Almost every review or piece of writing about Buzz Osborne’s band The Melvins is bound to describe them as “sludge metal pioneers” or something similar. While much of The Melvins' prolific output leans towards heaviness, that is a small view of their amazing diversity. From the distortion free The Bootlicker to abstract weirdness of much of Honky, The Melvins have always pushed forward into new and different territories. They’ve managed to be heavy without silly adolescent anger, humorous without cheese and deadly serious without pretension. There is an inherent mystery to The Melvins' music that defies description. Now we have band leader Buzz Osborne (King Buzzo) delivering his first solo acoustic record. Even though it is being released under his name it could very easily stand within The Melvins catalog, as it still manages to have all of the heaviness of his full band albeit in an extremely stripped down way.
This isn’t a very typical solo record from a rock frontman. Normally a release like this would be softer love songs or odes to childhood lost that other band members would justifiably veto in the writing process. This is not that album. It doesn’t sound too different from The Melvins, it’s just stripped of all electric instruments and drums. From the opening song ‘Dark Brown Teeth’ it’s apparent that no one plays guitar like Buzzo and he doesn’t play guitar like anyone else. Other songs like ‘Laid Back Walking’ and ‘The Vulgar Joke’ feature churning, chugging riffs that many heavy bands would sell a few toes for. Even presented as simply as they are all of the songs manage to feel just as full of life and energy as if they were performed by a full band.
One of the most interesting things about This Machine Kills Artists is the arrangements of the songs. The Melvins have consistently avoided the typical verse-chorus-verse song structure and Buzzo continues that tradition on his own. Rarely is there a defined chorus on the entire album. Some of the songs such as ‘Everything’s Easy For You’ feature an introduction then a second section with a few lines of lyrics and then an abrupt ending. That’s it, no filler and no need to repeat anything. This avoidance of pop song structure keeps the album moving forward briskly and never lets it over stay it’s welcome despite it’s hefty 17 song track list. There’s probably no radio hits and definitely no campfire sing alongs here. There’s just a fantastic and creative musician standing on his own and proving that his songs hold up to any scrutiny even when he’s not backed by a freight train of drums and bass.
Buzzo’s lyrics are as obtuse and darkly humorous as ever. Pinpointing what a song is specifically about is probably an exercise in futility. This works really well for Buzzo though as his clever wording and occasional vague sarcasm offer a bit more for a listener to dig into than your average singer -songwriter fluff. This Machine Kills Artists seems to have a few overarching, loosely connected lyrical themes though. From amusingly cynical lines like “Sometimes you lose, sometimes you don’t die” (‘The Blithering Idiot’) to ambiguously hopeful sentiments “I want to say thank you to all my friends, I won’t complain about beginnings and ends” (‘Drunken Baby’) there is a subtle theme of humble self reliance throughout the whole album. Coupled with the theme of individuality is wry criticism of everything from celebrity excess to laziness. Anyone that’s ever read an interview with Buzzo knows that he has the tendency to speak his mind bluntly and the lyrics on This Machine Kills Artists definitely reflect that without ever sounding preachy. He sings “Just trying to stay alive is good enough” in ‘New River’ and luckily for us listeners he strives for something better than that through his music.
Buzz Osborne has put together a really impressive collection of shorter, concise songs that demand multiple listens. As simple as the concept is there is still plenty of nice studio touches throughout. The acoustic guitar sounds great, it’s recorded clearly and sounds organic and rattly. There is a lot of subtle doubling of guitars and mild use of vocal effects keep the album from sounding too sparse. The little details really work to keep the album both diverse and cohesive at the same time. The first time through the record seems like a whirlwind of riffs and the songs blend into one another, but with repeated listens all of the songs begin to take on their own identity and the little details start standing out.
It’s hard to find any faults within This Machine Kills Artists. If you like The Melvins then there is really no reason you won’t like this record. I’m sure some people will be unhappy with the lack of explosive heaviness but this is a completely different type of album and it’s equally as deep and meticulous as anything Buzzo has ever done with his full band. Hopefully we can look forward to more acoustic endeavors like this alongside The Melvins, as prolific and hard working as Buzz Osborne is I don’t doubt that will be the case.
