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OTHER A & E STORIES - The biggest party of the year, Bumbershoot! - Robert E. Colbert Artist and Lecture Series: Fall 2002 - The Queens of the Stone Age try not to alienate with "Songs for the Deaf" Seattle's own, Mudhoney is back with a new album, and it might just be their best yet Brian Kerin A & E Editor Back in the early nineties when a new sound, dubbed "grunge" by music industry journalists, broke big and put Seattle on the music world map, a little band called Mudhoney appeared on the periphery. At least musically Mudhoney was the only band of its contemporaries (bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam) that actually sounded "grungy"; but sometimes looks overshadow sound when the industry is concerned. Compared to the other Seattle bands, Mudhoney experienced only minor success. Making three albums on a major label, they were then dropped when their last album "Tomorrow hit today" sold poorly. Now back on their original label, local "indie" Sub Pop Records, Mudhoney has just released a brand spankin new album titled, "Since We've Become Translucent". This album just might be their best to date. The album starts off with a trancy, melodic eight minute guitar jam called "Baby, can you dig the light". While the majority of the songs on this album showcase the stereotypical Mudhoney sound. This album is kind of a departure for the band, in two of the songs, the band uses horns. These two songs, "Where the flavor is" and "Take it like a man" both have melodies intertwined with brass instruments; this addition perfectly compliments the normal Mudhoney musical formula. With exception to the addition of horns on a couple of tracks, Mudhoney has pretty much stuck to its original sound; this is evident on the majority of the tracks on "Since We've Become Translucent". As well, the loss of long time bassist Matt Lukin clearly had no effect on the bands sound. New bassist Guy Maddison seems to pick up right where Lukin left off. Maddison constructs bass lines that complement guitarists Mark Arm and Steve Turners dueling guitars work perfectly. The guitar and bass work is exceptional on this album, especially on the last track "Sonic Infusion", another eight minute moody song that runs out the album with a barrage of strange sounds and perfectly arranged guitars. If you are a Mudhoney fan or are curious to actually hear what "grunge music" really sounds like, "Since we've become translucent" is a great album. Also, if you like what you hear Mudhoney plays locally at least once a month, and they always put on a great show that is definitely worth catching. © 2002 Shoreline Community College™