Send "The Melvins " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 The fact that the Melvins have now put out no fewer than ten live albums gives you a not-so subtle indication of where this great American band’s real strengths lie. As consistently strong as their massive, 25-year body of studio recordings is, the best way to experience the Melvins is in a live setting, to experience firsthand the staggering thud of drums, the fillings-loosening guitar and bass tones, to be completely overwhelmed by the sound. However, it can be said that the Aberdeen, Washington sludge legends have never sounded stronger live than they do now. With guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover as the two constants, the band had gone through more than a dozen bass players over the years. But with the addition of the Big Business duo of bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis, the Melvins not only have put together one of the most stable lineups in the band’s long history, but also one of the most creatively fruitful as well. With three very good studio albums under their belts (2006’s (A) Senile Animal, 2008’s Nude with Boots, 2010’s The Bride Screamed Murder), it’s enough to convince anyone that taking on these two members was the best thing Osborne and Crover could ever have done.As strong as the albums are, this current incarnation of the Melvins is absolutely pulverizing live, and we’re treated to some irrefutable evidence of the fact with the new live document Sugar Daddy Live, an hour-long set featuring 12 originals and one very strange cover which showcases this mighty band at its finest. Interestingly, this album was recorded during the Nude with Boots touring cycle rather than the tour for the last album, so the song selections lean heavily toward that album and (A) Senile Animal. While many longtime fans tend to gripe about how veteran bands focus too heavily on their recent material rather than churning out the seminal classics, with the Melvins the choice is completely warranted based on just how good the new material actually is....full text |
| Revolvermag |
| The 10th(!) live release from these indefatigable sludge expressionists is easily their strongest, fully capturing the tension, triumph, and tinnitus hazards of their current lineup…and often better than their studio recordings. Since debuting their double-drummer lineup in 2006, the band has gotten frighteningly precise on records like 2010’s The Bride Screamed Murder. Both drummers—young buck Coady Willis and mammoth pounder Dale Crover—are more playful onstage, giving a living, breathing, resolutely human anxiety to their clattery. Meanwhile, frontman King Buzzo’s guitar is searingly loud and untethered to studio tricks, more weapon than instrument, making 13 deadly songs even more venomous. CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN...full text |
| Consequenceofsound |
| On the verge of a residency tour on which they’ll resurrect dozens of classic tracks, playing two nights and two sets in each city, it seems ultimately appropriate that King Buzzo and the rest of the Melvins take some time to release a live disc to let fans outside of that tour know exactly what they’re missing. While it’d be too difficult a task to pick out 13 tracks for a “Best of” for one of hard rock/metal’s biggest and weirdest back catalogs, this one hits some major recent high notes, resulting in a collection worth picking up for understanding where the band is today. Released on Ipecac Recordings (founded by the one and only Mike Patton) and recorded at the Busta-Guts Club in Downey, California, Sugar Daddy digs deep, taking a few tracks dating as far back as 1987′s Gluey Porch Treatment. It does, however, rely heavily on 2008′s Nude With Boots and 2006′s Senile Animal. For those unfamiliar with the stoner/sludge/whacked-out metal legends, Sugar Daddy is a good place to start, giving a brief overview of the Melvins of now. However, the band’s almost constant lineup changes (guitarist/vocalist Buzz “King Buzzo” Osborne and drummer Dale Crover have been the driving forces/only constant members since the band’s inception in 1983) suggest that claims of 100% continuity might be misleading. The album opens on a high note with “Nude With Boots” over a crowd roar, the instruments shuddering to life. After a minute or two of feedback, misfires, and general warm-up, Crover and fellow drummer Coady Willis thump things into a sense of semblance, Osborne’s gray mane probably bobbing in time as maniacally as he delivers his vocals. Meanwhile, his guitar aches and grinds out a melody, bassist Jared Warren lithely following suit, and the double-drumming onslaught punishingly moving things forward, the vocals soaring overhead. The feedback and buzzing flow seamlessly into another Nude track, “Dog Island”. Things get a little sludgier here, Osborne’s voice dipping deeper, the guitar and bass amping up the overdrive and distortion. “Dies Iraea” gets the same sort of fade-in treatment, double tom rolls guiding the way into the track, crushing guitar overtones forcing the issue. The instrumental track is an adaptation of the theme to legendary horror film The Shining, which itself is a version of a composition by Hector Berlioz....full text |
The Melvins lyrics
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