Jeremy Aaron
07/23/09, 11:11 AM
Meat Puppets - Sewn Together
Record Label: Mega Force
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Few bands have what it takes to last three decades in the music business, and anyone who, in the early '80s, dared to speculate that new Meat Puppets albums would be dropping through 2009 probably would have been considered crazy. That's not to say it's been an easy road for the band, which has seen numerous lineup changes, with the Kirkwood brothers, vocalist/guitarist Curt and bassist Cris, reuniting for 2007's Rise to Your Knees, their first recording together in over a decade. For those who haven't followed the band's recent career arc, they sound hardly anything like the band that recorded their rousing self-titled debut, which blazed through fourteen tracks in a shade over twenty minutes, or the countryfied Husker Du act of the aptly-titled follow-up Meat Puppets II.
The 21st Century Puppets' sound carries a much more classic rock vibe with an alt-country flair than the seminal cowpunk aesthetic of their early days, the more polished approach perhaps a reflection the band members' maturity and growth as musicians. You can hear the sophistication in Curt's voice, as his occasional brooding croon bears similarities to classic folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, a stark contrast to his wide-eyed, off-kilter singing of the past. You can hear it in the music itself, which is a double-edged sword of sorts. These songs are exceedingly listenable, but nothing displays the vigor and vitality that were hugely influential to a young Kurt Cobain, whose band would end up breaking their little '80s underground scene to the mainstream.
All this isn't to say that Sewn Together is a bad or disappointing album; it's not. Not drawing some comparisons to the band's crucial early recordings would seem to downplay their importance. The new Meat Puppets album is a highly-likable professionally-crafted record that's full of hooks that should appeal to most fans of alt-country and classic Southern rock. The title track sets the tone for the disc with its infectious, bouncy melody, smooth harmonies, light-hearted twang, and just a touch of the band's vintage quirkiness. They take on a slightly edgier tone on "Blanket of Weeds," but don't skimp on the pop appeal, laying down a contagious chorus in the vein of Tom Petty.
The band broods a bit on "I'm Not You," a song with light gothic Americana undertones that highlights the album's predilection toward whimsical, and often impenetrable, lyrics, with lines like, "I'm not you no matter what you do. No matter what you see, I'll always be a chimpanzee." The darkly contemplative tone continues on "Sapphire," which likewise provides some colorful imagery: "Between the black and the gray, there is only the rage of the waterfall dream." While they're frequently fascinating in their trippy artsiness, Kirkwood's enigmatic lines might prove exasperating for some.
The five-minute "Rotten Shame" just might be the most straight-ahead classic-rock tune the band has recorded while "Go to Your Head" wanders close to power-ballad territory. These songs illustrate one of the main shortcomings of Sewn Together -- if you're going to venture into well-worn styles like these, you need to impress with hooks or lyrics, and while there are many moments on the album that do just that, these middle tunes don't quite stack up. Similarly, "Clone" contains some uncharacteristic cascading piano washes combined with persistent riffs, a combination that could have been the backbone to an impressive song, but Kirkwoods monotone delivery seems almost disinterested and definitely lacking the passion present on the album's better moments.
On "Smoke," the vocal comparison made earlier comes full circle, as it almost sounds like it could have been a Gordon Lightfoot song. Sacrilegious as it might be to say, the sense of familiarity that the likeness provides makes it one of the album's more appealing slower moments. The mid-tempo "Nursery Rhyme" evokes a similar sense of deja vu, and will probably sound familiar to anyone who grew up with a dad who listened to The Allman Brothers, Steve Miller and Crosby, Stills and Nash (which I'm assuming is more than just me). Despite being somewhat run-of-the-mill, its bright harmonies make for easy sing-alongs, a trait that always adds to the memorability of a song, though belting out a line like, "Out of the fog flew a rubber baby" (the main hook in the chorus), might produce some confused expressions from onlookers.
Punk purists will likely shun Sewn Together, and admittedly, it's not a good place for the unitiated to start when looking to get into the band or to gain an understanding of the band's historical importance and influence. However, it is a wide-appeal type album, and those who generally warm up to music with a little twang will undoubtedly find a lot to like here. Start-to-finish, it's full of head-bobbers and toe-tappers with the occasional swaying ballad, most of which are replete with catchy melodies. It's clearly not their most creative work, but it's inherently enjoyable, a pretty remarkable achievement for a band soon to be entering their fourth decade in existence.
Limbeck's Limbeck
Wilco's Being There
Elliott Brood's Ambassador
Phonograph's Phonograph
Ninja Gun's Restless Rubes
Check out Meat Puppets on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/themeatpuppets).
Record Label: Mega Force
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Few bands have what it takes to last three decades in the music business, and anyone who, in the early '80s, dared to speculate that new Meat Puppets albums would be dropping through 2009 probably would have been considered crazy. That's not to say it's been an easy road for the band, which has seen numerous lineup changes, with the Kirkwood brothers, vocalist/guitarist Curt and bassist Cris, reuniting for 2007's Rise to Your Knees, their first recording together in over a decade. For those who haven't followed the band's recent career arc, they sound hardly anything like the band that recorded their rousing self-titled debut, which blazed through fourteen tracks in a shade over twenty minutes, or the countryfied Husker Du act of the aptly-titled follow-up Meat Puppets II.
The 21st Century Puppets' sound carries a much more classic rock vibe with an alt-country flair than the seminal cowpunk aesthetic of their early days, the more polished approach perhaps a reflection the band members' maturity and growth as musicians. You can hear the sophistication in Curt's voice, as his occasional brooding croon bears similarities to classic folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, a stark contrast to his wide-eyed, off-kilter singing of the past. You can hear it in the music itself, which is a double-edged sword of sorts. These songs are exceedingly listenable, but nothing displays the vigor and vitality that were hugely influential to a young Kurt Cobain, whose band would end up breaking their little '80s underground scene to the mainstream.
All this isn't to say that Sewn Together is a bad or disappointing album; it's not. Not drawing some comparisons to the band's crucial early recordings would seem to downplay their importance. The new Meat Puppets album is a highly-likable professionally-crafted record that's full of hooks that should appeal to most fans of alt-country and classic Southern rock. The title track sets the tone for the disc with its infectious, bouncy melody, smooth harmonies, light-hearted twang, and just a touch of the band's vintage quirkiness. They take on a slightly edgier tone on "Blanket of Weeds," but don't skimp on the pop appeal, laying down a contagious chorus in the vein of Tom Petty.
The band broods a bit on "I'm Not You," a song with light gothic Americana undertones that highlights the album's predilection toward whimsical, and often impenetrable, lyrics, with lines like, "I'm not you no matter what you do. No matter what you see, I'll always be a chimpanzee." The darkly contemplative tone continues on "Sapphire," which likewise provides some colorful imagery: "Between the black and the gray, there is only the rage of the waterfall dream." While they're frequently fascinating in their trippy artsiness, Kirkwood's enigmatic lines might prove exasperating for some.
The five-minute "Rotten Shame" just might be the most straight-ahead classic-rock tune the band has recorded while "Go to Your Head" wanders close to power-ballad territory. These songs illustrate one of the main shortcomings of Sewn Together -- if you're going to venture into well-worn styles like these, you need to impress with hooks or lyrics, and while there are many moments on the album that do just that, these middle tunes don't quite stack up. Similarly, "Clone" contains some uncharacteristic cascading piano washes combined with persistent riffs, a combination that could have been the backbone to an impressive song, but Kirkwoods monotone delivery seems almost disinterested and definitely lacking the passion present on the album's better moments.
On "Smoke," the vocal comparison made earlier comes full circle, as it almost sounds like it could have been a Gordon Lightfoot song. Sacrilegious as it might be to say, the sense of familiarity that the likeness provides makes it one of the album's more appealing slower moments. The mid-tempo "Nursery Rhyme" evokes a similar sense of deja vu, and will probably sound familiar to anyone who grew up with a dad who listened to The Allman Brothers, Steve Miller and Crosby, Stills and Nash (which I'm assuming is more than just me). Despite being somewhat run-of-the-mill, its bright harmonies make for easy sing-alongs, a trait that always adds to the memorability of a song, though belting out a line like, "Out of the fog flew a rubber baby" (the main hook in the chorus), might produce some confused expressions from onlookers.
Punk purists will likely shun Sewn Together, and admittedly, it's not a good place for the unitiated to start when looking to get into the band or to gain an understanding of the band's historical importance and influence. However, it is a wide-appeal type album, and those who generally warm up to music with a little twang will undoubtedly find a lot to like here. Start-to-finish, it's full of head-bobbers and toe-tappers with the occasional swaying ballad, most of which are replete with catchy melodies. It's clearly not their most creative work, but it's inherently enjoyable, a pretty remarkable achievement for a band soon to be entering their fourth decade in existence.
Limbeck's Limbeck
Wilco's Being There
Elliott Brood's Ambassador
Phonograph's Phonograph
Ninja Gun's Restless Rubes
Check out Meat Puppets on Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/themeatpuppets).