Bootlicker
The Melvins will never be satisfied to do things the way everybody else does them, and for this give thanks. Not only is this disc the second in a three-part CD extravaganza (which started with early 1999's unabashedly metallicMaggotand ends with 2000'sThe Crybaby), but the music is curiously unlike the Melvins. Bassist Kevin Rutmanis of Cows officially joins Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover, and the match appears heaven-made. From the slithery, sexy strains of the opener "Toy" to the meandering and many-faceted 11-minute "Let It All Be" to the beautiful,Sebadoh-ish ending of "Prig," some fans may be baffled and disappointed while others will be delighted and enchanted. If you've never really been a Melvins fan, but take secret delight in '70s psychedelia and prog-rock and cut your teeth on '80 and '90s alternative rock, then try the exotica ofThe Bootlicker. --Lorry Fleming