[4/5] Mudhoney have been around for so long that at this point we should be hearing "Touch Me I'm Sick" on classic-rock radio between Mountain and Bad Company. And while the band's erratic psychedelic squalls are at least partially responsible for whiny stoners like Nebula and Fu Manchu, their blaring guitar abandon (and convenient location) also paved the way for Nirvana and Soundgarden. Despite the absence of longtime bassist Matt Lukin--and the addition of a horn section--the Seattle patriarchs' ninth full-length, Under A Billion Suns, is their best record in years. On "Hard-On For War," Mark Arm sounds like Wayne Kramer (if the MC5 frontman had been busted for acid instead of coke) screeching for blood and pussy; and on "Endless Yesterday," the band unfurl a bleary organ-driven soul epic that proves they don't really need to prove anything.
(SUB POP) J. Bennett
 Official Website: http://www.subpop.com
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