Mudhoney
Piece of Cake

THE REVIEW

1992: the Grunge explosion is at its peak. Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam are dominating the charts everywhere, media and critics have their eyes focused on Seattle, and the record labels are bending over backward to scoop up the new Kurt Cobains or Eddie Vedders. In the meantime, they are dredging up most of the independent bands that have so greatly inspired the new golden geese of rock music. This leads to paradoxical situations: bands like Melvins, Meat Puppets, Butthole Surfers (!!) are signing with major labels... only to return to independent reality once the grunge hurricane has passed, of course.

Among the excellent rediscoveries of those years, there are also them, the Mudhoney, who primarily contributed to creating that sound now so sought after and profitable, moving from the beloved Sub Pop to Reprise, a subsidiary of Time Warner. So what changes in Mudhoney's house with the transition to the mainstream?

Absolutely nothing. In fact, not only do Mark Arm and company not achieve notable commercial results with this "Piece of Cake", their third full-length (only the single "Suck You Dry" would have good success, remaining moreover the only single in their career to reach the higher zones of the charts), but they do not change the coordinates of their dirty, distorted, and unhealthy sound at all. Besides, if Arm or Turner wanted to change skins, they vented in other projects, see "The Freewheelin' Mark Arm" or the talented Monkeywrench. And indeed, the references are always the same: '60s style garage, Stooges, MC5, Count Five, and Blue Cheer, seasoned with patented Fuzz and Muff distortions. There are few novelties: the Hammond organ returns, already present from the previous album "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge", here enhancing the almost soul "Let Me Let You Down", the lively instrumental "Youth Body Expression Explosion" and "When in Rome", a ballad with a '70s flavor that slightly reminds me of the pop-rock ballads that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would propose from "Californication" onwards.

The real surprise of "Piece of Cake" is, however, the concluding "Acetone", a country ballad that you wouldn't actually expect from the kings of Fuzz. Initially making you raise an eyebrow, the piece soon earns appreciation. The best song on the record, however, in my opinion, is the spectacular "Blinding Sun", with the historic refrain "WHAT HAVE I DONE?!", which is still (fortunately) a cornerstone at concerts today.

What else to say about "Piece of Cake"? That on the one hand, the link to their style is strong, so much so that in some tracks the compositional solutions recall other songs: like the energetic single "Suck You Dry", which echoes the atmospheres and themes of the legendary "Touch Me I'm Sick", or "13th Floor Opening" (a homage?), which wallows in the same mire that made "Mudride" so great, without, however, matching its intensity; on the other hand, beneath the distortion, one can read between the lines a desire to experiment, as in the aforementioned songs or in the idea of the 4 bizarre instrumental tracks, each composed by a group member solo, that introduce and intersperse the album. In any case, an excellent product, even if not up to the best releases signed by Mudhoney.