Melvins review on Pitchforkmedia.com

[Kapila]

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/39809/The_Melvins_A_Senile_Animal

The Melvins
(A) Senile Animal
[Ipecac; 2006]
Rating: 7.3

For the last decade, the Melvins have absolutely shat on their seminal status. Their antics have ranged from gimmicky (releasing a single for every month in 1996) to kitschy (kicking off 1999's Crybaby with Leif Garrett belting out a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit") to just plain wimpy (2005's limp-wristed live recording of Houdini in its entirety). Due to these bloopers, there was much head-shaking and sighing to be had when the band, now reduced to a putative duo consisting of King Buzzo and drummer Dale Crover, announced their merger with L.A. drums/bass metal band Big Business earlier this year. That's right, as if the band's recent tomfoolery hadn't marred their first proper release in four years, they now sport two drummers, the pinnacle of rock absurdity.

What a pleasant surprise then that (A) Senile Animal stands as the band's most no-frills, accessible, and flat-out best album since Stoner Witch. Hostile Ambient Takeover from 2002 didn't testify to it, but you can find the Melvins's legendary sound speckled all over today's metal bands. Animal reclaims the stoner rock the Melvins ruled before Kyuss and Queens of the Stone age co-opted it, and Boris owes much of their recent hipster metal success (not to mention moniker) to the band's early sound, reincarnated here on tracks like "Rat-Faced" and "You've Never Been Right".

That said, Animal is less a blast from the past than a retooling of the Melvins' strongest albums following a more conservative mindset. The opening of "Civilized Worm" doffs its cap to catchy 70s arena rock, pounding out the chords to Cheap Trick's "Need Your Love" over a bare bones blues beat straight off of Machine Head. "A History of Drunks" follows suit, propping up King Buzzo's singsong melody with multi-tracked vocals and a middle section replete with handclaps and a surprisingly tender new wave guitar line.

These nuanced exceptions aside, the Melvins churn out their signature straightforward metal sludge by the barrelful on Animal, and no one's complaining about that. Three six-plus minute tracks grind the album to a close, each harkening back to classic slow burners like "Night Goat" and "Hag Me". Even the twin assault on drums comes together nicely as Crover and Big Business mercenary Coady Willis place their intersecting fills at loggerheads for our amusement on "A History of Bad Men". For all their recent boners and elbow-rubbing with Ipecac's weirdest, this newfangled Melvins outfit has sobered up to concoct a return-to-roots album, one that simultaneously cements their monolithic mark on metal while promising there's more gas left in the tank to keep on thrashin'.

-Adam Moerder, December 12, 2006

[glen]

all their recent boners and elbow-rubbing with Ipecac's weirdest

whats that supposed to mean?

[TGH]

all their recent boners and elbow-rubbing with Ipecac's weirdest

whats that supposed to mean?

Pitchfork is a bunch of retards?

[ManWithNoName]

Pitchfork media is filled with a bunch of elitist wankers and this review is amusing at best.

Houdini live... wimpy? bloopers? head-shaking and sighing? proper release? Two drummers the pinnacle of rock absurdity? HAT not as good as stonerwitch?

The real pinnacle of rock absudity is a handful of elitest wackjobs who've gone astray from their mental masturbation to write rock album reviews.

/end rant

[TGH]

Pitchfork media is filled with a bunch of elitist wankers and this review is amusing at best.

Houdini live... wimpy? bloopers? head-shaking and sighing? proper release? Two drummers the pinnacle of rock absurdity? HAT not as good as stonerwitch?

The real pinnacle of rock absudity is a handful of elitest wackjobs who've gone astray from their mental masturbation to write rock album reviews.

/end rant

If the band is heard by more than three people (including writers for Pitchfork), the band obviously sucks.

[ManWithNoName]

It's all about the flavour of the month.

[Mad Arab]

Worst review ever.

[rimb]

Pitchfork media is filled with a bunch of elitist wankers and this review is amusing at best.

Houdini live... wimpy? bloopers? head-shaking and sighing? proper release? Two drummers the pinnacle of rock absurdity? HAT not as good as stonerwitch?

The real pinnacle of rock absudity is a handful of elitest wackjobs who've gone astray from their mental masturbation to write rock album reviews.

/end rant

Well ranted!

[Chief Ten Beers]

Pinchloafmedia makes me fucking sick. Bunch of god-damn pussies who know nothing about music. It's too comical, these internet-dweeb review sites. Houdini Live kicks the shit out of any johnny-come-lately crap they're pushing.

[Kapila]

Yeah, this review pretty much sucked. Just thought I'd share it with all you lovely people.

[TGH]

Pinchloafmedia makes me fucking sick. Bunch of god-damn pussies who know nothing about music. It's too comical, these internet-dweeb review sites. Houdini Live kicks the shit out of any johnny-come-lately crap they're pushing.

They gave the Flaming Lips - Zaireaka (an album that requires for CD plays to fully listen to) a ZERO. Why? Because the reviewer couldn't find four CDs players. He couldn't even find two. How the hell can you not find two CD players? The fucker even admitted that he didn't even listen to the entire album one by one.

So that site can get fucked. Hard.

[Idlehanz]

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/39809/The_Melvins_A_Senile_Animal

The Melvins
(A) Senile Animal
[Ipecac; 2006]
Rating: 7.3

For the last decade, the Melvins have absolutely shat on their seminal status.

That first sentence should have summed up how his review was going to go.  So he's saying that Honky and the Trilogy are shit?    And yes, Houdini 2005 fuckin grooves and is heavy.  I couldn't imagine calling it 'limp wristed'. 

Zaireeka is beautiful.  Anyone that is too lazy to get a few cd players and friends together is no music fan.

[Eponymous]

The reviewer of Zaireeka clearly has no friends. He writes for Pitchfork.

[ninjabachelorparty]

Hey i agree with that review. How DARE the Melvins decide to experiemnt and push their sound forward, when i want a CD of 12 nice Revolve-style tracks? Every release im sorely dissapointed that they have AGAIN decided to try and provide me with something fresh and exciting and interesting, when all i really want is to feel safe and comfortable listening to similair songs throughout a bands whole career. They should go back to where my head is stuck, back to the "good old days". And they should get Lorax back. She's Shirley Temples daughter don't you know. If the Melvins were more like Shirley Temple, then Kurt Cobain would still be alive. Its a well known fact that he shot himself after hearing that the first track from Honky didn't sound like Revolve.

[FartLips]

Hey i agree with that review. How DARE the Melvins decide to experiemnt and push their sound forward, when i want a CD of 12 nice Revolve-style tracks? Every release im sorely dissapointed that they have AGAIN decided to try and provide me with something fresh and exciting and interesting, when all i really want is to feel safe and comfortable listening to similair songs throughout a bands whole career. They should go back to where my head is stuck, back to the "good old days". And they should get Lorax back. She's Shirley Temples daughter don't you know. If the Melvins were more like Shirley Temple, then Kurt Cobain would still be alive. Its a well known fact that he shot himself after hearing that the first track from Honky didn't sound like Revolve.