Messages

Welp, the records's out there in the dark corners of the internet. Just had my first listen, and I gotta say I didn't feel much of anything. It's probably not fair to fixate on the way it was made, but it kinda sounds like every song is just one simple riff with tons of stuff piled on. These songs don't have much in the way of dynamics or surprises. I dunno. It just kinda sounds like the last however many records, just jammier.

The Melvins still have never made a *bad* album, but, at this point, they've made a habit out of making mediocre ones. This is no different. They just seem lazy or tired, here. Love them, but it just kinda seems like they're farting around.

The best tune was the long one up top, although it just drifts off into half-cocked riffing at some point after an intriguing first few minutes and then starts cannibalizing "Night Goat" and "Boris" a bit.

It's not realistic to ask for "Stoner Witch" energy and composition, again, but howsabout "Brain Center at Whipples" energy? These tracks just kinda meander.

I'll listen more and hope to like it better, but I've kinda had this same experience with them for years, now, so I won't expect much to change, for me.

Melvins rule forever, but ya know. You can't rule forever.

Would someone reup the 7.27.2007 - Los Angeles, CA at the Troubadour show?

Thank you for sharing... I showed up about a month late.

Seconded!

Pssst...this is out there in the wild. Trevor's additions really give it a lot of atmosphere and depth. The songs are less "Melvins demos" (which is what "This Machine Kills Artists" sounded like, to me) and more their own thing, even if you've heard compositions like this from Buzz many times.  If you like ambient Melvins, this is your lucky day. Might also feature some of Buzz' finest clean singing -- he hits a few super-high notes on this.

This album might actually be better than "A Walk With Love and Death." It certainly seems so.

I've heard the album.

The noise LP is just that. Much of it is just ambient sound (recordings of people talking or kids playing in the background) mixed with guitar freakouts and sci-fi noises. It's, sadly, almost totally pointless. "Give it to Me" is a 60's-style rave-up that's okay, because it's a band playing music, at least. The whole disc sounds like something the band could've farted out in an afternoon. What's the point of even doing this? "Prick" at least had "Larry."

The "rock" disc is...okay. Sadly, the ancient outtake "Euthanasia" is the best, heaviest tune. "Flaming Creature" is up there, too. First two tracks are moody numbers. A lot of it is kinda clean-tone, half-cocked stuff that just doesn't do it for me. It's just verse, verse, verse, out. These songs don't really go anywhere.

Your mileage may vary. I've felt like these guys are impressive for never becoming a bad band, ever, but I've also felt -- and this album really exemplifies this -- that they're coasting, and have been for some time. The Melvins used to blow my fucking mind every time around. Now, they land a couple punches here and there, but it's all very ephemeral.

Steve's bass playing is phenomenal, though. What a killer musician. Best player since Mark D.

http://constantwaiting.tumblr.com/post/115845979602/i-said-i-was-probably-gonna-do-this-once-they

Does anyone have a link to the file that had been posted at the link above? I asked the guy for a fresh one, and he declined due to guilt. I say, the songs aren't available to purchase, so download-related guilt shouldn't be an issue. If you agree and have the tunes, could you PM me? Thank you, you fine people.

i've heard it.

i'd say it's pretty 70's rock. not very sludgy...more alice cooper-y. pretty midtempo, overall. buzz is using some different guitar tones. dale sings lead at one point. really good melodic basslines and harmonies from jared. the double-drums are used more creatively than last time around. it's more experimental, but in the HAT sort of way, not the honky sort of way.

negatives: the last two tracks, one of which is a recycled amrep single, i don't recall which. a recent one. "flush" is also just a short space-noise track.

i'd say it's 3/4 awesome. a totally worthy melvins album. i'll be buying it.

[quote author=Sloan Simpson link=topic=6869.msg98745#msg98745 date=1162443304

It's actually a audience/soundboard mix, but yes the whole thing will be up on dimeadozen soon, as well as the following night.

any chance you got the harvey milk set, too? i'm always thrilled to see HM on dimeadozen.

you didn't happen to get the galifianakis set from the day before, did you? my favorite comic.

i wish i could've been there for those two days...

a total clusterfuck. i waited through that mess of a show to see buzz, and then as soon as he gets on, it shits the bed? weak.

"The Melvins

okay, i got the album off slsk. thanks TGH for the hint.

the weirdness that people were referring to is this:

jello's voice is too dry and mixed too loud. his timing/rhythm during "halo of flies" at points is terrible. this is where people were getting the feeling that his voice didn't "match" the music. the vocal just doesn't sit in the mix very well at all at times, which is too bad, because it seems like this album is a little less muddy-sounding than the last one overall.

i think the album is pretty much more of the same. the melvins playing basic rock and roll with jello spewing his bullshit over the top. there are a couple of moments that are cool, like the country breakdown in "dumb kids" followed by the really sludgy "wholly buy bull," which is summarily ruined by jello's boring soapboxing (and has a stupid pun as a title). THAT song is followed by "voted off the island," which gets it title from a goddamn reality show. retarded.

and...a schwartzenegger impression? it's just lame and old-farty.

and then, remixes of shitty songs. i really shouldn't buy this, but i'm sure i will. somewhere, buzz is cackling.

i would just love it if the melvins would get back to work making melvins music, and i have to wonder if this big business thing will just be another dilution of their pure rock...purity. some guy playing drums over dale? i'm worried.

does anyone have this kicking around soulseek or anything? i'm going to buy it, even though i hated the last one, but i'm too lazy to send away for it before it hits stores.

I got it this morning from AT site and I live in Northern Ireland. Have not got a chance to listen to it in full, Just listen to Halo of flies which I love but the Jello I have to say has ruin it with his vocals and I am a Jello fan.

i was afraid of this. well, at least there are decent-sounding SBD boots of that song with buzz singing.

i wish the melvins would get back to making melvins albums.

dudbean is correct. he knows how to read, whereas the lot of you are apparently ESL students.

so, this thing's out in a few weeks...no new info? i wonder if it will be less crap than the last one.