The Melvins – “Everybody Loves Sausages”

Not sure about sausages, but everybody loves the Melvins! And why wouldn’t we? They have left an indelible mark on the face of modern music in general, not just punk, metal, or grunge. The influence these progenitors have wielded cannot be fully quantized and their legacy will probably be the stuff of mysterious folklore for generations to come.

Aside from all of that, the tongue in cheek nature of their work is usually quite humorous. Everybody Loves Sausages is a great example of a band that rocks hard while never taking themselves too seriously. The album is a collection of cover songs and features a laundry list of celeb cameos. Folks like Jello Biafra, Scott Kelly (Neurosis) and Mark Arm (Mudhoney) lend their talents on songs like Queen’s “Best Friend”, Venom’s “Warhead” and The Kink’s “Attitude”. The songs aren’t exactly played with a straight face, as The Melvins have “Melvinized” them… sometimes to the point of ridiculous. But most of the songs do retain the basic semblance of the originals and benefit from the makeover.

The highlight for me is Roxy Music’s “In Every Dream Home A Heartache,” featuring punk iconoclast Jello Biafra. His delivery is simultaneously creepy and hilarious. The mostly subdued version explodes into madness at the tail end in a most gratifying way. Pick this up if you are a Melvins fan… or a fan of classic songs given a breath of life with a fresh twist.

Track Listing:

01. Warhead (Venom; Guest: Scott Kelly of Neurosis)
02. Best Friend (Queen; Guest: Caleb Benjamin of Tweak Bird)
03. Black Betty (Original artist unknown)
04. Set It On Fire (The Scientists; Guest: Mark Arm)
05. Station To Station (David Bowie; Guest: JG Thirlwell)
06. Attitude (The Kinks: Guest: Clem Burke of Blondie)
07. Female Trouble (Divine, written by John Waters)
08. Carpe Diem (The Fugs)
09. Timothy Leary Lives (Pop-O-Pies)
10. In Every Dream Home A Heartache (Roxy Music; Guests: Jello Biafra and Kevin Rutmanis)
11. Romance (Tales of Terror)
12. Art School (The Jam; Guest: Tom Hazelmeyer)
13. Heathen Earth (Throbbing Gristle)

Run Time: 54:18
Release Date: April 30, 2013

Check out the song “Carpe Diem”