Review / 200 Words Or Less
Mudhoney
Digital Garbage

2018 marks the 30th year of existence for Seattle stalwarts, Mudhoney. 30 years on for most bands usually means one or two tired original members clinging to the past - Rewarming leftover albums on tour while an even more tired and bleary-eyed audience leaves early because they have to work the next day. 

Not so with The Mudhoneys. Digital Garbage is an album that sounds anything but tired and maintains the same garage-steeped riffs and youthful cynicism the band spat out in 1988.

Now, it’s a well known fact that nobody sings snide like Mark Arm. The thing is, anybody can be a snarky little prick, but where Arm excels, is how earnest and cutting his lyrics can be. In a song like "Kill Yourself Live", it takes a deft hand and voice to pull off an indictment of social media yet still somehow make it seem like he’s the first to pass down the judgement. 

Digital Garbage is bassist Guy Maddison’s 5th album with the band, but it’s here, on songs like “Hey Neanderfuck” and “Messiah’s Lament” that he turns in some of his best performances - playing off that glorious Steve Turner fuzz on the former, and staying locked in with drummer Dan Peters throughout.

The band has aged well. Better than most of us. But thankfully if they keep releasing aural omega-3’s like Digital Garbage, we’ll all be able to grow old together.