Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun

8.7/10

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One distinct sign of a good record is that it's ALWAYS better than you remember it being. This is one of those albums for me.

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What always sticks out to me is the extremely beautiful guitar interplay between the bass and guitar. No song displays this virtuosity more than "Maiden's Milk," with arpeggios galore and even a whistling line over the top of it all.

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Another great thing about Up on the Sun is its consistancy. Every song is fresh and builds momentum throughout the album. Songs seem to increase in energy as the album goes on.

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This might be a bit of a stretch, but at times (thinking this as I'm listening to "Buckethead") this album sounds like what Gang of Four's Entertainment! would sound like if you were to take away the political and social angst and replace it with a much more carefree, fun approach.

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I guess one knock on this album is that over time I've grown somewhat tired of the flat vocal approach. Meat Puppets II is actually much better in that regard, with memorable vocal lines spewn throughout. But in terms of instrumentation and how the band sounds as a whole, this takes the cake.

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Great album for fans of Felt, The Feelies, and other similar bands with jangly guitars and dry vocals.