A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Basses Loaded LP by (The) Melvins.
It’s mind-boggling how such a prolific band can be so under-appreciated. Krist Novoselic of Nirvana fame has said that the Melvins are the only band left standing from the grunge-rock cacophony of the Nineties (take that, Pearl Jam), and even the new kids like Mastodon have gone on the record as saying they’re one of the greatest bands on earth. Of course, the Melvins don’t care what people say about them – they’re too busy putting out records.
You have to be in the right mindset to appreciate and properly experience a Melvins record because, in all honesty, you have to be ready for chaos. Yes, every Melvins record sounds heavy, shreddy, raw and sleazy, but what you’re also going to get is a band trying to throw you a curve ball. In short, the Melvins are trying to fuck with you on their records, and Basses Loaded definitely has that featuring some absolutely glorious cuts like “Choco Plumbing” and “War Pussy” as well as head scratchers like their cover of the Beatles’ “I Wanna Tell You” and “Take me Out to the Ball Game.” Some call it lack of focus; I call it having fun with a record. The Melvins have proven themselves time after time, and at this point it’s a joy to simply leave them to their own devices and enjoy the show.
And I haven’t even gotten to the whole idea behind Basses Loaded. which is to recruit six different bass players for the album. Hence the name, get it?
Here’s the deal, Basses Loaded is loaded with the Melvins ooze that both raises eyebrows and makes us smile. It’s cool as fuck, and it feels good. [Ollie Ottoman]
Artist:
http://www.merchaye-revolve.com/the-melvins
http://themelvins.net/
https://www.facebook.com/melvinsarmy/
Further Reading:
Hellbound.ca – “Throttle Down the Buzzsaws – Buzz Osborne Turns The Volume Down and Finds Another Voice” – [Feature Article]
Throttle Down The Buzzsaws – Buzz Osborne Turns Down The Volume And Finds Another Voice
Album:
The vinyl pressing of Basses Loaded by (The) Melvins is out now. Buy it here on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Basses-Loaded-Melvins/dp/B01DFXXA0K/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1471237717&sr=8-1
