(February 2024) Episode 546 is MELVINS. It’s difficult describe their sound, so let’s start where they started. The first recordings of this Washington state band in the 1980s had a heavy rock sound, with drop-D tunings jumping back and forth to the third fret, with a somewhat anarchic vocal style. This was grunge before grunge and sludge metal before sludge metal. So Melvins are credited as a key influence for both genres, although their subsequent two dozen+ albums defy either label. Low sludgy guitars are the regular feature throughout, but how they’re used varies. Styles shift within and among albums: various metal, hard rock, experimental, noise, sound collages, pop punk, country punk, and some clever covers. Amidst all this, they sound like they’re having a lot of fun, which is the glue that holds together what otherwise might come off as haphazard affairs.
Favorite album: The Maggot (1999)
Favorite song: Amazon (part 3)
Favorite early album: Ozma (1989)
Favorite later album: Working with God (2021)
Favorite cover song: I Fuck Around
Compared to expectations: ↑
Recommendation: I picked The Maggot as my favorite as it offers the most consistent heavy sludge/stoner grooves, but that may be my preference. There’s so much weird stuff here that you’ll have to explore on your own.
Opus Project 