[rating=3.00]
The original oddballs of Sub-Pop return with Under A Billion Suns, a clanging mix of guitar noise, 50’s pop, and paranoid dirty vocals with the occasional trombone backing. The band has expounded upon the sound they unveiled with 2002’s Since We’ve Become Translucent. Working with 3 different producers over an extended period, Mudhoney set out to capture a more complete vision of the band rather then a brief snapshot of time spent in the studio.
Constructed on a powerful MC-5 soul shake and topped with Mark Arm’s gritty singing the songs sprawl fourth. Lyrically an angry/questioning album, Suns doesn’t always hit the mark with actual words but shows disdain for today’s world through sneer and delivery. Arm touches on why old men have a “Hard-On For War” and on “Where is the Future?” the state of things to come, both depressing topics for him. However the latter contains a brass injection that’s a melodious kick, igniting the record.
The punk of “Empty Shells” and Steve Turners sludge riff assault on “In Search Of…” harkens back to the Seattle group’s grunge roots, yet both still play fresh against some of the weaker rock out today. The stop/start breaks and chorus of “On the Move” fuel metallic sing-along’s, while the instrumental “A Brief Celebration Of Indifference” accentuates a groovy surf rock. There are a few weighted, plodding numbers, “Let’s Drop In” being one, but the sax and screams manage to keep things from getting completely water logged.
Mudhoney was always tough to pin down, but if you download one track to get a feel for their new style, make it the disc closing “Blindspots.” It has a Stooges aggression wrapped in pissed off barbs, dancing guitar lines and a driving horn arraignment that encompasses the bands growth. Forging solid new ground Under A Billion Suns, should satisfy Mudhoney’s aging fan base and maybe reel in some first timers to bask in the grunge glow.
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