This is the sound of seasoned confidence, of a group who know exactly who they are, and what they do, and how well they’re doing it.
The reality that Vanishing Point is such a vibrant and quintessential Mudhoney album makes it a real triumph.
No outright surprises sonically, but beneath the roar it's hard not to admire how their perennial piss-takes are subtly deepening and how their saturated superfuzz always sounds so good.
In total command of their combination of punishing rock and loveable looseness, ‘Vanishing Point’ often sounds like the last blast of a 72-hour Hold Steady jam.
Some bands never lose the pugnacious attitude that made them definitive of a generation that will always lie in the fabric of society, regardless of what decade it is.
The difference between Mudhoney in 2013 and the Mudhoney of old is that what once seemed highly flammable is now reassuring.
Even if it is just 34 minutes of music after a five year wait, Vanishing Point sounds pretty vital. Not bad for just a hobby.
While Vanishing Point keeps the slack alive, it cries for an extra shot of venom and volume.
Vanishing Point, Mudhoney’s ninth full-length, continues the recent trend of cleaning up the band’s early fuzz without sacrificing their trademark youthful irreverence.
There’s just not enough that grabs you by the throat and pulls you back to listen over and over again.
There's little doubt that Mudhoney intend this to be an obtuse, difficult listen - the lyrical allusions to GG Allin certainly suggest as much – but its lackadaisical approach leaves it feeling toothless rather than effortlessly cool.
Unpleasant-sounding, ill-directed punk rage has its place, but this is the back room of a bar in a provincial town, far away from the ill-deserving ear of the general public.
1 | Slipping Away 4:44 | |
2 | I Like It Small 3:39 | |
3 | What to Do with the Neutral 3:28 | |
4 | Chardonnay 1:38 | |
5 | The Final Course 4:19 | |
6 | In This Rubber Tomb 3:33 | |
7 | I Don't Remember You 2:35 | |
8 | The Only Son Of The Widow From Nain 2:45 | |
9 | Sing This Song of Joy 3:32 | |
10 | Douchebags on Parade 3:51 |