Melvins

 So a bit of a goal this year, decided this week actually, is to listen to the entire Melvins back catalogue. Why the Melvins? Don't know. They seem like good guys and their music is diverse. They're at the same time hugely influential in drone, grunge and sludge music, while extremely underrated and rarely mentioned. A lot of people say they like the Melvins, can maybe even mention an album (usually just Houdini), but I don't think I've ever met anyone who knows the band on the same level as other bands are understood. One thing I will say about their sound is this: I love how it sounds. It sounds like a band playing music they love, not a factory pumping out algorithmically perfect music. There are flaws and scars and squeals and gaps and fuck I love it. I also love the sheer lack of solos in the first few records I've heard. There is a severe focus on riffage and drums. None of this aggrandising virtuosic guitar playing and moments where someone is held above the rest. It is tight and meaty and vicious and most of all collaborative.

I appreciate a band that can be so prolific as to create album after album and not hold themselves back. Sure you may end up with some tracks that are less-refined or overly experimental, but you don't stagnate or fall into the trap of perfectionism that kills so many artists. Writers included. 

I know people who have spent ten years crafting one album, only for it to turn out rather...lacking, in my opinion. I'd rather you throw things at the wall and see what stuck than focus all your time on crafting a singular work that will stand the test of time.

The Melvins are not the only band that fits this discription of a highly prolific and creative group, producing a tonne of content consistently. King Gizzard comes to mind, as does Phish or Zappa. There are many lists of prolific bands, I don't need to add them all here. Even headlining bands like Motörhead, Cradle of Filth and Megadeth produce a lot. These are (and were) all bands who don't leave large gaps of years between releases, resting on their laurels and living off past successes. These bands constantly create, many of them innovating and changing. Growing as they go. Unafraid to release release release.

Anyway, point is that there is a lot we can learn from them. I am very inspired by the Melvins' approach to creation — they create because that's what they are, creators. They don't sit and craft a perfect album over years, painstakingly making sure each note and beat is perfect. They write song upon song, They jam and play and create because they want to and love to. Whether a record deal existed or not, they would do it.

That is a very inspiring thing for someone who loves to create.

So here I am, working my way though the catalogue of the Melvins. I've listened to the first three albums a few times, a couple of E.Ps and I'm so far enjoying the journey.