Rat Farm

Meat Puppets fans have been itching for a return to form since bassist and co-founder Cris Kirkwood came back to the fold in 2007. Curious recording decisions, such as the inclusion of synthesizers and studio sheen on 2011's Lollipop, have prevented a concrete follow-up, but realizing people were longing for music in a similar vein as the classic outings Meat Puppets I, II, and Up on the Sun, guitarist/vocalist Curt Kirkwood explained in a press statement that he was attempting to keep their music simple for Rat Farm. He made the conscious decision to write songs around open chords and simple melodies without complicating the songs with too many additional parts or changes, as the brothers Kirkwood tend to do. In truth, the swirling harmonies and the country-fried noodling potentially make the album slightly more complex than originally intended, but the frills are never intrusive, and the dumbed-down approach and straight-ahead recording style make Rat Farm the best re-creation of their earlier laid-back psych-punk vibe since Huevos. Four decades in, the lyrics continue to be playful and, worn around the edges as the Kirkwoods may be, the group sounds comfortable, passionate, and inspired. Perhaps this breath of renewal is due to younger members, Curt's son Elmo on second guitar and drummer Shandon Sahm, son of Tejano music legend Doug Sahm. Hard to stack up to the wonder years this far into their career, but Rat Farm comes darn close. The tracks on their 14th outing are the closest they've come in a long time to the colorful, no-frills brand of twangy alt-rock and informal punk (with hints of Americana, country, folk, and prog) that they instilled on their SST records. ~ Jason Lymangrover