
I traversed the festival grounds so quickly to catch Melvins that I managed to experience the end of a pumped up Rob Zombie finishing up at the adjacent stage. Now this was some serious entertainment. Seeing the end of a faithful cover of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out had me a little confused as to who was playing at first, but there was no doubt when he came out for encore Dragula, introduced by hot rod horror visuals. Surely this is as close as metal can come to dance music. After directing guitarist John 5 to smash his guitar to pieces “I hate that fucking guitar”! Rob and his band screamed over fading feedback.
For what I assume was a piss-take, Melvins came on and screamed over their own feedback for a minute or so before launching into the furious riffing and call-and-response vocals of The Water Glass. All wearing slightly strange outfits, Buzz Osbourne’s veteran band powered flawlessly through jagged rhythms and timing changes, although they occasionally flashed a grin across the crowd to confirm that it’s all really just a bit of fun. Billy Fish, Let it all Be, The Bit created the greatest amount of head-banging that I saw all night (pretty closely in time with Buzz’s swaying hair). Good heavy shit.
After foregoing the first half of their two hour set, I made the pilgrimage to TheRoyal Iron Maiden Symphony Orchestra. A set full of long operatic songs (incidentally, latest album The Final Frontier is their longest ever album), the majority of tracks seemed to come from post-90’s albums which surely only die-hards must listen to. The backdrop changed for every song and Bruce Dickinson pranced around in a torn shirt labeled ‘Psych Ward’, gesturing like he was reciting Shakespeare. It resembled a school production more than a metal concert. I wouldn’t have been surprised if their mums were in the audience to watch it. The song Iron Maiden from the album of the same name by the band of the same name (a couple of whom also wear t-shirts of the band of the same name) was notable for the entrance of a giant mechanical, possibly robotic, possibly real, probably a guy in a suit named Eddie who came out on stage to terrorize the band and then play guitar (well, hold a guitar) and finally simulate masturbating over Dave Murray! The final act thankfully included Number of the Beast and Hallowed Be Thy Name, and finished with Running Free which was interrupted by a brief singing of ‘happy birthday’ to guitarist Adrian Smith and Dickinson’s bizarre ramblings - he joked that it’s Sunday so we have all probably been to church and then immediately pointed out a pair of tits in the crowd! And then like any practiced theatre performance they finished precisely on schedule. Apparently a band called Polar Bear Club played at the same time.
The Melvins and High on Fire arrived in Wellington a day later than planned after the Christchurch earthquake left them stranded at Christchurch airport the night before. Every measure was taken to ensure the touring party made it to Wellington including getting the ferry over from Picton. These two bands were now ready to rock the Bodega; just like they themselves had been rocked in Christchurch.
First was High on Fire who came highly recommended and they certainly didn’t disappoint, the first two songs (I have no idea what they were) had heads banging and bodies flying. The band was tight, and the sound was better than usual for the Bodega; it had me already anticipating what the Melvins would do once onstage. There was still much more of High on Fire to be seen though and I found my eyes glued to bassist Jeff Matz’s rapid finger work while guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike’s beer belly was also a sight to behold. This was stoner doom heaven; a full on rocking set was played before they finished off with Bastard Samurai and Snakes for the Divine, dedicating the show to “anyone who got fucked on by the Christchurch earthquake”. The performance best summed up by someone remarking; “Fuck Metallica; this is heavy metal!”
By the time High on Fire were finished the Bodega was packed. The late cancellation of Queens of the Stone Age (who were due to perform a few blocks away at the Town Hall) may have been a factor; Josh Homme was probably scared some “cocksmoker” would throw a shoe at him. Most were in attendance to see timeless sludge rockers the Melvins. King Buzzo and Jared Warren came out looking larger than life, imposing figures on the tiny stage, while Dale Crover and Coady Willis could hardly be seen behind their monstrous drum kits. Buzz sported a turtle neck and moo moo, the other three looked sort of like vikings.
Opening track The Water Glass had the Melvins declaring they were ready; the raucous crowd in attendance were certainly ready, ready, ready. The band ran through a relentless set which included The Kicking Machine, Bar-X-The Rocking M,AMAZON, The Bit, Blood Witch, and the more recent Evil New War God, and Electric Flower; the only let up being early on when some idiot tried to look cool by dancing on stage. Jared did his best Josh Homme impersonation explaining that the idiot not only did not look cool but he also kicked a plug out of Buzz’s guitar, forcing them to stop while Buzz calmly fixed himself up.
The highlights of the show were Civilized Worm, Let It All Be, and Coady’s frenetic drumming. I could only see Dale’s sweaty hair from my position, but he would have done well to keep up with the younger, fitter Coady who was constantly pounding away. The show finished after Buzz casually strolled off leaving Coady and Dale providing a thunderous drum duet while Jared screamed into the microphone. The three of them then waved their goodbyes; a half-expected encore did not come but was not really necessary.
If the band were a little “freaked out” by their experience in Christchurch it certainly didn’t show. They gave the Bodega a magnitude 6.3 earthquake of their own, leaving the still shaking crowd to wind down to the Disney classic Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.
The Melvins are headed for the upcoming Soundwave Festival across Australia, but before then will be stopping in New Zealand for a whopping five shows! So I thought I’d do a quick little guide on them in time for their first show of the tour tomorrow night at the Kings Arms in Auckland.
The complete schedule for New Zealand, with Oakland’s High On Fire supporting, is:
February 19 – The Kings Arms, Auckland
February 20 – ReFuel, Dunedin
February 21 – Al's Bar, Christchurch
February 22 – Bodega, Wellington
February 23 – Whammy Bar, Auckland (w/ Kylesa)
Formed in 1983, with an original lineup consisting of Buzz Osborne, Mike Dillard, and Matt Lukin, the Melvins are still going strong almost 30 years later with at least 18 full-length albums and countless other releases to their name. Buzz (guitar) was joined in 1984 by Dale Crover on drums while a long list of bassists have come and gone. The current lineup features two drummers after a merger with Big Business members Coady Willis and Jared Warren (bass).
Here are a few albums to check out (if you don’t have time to sit down and listen to all 20 to 30-odd releases):
Houdini
& Houdini Live 2005: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust
(Atlantic, 1993 & Ipecac, 2005)
The definitive Melvins album, Houdini is straight up heavy sludge/grunge from start to finish. Songs such as Hooch, Night Goat, Lizzy, Hag Me, Set Me Straight, and Sky Pup remain amongst the best of their kind. The lineup had Buzz and Dale joined by Lori Black on bass and Kurt Cobain adding guitars for Sky Pup.
A Live History of Gluttony and Lust came about after repeated calls from fans to play the Houdini album and proving its legendary status. They updated the tracks giving them a live yet very polished feel with Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas) providing the bass.
Stag
(Atlantic, 1996)
Stag opens with The Bit, a thunderous beast which generates momentum for the rest of the album. What follows are a real mixture of styles; Bar-X-The Rocking M includes a trombone and turn-table like effects making it feel ahead of its time, Black Bock is almost Melvins unplugged sounding more like Blind Melon, Skin Horse has some downright freaky helium vocal effects, and The Bloat is just classic Melvins sludge.
(A) Senile Animal
(Ipecac, 2006)
(A) Senile Animal marked the start of the current formation of the Melvins; half Melvins, half Big Business. After over 20 years together, the band gained a new edge with the two drummers providing extra crunch and a somewhat more cohesive feel. The addition of Jared Warren’s vocals to accompany Buzz gives extra force to an already powerful sound. Standout tracks include; The Talking Horse, Blood Witch, Civilized Worm, A History of Drunks… shit, I could just name the whole album.
The Maggot, The Bootlicker, & The Crybaby
(Ipecac, 1999-2000)
I was going to put Honky here as it is considered the Melvins most experimental release, however putting out three albums in the space of a year to help kick start the Ipecac label is a more Melvins type thing to do and these three albums are pretty strange in their own right.
The Maggot starts off with two tracks called amazonAMAZON, telling you all you need to know about the Melvins; they don’t operate like other bands. The move to Ipecac Recordings allowed them the creative freedom to do whatever they wanted (although they seem to be doing this anyway). and
The Bootlicker is the best of this trio of albums; it’s typically slow, and at times haunting. Up the Dumper and Lone Rose Holding Now are great but the centerpiece is Let It All Be which is almost two tracks joined together by ambient noise creating 10 minutes of brilliance.
A distant hint of Nirvana ends The Bootlicker and The Crybaby runs with this by opening with a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit and then adding covers of Jesus Lizard and a couple of country artists. Mike Patton also makes an appearance on G.I. Joe.
There is a lot more Melvins to check so go and do so. Here’s their latest video for Electric Worm off last year’s album The Bride Screamed Murder:
So it’s been 2011 for over a month but here’s some stuff from 2010. I heard a bunch of good albums; here are a few (with more to come):
Look What I Did – Atlas Drugged (Modernist Movement, 2010)
I’ll start with these guys as I’d never heard of them before. Look What I Did are based in Nashville, Tennessee, with Atlas Drugged being their third album. I’d loosely describe them as; part Helmet, part Jesus Lizard, part punk. They describe themselves as info-punk, that’ll do. What is info-punk? I have no idea, but they look like a group of young guys mucking around (check out the video for I’m Majoring in Psychology), and sound, for the most part, wild & chaotic. Vocalist Barry Donegan alternates between singing and screaming however the lyrics seem largely intellectual and/or satirical. Donegan, a political activist/candidate, not only has a general distaste for the state of the music industry but is also actively working on better ways of sharing music (hopefully we hear more).
There’s not a bad song on the album; Fade to Daft, Holding Pattern, and the closing track Baby Darwins, standout. You can listen to Atlas Drugged in full, and buy it here.
Melvins – The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac Recordings, 2010)
The Melvins continue to put out music and the music continues to be good. Since the addition of Coady Willis and Jarred Warren from Big Business in 2006 they have had a more booming sound (possibly the result of having two drummers) and this album is no different. It’s hard and heavy with patches of strangeness thrown in; Hospital Up being a good example. Their darkish, creepy sound is still apparent, most notably on I’ll Finish You Off with its organ-like sound and high pitched vocals. Electric Flower and Inhumanity and Death are classic Melvins, while they also cover The Who’s My Generation in the same vein as they did with Going Blind and God of Thunder back in the day.
The Melvins always deliver, and just enjoy rocking out it seems, five shows in New Zealand is testament to that.
Kids Eat Crayons – Kids Eat Crayons is For Lovers (Kids Eat Crayons, 2007)
(This actually came out in 2007 but I didn’t realise so it makes this list)
Hmm… where to start with these guys? Jazz metal. Mr. Bungle meets Frank Zappa. Nonsensical lyrics. A tempo that changes every fifteen seconds. A song called Masturbation Day Parade. This all seems a little out of control and the album sounds like it has ADHD, however it is somehow accessible and listenable. The first track Eat it Or Wear It is two minutes of jazz/metal/mayhem and things go from there. The Dying at Home Song is somewhat melodic and sad in contrast to the chaos that surrounds it.
This album is brilliant if you’re in the right mood. Kids Eat Crayons is probably not for lovers.
