Mudhoney - Vanishing Point (Sub Pop)

From the first bluesy psych-rock seconds of “Slipping Away,” it becomes quite obvious that the quarter-century old Seattle band Mudhoney are offering up absolutely nothing new, and that’s an absolutely good thing. Vanishing Point is the band’s ninth album With Mudhoney, you know exactly what you’re getting, because they know exactly what their strengths are—crunchy, powerful garage-rock that blends together hard rock, blues, and psych-rock. Mark Arm is still one helluva powerful singer, and whether the band’s knocking out powerful, anthemic rockers like “I Like It Small” and “Douchebags on Parade,“experimenting with trippier sounds like “In The Rubber Room,” or are just going for the balls-out punk-rockers like “Chardonnay,” fans of Mudhoney will not be disappointed with this one. Mark Arm’s sense of humor is also still strong, with him offering up both biting commentary on nostalgia and friendship in the era of Facebook (“I Don’t Remember You”) or a hilarious, Life of Brian style tale (“The Only Son of the Widow from Nain”). It’s good to know some bands can stick with a rewarding formula and still sound as fresh and vital as they did when they first began.