Melvins - Nude With Boots
Ipecac - IP105P - 8 July 2008
By Paddy Walsh
If ever a band has remained criminally overlooked by the masses through a long, prolific and consistently excellent career (that has been in a steamrolling motion since 1983), than its the Melvins. Hugely influential to a multitude of rock and metal bands, inspiring everything from grunge to drone, their refusal to settle into a single niche has afforded them brief flirtations with the mainstream. The Melvins' enduring legacy may be their impact on a fledgling Seattle rock scene in the late 80s, early 90s, the scene's most prominent martyr Kurt Cobain acting as something of a protege of the band initially, before eventually using the weight of Nirvana's explosion with Nevermind to secure Melvins with a 3-album stint with major label Atlantic. The Melvins were alwyas too predictable and downright odd to sell millions of records to angsty gen X-ers, however, even if there were always potential radio-friendly hits buried within the gruelling sludge, twisted Sabbath-isms and general rock weirdness that is their forte.
In 2001 the band finally found a stable home with Mike Patton's Ipecac label. Their past few albums have been quite streamlined by their standards, with '06's (A) Senile Animal perhaps their most accessible record since Houdini. Nude With Boots continues this trend, building on the critical acclaim of its predecessor. Notable about both Nude... and ...Senile Animal has been the annexation of kindred upstarts Big Business into the bass, drumming and backing vocal fold, which means there are doubled up drums in the mix to give the listener an extra pounding. The backing vocals of Jarod Warren meanwhile add a great compliment to Buzz Osbourne's familiar roar, the layered style adding a bizarrely operatic effect at times. Nude With Boots is stylistically similar to (A) Senile Animal, and there is a little deja vu going on here, but repeated spins prove rewarding as it really takes a few listens for this album to get under the skin. 'The Kicking machine' has a distinct 70s flavour, like Led Zeppelin dragged through a ditch backwards or something. 'Billy Fish' is something of a nod to the Houdini/Stoner Witch days as a ctachy, mid-paced rock-out, with the multi-percussive element proving devastating in this instance. As before, Jarod's contributions are a great accompaniment to Buzz's vocals - they're slightly similar actually, but less gruff and thus add a melodic air to things. Think of Jerry Cantrell's vocals to Layne Stayley's in Alice in Chainsif you must.
Melvins have never made things too easy for the listener of course, and the ominous 'Dies Irae' is typical of this tendency, invoking Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks through a minimalist dirge. 'It Tastes Better than the Truth' is like a nightmarish mantra of sorts, as squawking guitar shapes with menacing screams and yells rumble atop thundering drums; it's repetetive, loud and obnoxious the way a Melvins closer should be. For the most past, though, Nude With Boots is comprised of standard issue Melvins rockers such as 'Suicide in Progress' that are always a treat to the ears. It rarely strays into the kind of out there weirdness that has often bemused listeners in the past (their collaboration with Lustmord a few years ago had a 20 minute track of incessant repetition to fuck you up), it's concise and to the point. It's unlikely to have the critical impact of (A) Senile Animal, as it's essentially more of the same, but it's the Melvins and therefore rocks the fuck out of everything. So there.
Official Melvins Website
Official Melvins MySpace
Official Ipecac Website
Ipecac - IP105P - 8 July 2008
By Paddy Walsh
If ever a band has remained criminally overlooked by the masses through a long, prolific and consistently excellent career (that has been in a steamrolling motion since 1983), than its the Melvins. Hugely influential to a multitude of rock and metal bands, inspiring everything from grunge to drone, their refusal to settle into a single niche has afforded them brief flirtations with the mainstream. The Melvins' enduring legacy may be their impact on a fledgling Seattle rock scene in the late 80s, early 90s, the scene's most prominent martyr Kurt Cobain acting as something of a protege of the band initially, before eventually using the weight of Nirvana's explosion with Nevermind to secure Melvins with a 3-album stint with major label Atlantic. The Melvins were alwyas too predictable and downright odd to sell millions of records to angsty gen X-ers, however, even if there were always potential radio-friendly hits buried within the gruelling sludge, twisted Sabbath-isms and general rock weirdness that is their forte.
In 2001 the band finally found a stable home with Mike Patton's Ipecac label. Their past few albums have been quite streamlined by their standards, with '06's (A) Senile Animal perhaps their most accessible record since Houdini. Nude With Boots continues this trend, building on the critical acclaim of its predecessor. Notable about both Nude... and ...Senile Animal has been the annexation of kindred upstarts Big Business into the bass, drumming and backing vocal fold, which means there are doubled up drums in the mix to give the listener an extra pounding. The backing vocals of Jarod Warren meanwhile add a great compliment to Buzz Osbourne's familiar roar, the layered style adding a bizarrely operatic effect at times. Nude With Boots is stylistically similar to (A) Senile Animal, and there is a little deja vu going on here, but repeated spins prove rewarding as it really takes a few listens for this album to get under the skin. 'The Kicking machine' has a distinct 70s flavour, like Led Zeppelin dragged through a ditch backwards or something. 'Billy Fish' is something of a nod to the Houdini/Stoner Witch days as a ctachy, mid-paced rock-out, with the multi-percussive element proving devastating in this instance. As before, Jarod's contributions are a great accompaniment to Buzz's vocals - they're slightly similar actually, but less gruff and thus add a melodic air to things. Think of Jerry Cantrell's vocals to Layne Stayley's in Alice in Chainsif you must.
Melvins have never made things too easy for the listener of course, and the ominous 'Dies Irae' is typical of this tendency, invoking Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western soundtracks through a minimalist dirge. 'It Tastes Better than the Truth' is like a nightmarish mantra of sorts, as squawking guitar shapes with menacing screams and yells rumble atop thundering drums; it's repetetive, loud and obnoxious the way a Melvins closer should be. For the most past, though, Nude With Boots is comprised of standard issue Melvins rockers such as 'Suicide in Progress' that are always a treat to the ears. It rarely strays into the kind of out there weirdness that has often bemused listeners in the past (their collaboration with Lustmord a few years ago had a 20 minute track of incessant repetition to fuck you up), it's concise and to the point. It's unlikely to have the critical impact of (A) Senile Animal, as it's essentially more of the same, but it's the Melvins and therefore rocks the fuck out of everything. So there.
Official Melvins Website
Official Melvins MySpace
Official Ipecac Website
