{"id":43400,"date":"2018-12-03T08:46:07","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T08:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=43400"},"modified":"2018-12-05T09:12:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T09:12:41","slug":"headline-stress-disorder-mudhoney-satirise-social-media-and-the-24-hour-news-cycle-on-caustic-10th-album-digital-garbage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2018\/12\/headline-stress-disorder-mudhoney-satirise-social-media-and-the-24-hour-news-cycle-on-caustic-10th-album-digital-garbage\/","title":{"rendered":"HEADLINE STRESS DISORDER – Mudhoney Satirise Social Media And The 24-Hour News Cycle On Caustic 10th Album ‘Digital Garbage’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fuelled by scathing fury and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of scuzzy riffs, Digital Garbage<\/strong> sees Mudhoney <\/strong>frontman Mark Arm <\/strong>set his sights on post-truth America.<\/p>\n

Over the course of 11 tracks, Arm vents his spleen at everything from evangelical Christianity and gun control, to right-wing paranoia and the spirit-crushing status anxiety of social media.<\/p>\n

On opener Nerve Attack<\/strong>, Arm dials back his usual screaming vocal-style, sounding almost like David Bowie <\/strong>on this cautionary tale of a fragile mind fracturing under the pressures of modern life.<\/p>\n

The trademark Seattle yowl is back with a vengeance on Paranoid Core <\/strong>\u2013 a savage indictment of those who use bigotry and fear to provoke feelings of anger and resentment.<\/p>\n

Merciless in his mockery, Arm uses the language of prejudice to expose its inherent ridiculousness:<\/p>\n

\u201cRobots and aliens stealing jobs\/They’re bringing drugs, they’ll rape your mom,<\/em>
\nBeware the city’s dazzling lights\/Where dykes are waiting to steal your wife\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

The scathing\u00a0Kill Yourself Live<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(see below video) examines the lengths some will go for the sake of a like\u00a0and the uncomfortable truth that every share is out there forever floating around in the titular digital garbage.<\/p>\n

On Messiah\u2019s Lament <\/strong><\/em>and the savagely brilliant 21st<\/sup> Century Pharisees<\/strong><\/em> \u2013 fast becoming a live favourite – Arm turns his ire on religion.<\/p>\n

The shuffling Messiah<\/em> \u2013 the band\u2019s first song in 6\/8 time – sees the singer imagine himself as a Christ-like figure looking down aghast at the outrages being committed in his name.<\/p>\n

The snarling Pharisees<\/em>, featuring a typically dissonant, dishevelled solo from Steve<\/strong> Turner<\/strong>, appears to satirise some right-wing Christian groups’ unwavering support for Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t give a fuck about your Jesus\/And it\u2019s clear that you don\u2019t either,\u201d<\/em> Arm sneers above a barrage of electronics and skew-whiff guitars.<\/p>\n

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Mudhoney: Mark Arm, Dan Peters, Steve Turner and Guy Maddison<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Musically, Mudhoney seldom stray far from their customary blistering squall of distortion, with Dan Peters<\/strong>‘ pugnacious drumming providing the foundation stone.<\/p>\n

Guy Maddison <\/strong>contributes swirling synths and well as meaty, fibrous bass lines, with Arm himself providing Hammond organ on the lengthy intro to Kill Yourself Live<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Neanderfuck<\/strong><\/em>,<\/strong> as the name suggests, pokes fun at those who seem to take pride in their own ignorance, while the sinister Night And Fog<\/strong><\/em> starts like a Nick Cave <\/strong>Blues rattler before climaxing into a pulsating instrumental wig out.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more terrific guitar work from Turner on Please Mr Gunman<\/strong><\/em> – inspired by a real-life church shooting – while Prosperity Gospel <\/strong><\/em>chastises the notion of wealth without responsibility.<\/p>\n

As if to lift the pressure valve on all this intensity, the final song Oh Yeah <\/strong><\/em>is a joyful celebration of the simple pleasures of skating, surfing and biking.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an upbeat ending to an angry album leavened, as ever, by Arm\u2019s sarcastic wit and the sheer unburdened exuberance of the performances.<\/p>\n

Everyone should have at least one Mudhoney album on their collection and Digital Garbage<\/em> is no bad place to start.<\/p>\n