It is testament to the Kirkwoods that even this far down the line they’re still sounding inspired and vital.
What really lifts these songs over most of their type, though, is the Puppets’ genius with melody and song structure. You never know how a particular song will unfold on first listen.
Hard to stack up to the wonder years this far into their career, but Rat Farm comes darn close
'Rat Farm' is a worthy addition to their legacy, with the Puppets' stock moves – gently fried country-rock and psychedelia with Neil Young-worthy guitar solos – used to stirring effect.
Rat Farm is another example of how singular the Meat Puppets are, each new record sounding more like themselves than anything else.
Good but not as good as you might think it is on a song-to-song basis, enjoyable but somewhat less memorable.
All that remarkable stuff that's been lost to the Puppets' gradual mellowing-- the hardcore furor, the Deadhead twinkle, the sunburnt boogie-- hasn't been replaced by, well, much of anything. Which leaves the perfectly pleasant Rat Farm feeling strangely wanting.
1 | Rat Farm 3:54 | |
2 | One More Drop 3:46 | |
3 | Down 3:25 | |
4 | Leave Your Head Alone 4:20 | |
5 | Again 3:25 | |
6 | You Don't Know 4:13 | |
7 | Waiting 3:14 | |
8 | Time and Money 3:50 | |
9 | Sometimes Blue 3:48 | |
10 | Original One 4:12 | |
11 | River Rose 3:22 | |
12 | Sweet 4:22 |