Mike & The Melvins- Three Men and a Baby
by Dillon Price on April 1, 2016
Genre: Sludge-metal, stoner rock Release date: April 1, 2016 Number of Tracks: 12 Label: Sub Pop Record Website: themelvins.net
Purchase or preview Three Men And a Baby
Back in 1998, after the disbandment of godheadSilo, bassist/vocalist Mike Kunka briefly began following The Melvins on tour. He later teamed up with them to work on an album now known as Three Men And a Baby. The collaboration itself would be called Mike & The Melvins, the next big thing to come out of Sub Pop Records. That is, until somewhere along the way things fell apart at the seems (for mysterious reasons). From 1999 to 2015, the recordings gathered dust on a shelf. Shockingly, something brought the collaboration back together to complete the album and submit it to Sub Pop Records for release.
So with the Melvins about to release Basses Loaded via Ipecac Recordings, why on earth would Three Men And a Baby suddenly come back from the dead after 17 years? With former Big Business guitarist Toshi Kasai as the producer who dusted off the old recordings and mixed them, you’d think the sound would be up to date. Instead, Three Men And a Baby encompasses a pre-grunge heaviness typically found from the late 80’s to early 90’s, right around the time The Melvins began emerging onto the scene.
The Melvins unleash their signature sludge guitar riffs “Chicken ‘n’ Dump.” The melding of crunchy guitars and hard hitting bass-lines makes the song heavy-as-fuck. However, there is one thing missing from this song and that is Buzz Osbourne’s raunchy (and sometimes comical) vocals. Instead, Kunka’s vocals echo throughout most of the track giving the song a solemn vibe. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not something I would expect from The Melvins.
Like “Chicken ‘n’ Dump,” the second track “Limited Teeth” is bulldozer of concrete bass-lines and heavy palm-muted guitar riffs. The vocals on this track are more suitable for The Melvins. Other good songs on this album encompass the same heavy rhythms such as “Annalisa,” “Read The Label (It’s Chili)” and “Pound The Giants.” The Melvins even bring in a mildly soulful and shape-shifting stoner-rock on “Lifestyle Hammer.”
While this album has it’s pros, it also has its cons. Tracks like “A Dead Pile of Worthless Junk,” “A Friend In Need Is a Friend You Don’t Need” and “Art School Fight Song” are just noise on top of noise and are rather annoying. It kind of reminds me of the “shock and awe” filler tracks commonly found on Butthole Surfers’ albums. It was funny in the 90’s, but in this day and age, people are too jaded to care.
Three Men and A Baby is fun and eclectic, but more appropriately should have just stayed on The Melvins’ moniker. I would definitely listen to this album again, but it certainly wouldn’t be my first choice when it comes to The Melvins’ discography.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCuB1yAZkKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARlKS8mf-W0
Mike & The Melvins- Three Men and a Baby was originally published on Sound Renaissance
