Pinkus Abortion Technician

[Garnz]

I've been thinking about it for a while now, probably around a year, maybe longer. Just trying to figure out how they've evolved over the years and it's not about distortion or heaviness. It seems that in the past, a lot of the Melvin's essential DNA, what makes them Melvins is is that they presented themselves with the sideshow bob appearance, the muumuu, the gardening gloves, the ridiculous lyrics, the sense of humour. BUT. At the same time their music was totally opposite, it was nasty, heavy, punishing, savage, sharp or sludgy or disturbing. They worked in unison, two almost ironic juxtapositions if you will. This lasted for ages. 

From Dadaism nonsensical lyrics of Ozma mixed with brutal delivery. The quite clean precises delivery of the bootlicker opposed by a sinister tone and sharp delivery of all those songs. loose laid back feel on Honky while strongly opposed by a disturbing ambience throughout. The more you look at it the more it appears, the stark contrast they've always maintained.

However I could never place my finger on why but only recently I think it's because the newer albums don't have this.
It seems these days the ridiculousness of the Melvin s themselves has actually translated across into the music and to me, it just doesn't work as well.  they play a straight game these days.

nstead of the odd contradiction of the seriousness of their music mixed in with their sense of humour...these days it's crept across so much so that the contradiction is lost and all that is sometimes left is just that. 99 Bottles, or some of the covers.

It's not about heavy guitars or Melvins not making Lysol anymore. It's more the fact that that I think they've lost that essential ingredient which made Melvins the Melvins. It's not a diss, it's not a criticism but it's definitely the feeling I get when I hear their modern records to those of 15+ years ago.

There are some nasty/solid bits in this PAT album and the contractitions are stil there, but there are times where it just goes straight up and misses out on thisjuxtaposition d the'yve had for so many years. dont abnd me again i'm actually half drunk lol and typed this out in one go

I understand your point and also have the feeling that some of the latest releases lack this "meaner" sound that made earlier releases very special to me. But I am happy they come back to this with some of their later stuff like the Sabbath EP.

[Captain CoryCory]

I love that they put out an album under the name Melvins Lite and that one's still heavier than A Walk With Love and Death and Pinkus Abortion Technician. I agree the heaviness aspect has kinda gotten lost in the shuffle as of late.

Still, PAT is a great record and probably one of my favorites in this decade.

[))))((((]

Still, PAT is a great record and probably one of my favorites in this decade.

It was my favourite Melvins album of 2018!

[(the) Razor]

Thanks, I love Melvins and have for ages but online is my only outlet here so yeah, sometimse I think about this stuff.
It's not really heavyness though.

Think Tool did the same thing, they had all these dark creepy songs in the 90s but were singing about fisting and heaps of sexual inneundeo in their lyrics as an offset to the seriousness of the music.

So Tool later went ultra serious with their lyrics and music and Melvins went opposite with silly lyrics, song titles and (a lot of the time) music.

Just an observation really.

[PepsiMike]

Thanks, I love Melvins and have for ages but online is my only outlet here so yeah, sometimse I think about this stuff.
It's not really heavyness though.

Think Tool did the same thing, they had all these dark creepy songs in the 90s but were singing about fisting and heaps of sexual inneundeo in their lyrics as an offset to the seriousness of the music.

So Tool later went ultra serious with their lyrics and music and Melvins went opposite with silly lyrics, song titles and (a lot of the time) music.

Just an observation really.

Your observation is correct.

[Fureon Nectarmoon]

I've been thinking about it for a while now, probably around a year, maybe longer. Just trying to figure out how they've evolved over the years and it's not about distortion or heaviness. It seems that in the past, a lot of the Melvin's essential DNA, what makes them Melvins is is that they presented themselves with the sideshow bob appearance, the muumuu, the gardening gloves, the ridiculous lyrics, the sense of humour. BUT. At the same time their music was totally opposite, it was nasty, heavy, punishing, savage, sharp or sludgy or disturbing. They worked in unison, two almost ironic juxtapositions if you will. This lasted for ages. 

From Dadaism nonsensical lyrics of Ozma mixed with brutal delivery. The quite clean precises delivery of the bootlicker opposed by a sinister tone and sharp delivery of all those songs. loose laid back feel on Honky while strongly opposed by a disturbing ambience throughout. The more you look at it the more it appears, the stark contrast they've always maintained.

However I could never place my finger on why but only recently I think it's because the newer albums don't have this.
It seems these days the ridiculousness of the Melvin s themselves has actually translated across into the music and to me, it just doesn't work as well.  they play a straight game these days.

nstead of the odd contradiction of the seriousness of their music mixed in with their sense of humour...these days it's crept across so much so that the contradiction is lost and all that is sometimes left is just that. 99 Bottles, or some of the covers.

It's not about heavy guitars or Melvins not making Lysol anymore. It's more the fact that that I think they've lost that essential ingredient which made Melvins the Melvins. It's not a diss, it's not a criticism but it's definitely the feeling I get when I hear their modern records to those of 15+ years ago.

There are some nasty/solid bits in this PAT album and the contractitions are stil there, but there are times where it just goes straight up and misses out on thisjuxtaposition d the'yve had for so many years. dont abnd me again i'm actually half drunk lol and typed this out in one go

Very well noted and said.
I think I've had this realization in the back of my mind but for the longest time I couldn't put my finger on it.

[))))((((]

Had another listen to PAT today. My dislikes still remain in place. At the core of it, this is actually a pretty good Melvins album. It's only the absolute stinker that is Embrace The Rub that ruins things. But i will add in the Beatles cover as somehow not very good too. Graveyard is another that although good just doesn't work at that slow, disjointed, almost deary(!) pace. I wish it was speeded up a bit like that "outdoor ice cream" video of the band playing it. That would have been an awesome finish. Replace the two stinkers and speed up Graveyard and this would have been a pretty damn good Melvins record.

[johnnyg]

Had another listen to PAT today. My dislikes still remain in place. At the core of it, this is actually a pretty good Melvins album. It's only the absolute stinker that is Embrace The Rub that ruins things. But i will add in the Beatles cover as somehow not very good too. Graveyard is another that although good just doesn't work at that slow, disjointed, almost deary(!) pace. I wish it was speeded up a bit like that "outdoor ice cream" video of the band playing it. That would have been an awesome finish. Replace the two stinkers and speed up Graveyard and this would have been a pretty damn good Melvins record.

Interesting! It just goes to show, different strokes. I love embrace the rub. it's basically a first wave west coast punk song and it's my favorite tune on the album.

[))))((((]

It just goes to show, different strokes. I love embrace the rub.

Im amazed that anyone would say that but you are right. It's all about how different people approach things or from where they come from on it. My favourite is either Don't Forget To Breathe or Flamboyant Duck.

[amazonAMAZON]

I'm already nostalgic for this record. "Don't Forget" and "Flamboyant Duck" and "Prenup Butter" are the standout Melvins originals. The covers all rock. "Embrace the Rub" and "Break Bread" grew on me. I also love that they decided to put this out as an album, specifically a CD. There's too much good stuff here to languish as b-sides on LTD Ed eBay kindling.

[Dumpster D]

I've been thinking about it for a while now, probably around a year, maybe longer. Just trying to figure out how they've evolved over the years and it's not about distortion or heaviness. It seems that in the past, a lot of the Melvin's essential DNA, what makes them Melvins is is that they presented themselves with the sideshow bob appearance, the muumuu, the gardening gloves, the ridiculous lyrics, the sense of humour. BUT. At the same time their music was totally opposite, it was nasty, heavy, punishing, savage, sharp or sludgy or disturbing. They worked in unison, two almost ironic juxtapositions if you will. This lasted for ages. 

From Dadaism nonsensical lyrics of Ozma mixed with brutal delivery. The quite clean precises delivery of the bootlicker opposed by a sinister tone and sharp delivery of all those songs. loose laid back feel on Honky while strongly opposed by a disturbing ambience throughout. The more you look at it the more it appears, the stark contrast they've always maintained.

However I could never place my finger on why but only recently I think it's because the newer albums don't have this.
It seems these days the ridiculousness of the Melvin s themselves has actually translated across into the music and to me, it just doesn't work as well.  they play a straight game these days.

nstead of the odd contradiction of the seriousness of their music mixed in with their sense of humour...these days it's crept across so much so that the contradiction is lost and all that is sometimes left is just that. 99 Bottles, or some of the covers.

It's not about heavy guitars or Melvins not making Lysol anymore. It's more the fact that that I think they've lost that essential ingredient which made Melvins the Melvins. It's not a diss, it's not a criticism but it's definitely the feeling I get when I hear their modern records to those of 15+ years ago.

There are some nasty/solid bits in this PAT album and the contractitions are stil there, but there are times where it just goes straight up and misses out on thisjuxtaposition d the'yve had for so many years. dont abnd me again i'm actually half drunk lol and typed this out in one go

I couldn't put my finger on it.

Jimmy Shit finger? featuring Jeff Stinkus? 

[))))((((]

"Embrace the Rub" and "Break Bread" grew on me.

I realised during that listen that i've come around a fair bit to Break Bread. Not the greatest Melvins song or anything but more enjoyable for me than it was.

[black stallion]

i don't think Embrace The Rub is that bad

[linoleum blownapart]

Break Bread was a Honky song the wrote with Dale when they toured with him drumming.  I pretty sure same for Embrace the Rub was an Off song written while Dale was drumming. 

So does that make them "proper" Melvin's songs?  Who cares.

[))))((((]

So does that make them "proper" Melvin's songs?  Who cares.

If all the songs on The Crybaby and Everybody Loves Sausages are Melvins songs, then the PAT ones are most certainly Melvins songs! I don't really mind that other people wrote them. Just that i don't like them. For instance Don't Forget To Breathe is a great Melvins song and Jeff wrote it!