There’s only one Buzz Osborne, main man of the legendary and indefatigable progenitors of sludge metal Melvins. Despite myriad side-projects in addition to Melvins’ own prodigious output, ‘ This Machine Kills Artists’ is Osborne’s solo debut. And he’s gone acoustic!
Fear not, though. Because this is Buzz Osborne. His statement on the 17-track album should allay any fears fans may have that the crazy-haired master of monster riffery has turned into some kind of navel-gazing folk-inspired troubadour: “I have no interest in sounding like a crappy version of James Taylor or a half-assed version of Woody Guthrie,which is what happens when almost every rock and roller straps on an acoustic guitar. No thanks… This Machine Kills Artists is a different kind of animal.”
Sure enough, rather than sounding like some folksy singer-writer or middle-aged troubadour, ‘This Machine Kills Artists’ sees King Buzzo turn in a set that sounds like Melvins, only with the songs performed acoustically. As such, the chunky riffs are still present and correct, and hammered from the instrument with appropriate force.
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One of the benefits of hearing the songs in their most stripped-back, basic forms means the lyrics are easier to pick out, and, as one might expect, they’re a blend of comedic, dark and plain weird. ‘Pick your nose and say that you love me,’ Buzzo croons on ‘Vaulting Over a Microphone.’ The titles also indicate how ‘This Machine’ has all the hallmarks of Melvins greatness all over it: ‘The Blithering Idiot’, ‘The Useless King of Punks’, ‘Drunken baby’ ‘How I Became Offensive’. Buzz certainly hasn’t gone soft or sold out, and gives his full-throated brawling holler on plenty of occasions. The machine may kill many artists, but Buzz Osborne is made of much stronger stuff.
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