Pitchfork

You probably know someone who was in Melvins-- an uncle, your favorite barista, hell, even you. In the last quarter century, Buzz Osborne's revolving door has cycled through over a dozen musicians (the band says maybe 40), from Throne Joe Preston and KISS' Gene Simmons to co-founders Matt Lukin and Mike Dillard, even tapping SPK member Lustmord and DK Jello Biafra for collaborations. Keeping anything fresh for 25 years can't be too easy. Mostly, these crazy Melvins succeeded.

It shouldn't be a shock, then, that Osborne and longtime member Dale Crover had the good sense to recruit Jared Warren and Coady Willis of Seattle's fine Big Business two years ago. The Melvins-cum-Big Business attack has been alternately heavy and agile, slimy and gleaming, feeling fortified on every front. On 2006's (A) Senile Animal, subsequent tours, and the forthcoming Nude With Boots, Willis and Warren both chisel and propel Melvins. The newest record's title track is a prime example: Streamlined and strengthened, Melvins sound a little like Cheap Trick with bigger forearms and taller stacks. Double drums lead in, gradually accelerating, like a car winding up to speed down the open road. Guitars jangle (no joke) around a tambourine-augmented (no joke) beat. Half of the track is instrumental, but-- by the time its not-quite-four minutes expire-- it sticks like a pure pop anthem. Again, no joke.