Release
date: April 20th
2018. Label: Ipecac
Recordings.
Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Pinkus
Abortion Technician –
Tracklisting
1.
Stop Moving To Florida
2.
Embrace The Rub
3.
Don’t Forget To Breathe
4.
Flamboyant Duck
5.
Break Bread
6.
I Want To Hold Your Hand
7.
Prenup Butter
8.
Graveyard
Members
Buzz
Osborne – Guitars/Vox
Dale
Crover – Drums
Jeff
Pinkus – Bass
Steven
McDonald – Bass
Review
Greetings All,
It was a little less
than two years ago that I did my first review for Outlaws. Steve took
a chance on me and handed me the Melvins Basses Loaded. I have been a
huge Melvins fan for over 20 years. I was a grunge kid being in my
teens in the early 90’s. I remember going to the National Record
Mart in Steubenville, Ohio to pick up Houdini the day it came out in
1993. I had read a review in Rolling Stone and was a big Nirvana fan,
so I took a stab and have been hooked ever since.
2018 gives us Pinkus
Abortion Technician, the bands 507th release and 23rd
in the past two years. I’m kidding, but honestly I have lost track.
The band remains insanely prolific. I believe this to be their 3rd
full length in the last 3 years, not counting solo albums, side
projects, etc.
Pinkus Abortion
Technician has Buzz and Dale (If you are reading this I assume you
already have a working knowledge of how the Melvins operate and how
their line up constantly evolves) working with their last two
bassists, Jeff Pinkus (Butthole Surfers, Honky, and more) and Steven
McDonald (Redd Kross, Off!, etc) in an interesting fashion that
includes tons of differing styles and instrumentation. In listening
to the record, I didn’t notice any specific tracks that highlighted
a double bass sound. It seems the band used the opportunity to add to
the unique instrumentation and song structure. The eight songs on the
record are intriguing and eminently listenable.
Stop Moving to
Florida opens the record. It is an amalgamation of the old James
Gang song Stop and the Butthole Surfers track Moving to Florida from
Rembrandt Pussyhorse. The catchy classic rock style of the Stop
portion improves upon the original version, while the Florida portion
is remarkably similar to the original. Embrace the Rub
follows, it is a short New-Wave inspired track with a punk inspired
chorus.
Don’t Forget to
Breathe is a seven minute plus track that moves at a slow,
methodical pace with an ominous sound and shows touches of the bands
more trademark heavy/sludge sound. The song is also highlighted by an
odd steel drum/synth/dulcimer sound. One of the most interesting
songs on the record is the atmospheric pop of Flamboyant Duck.
The song is the first of two that opens with an acoustic guitar and
brings in some of Pinkus trademark banjo plucking before transforming
into a heavy guitar and synth closing. An interesting note on the
first half of the record is that the majority of lead vocals are done
by the bassist duo and not Buzz.
Break Bread is a
more straight ahead, almost southern rock tinged track. It’s no
secret that the band has an affection for ZZ Top. The songs mid-tempo
beat and catchy chorus give way to a noisy breakdown that reminds me
a lot of the little band from Texas. Ironically, one of the heaviest
songs on the record is a cover of the greatest pop group of all time.
I Want to Hold Your
Hand has been a live staple for quite a few years. The song
maintains the catchiness of the original but adds a real heavy punch
that makes it one of the stand out tracks on the record. The Melvins
prove throughout this record (as well as past albums) that they can
really do some remarkable work with a cover song. Prenup Butter
follows and opens once again with an acoustic guitar that gives way
to a definite psychedelic guitar sound. The track has a driving drum
beat that carries a dark, heavy psych stomp. A second Butthole
Surfers cover of Graveyard, from the almost name sake Surfers
record Locust Abortion Technician, closes the record.
This is the sludgiest,
most old school Melvins sounding track on the record. The band makes
it their own, while still keeping it similar to the original, this
track may be the most obvious to have a double bass sound to it. The
guitars are heavy, the drums loud and the vocals are trade mark Buzz
style with plenty of noise and feedback to go around.
At this point in the
game the Melvins approach an album and do what they want with no
regard or interest in what others expect or want them to do. This
must be an amazingly liberating feeling. If you are a Melvins fan, you
will absolutely dig Pinkus Abortion Technician.
Don’t do yourself
the disservice of pushing it off because it lacks the Sludge of Lysol
or the heaviness/metal sound of their Atlantic years. Embrace it and
enjoy the ride, the Melvins know where they are going, even if the
rest of us don’t.
Pinkus Abortion Technician is a welcome addition
to an already impressive catalog of killer music.
Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou
Words by Todd Stealey
Thanks
to Lauren
at Rarely Unable PR
for the promo. Pinkus
Abortion Technician
will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl
via Ipecac Recordings
from April 20th
2018.
Links:
