The Melvins

The Melvins

Nude With Boots

[4.5/5]

It’ll never be on the radio beside Aerosmith, but the Melvins’ 18th proper album is essentially classic rock for 2008-with the band’s trademark abrasion. From leviathan drum rolls to harpoon guitar hooks, cuts like “The Kicking Machine” play like newly unearthed Led Zeppelin studio outtakes with vocal tracks that were irretrievably damaged in ill-advised experiments with either the pitch knob or various narcotics. “The Smiling Cobra” could have been recorded on a World War I battlefield; as if hiding from a dive-bombing guitar, frontman Buzz Osborne and drummer/vocalist Dale Crover drop their operatic wacky vocals and instead bark frantic orders over a rumble seemingly coming from assault vehicles. The tank and zeppelin aren’t the only warhorses in service. If Joe Walsh would quit dicking around with the Eagles and commit to a James Gang reunion, he’ll do well to start by stealing the title track’s oddly perky riff. (IPECAC) D.X. Ferris

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