Mudhoney - Under a Billion Suns

Storm Surge

Mudhoney is still intact, it's all here: The surging, relentless power-sludge welling up out of the rumbling bass, drums and guitar drone complete with crashing waves of squirrelly soloing.

The eyebrow-raising addition of horns works in every way it shouldn't. Rather than punctuate the tracks, they meld right in with the drone and add color and most importantly power, upping the intensity.

The apocalyptic lyrical pronouncements are hurled down the mountain by Mark Arm as a disgusted Old Testament prophet in the mood for judgment and retribution. A true tribal elder, Mr. Arm has always stood apart from run of the mill punk rock critics because his criticisms come from a place of interior shame and frustration, not just anger. He has seen the enemy and the enemy is us.

The songs:

The Bush-Cheney Iraq adventure rant Hard-On For War first turned up on Thurston Moore's MP3 protest song site and has justly gained much attention. It rocks hard and protests loudly.

In a Rolling Stone magazine play list, Jeff Ament from Pearl Jam said Under A Billion Suns was the best Mudhoney album ever and called out I Saw The Light as his favorite. No argument here.

The All Music Guide reviewer picked out Let's Drop In for special attention. This song is a Mudhoney groover along the lines of Real Low Vibe where the horns are especially effective. Pretty cool.

My personal pick for best track is the album closer Blindspots. This relentless hard rocker takes me back to the grunge rock glories of old. It must be played loud, very loud. Blindness is the best defense / Senselessness is the best defense.
August 23, 2006

Blast from the past

Mudhoney have always refused to be a part of the 'mainstream' despite the fact that in the late 80s they were among the originators of grunge. As a matter of fact they have always celebrated their 'independent' status and this is something they do not forget to do in their new album. In 'Under a Billion Suns' they utilise their old acid grunge recipes, add to the mix a healthy dose of horn arrangements and, while their 'old' age has by now become pretty obvious, they manage to serve us with quite a few refreshments which are especially delightful for their old fans. This album won't change your life, it's probably not the first Mudhoney record one should buy but it's well worth a few spins in your player. Do not ignore it! August 10, 2006

Rawk!

I am so trapped on old Mud that I was skeptical about this at first, but they are still very much alive, and after a few listens this completely blew me away. "Hard-On For War" was the icebreaker and then it was all bliss from there.. July 22, 2006

Good.

Very good. I like it alot, i'd give it more of a 4.5 stars. Hard on for War is funny and true, I love the fact that Mudhoney tackled politics without a sense of self righteousness or overblown arrogance. May 18, 2006

Long Live Mudhoney.

This is a great album. 17-18 years on, Mudhoney do not let off. Too bad Lukin is not around but that fact is beside the point. Mudhoney are the masters of rock. Pure rock and roll my friends. These boys do not mess around. Hard On For War is one of the best songs I have heard in the last ten years. Mudhoney remains vital, fresh, and ready to kick the [...] out of modern music which is pretty much complete garbage. These guys never sold out and make no bones about it. Long live Mudhoney. April 7, 2006

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