CD Reviews

The Melvins

‘Everybody Loves Sausages’

Ipecac

Previous Melvins releases have been more than a little cover-heavy, but with “Everybody Loves Sausages,” the Washington state rockers have gone all in. Boasting 13 tracks, “Sausages” is wildly creative and covers everything from Queen and Bowie to Throbbing Gristle and The Jam. The band has always been capable of a remarkable diversity in sound, and “Sausages” is no different. Its frantic, double-time cover of “Black Betty” takes all the best parts of Ram Jam’s hit version and condenses it into a punky 1:47. Then, two tracks later, the album reaches its creative high point in a languorous 11-and-a-half-minute version of Bowie’s “Station to Station.” Also noteworthy are the overly earnest, saccharine sweet “You’re My Best Friend” and Roxy Music’s “In Every Dream a Heartache,” with Dead Kennedy’s Jello Biafra handling the vocals. CV

Ryne Doughty

‘Under the Willow Tree’

Independent

As a solo folk singer out of rural Iowa, it will be inevitable that Doughty will draw comparisons to William Elliot Whitmore. That he’s not quite at Whitmore’s caliber of polish or emotional weight is hardly a slight against him, because let’s be honest: Few are. When weighed on his own merits, Doughty can be seen as a gifted songwriter whose work weaves images of life and love in a way that is wholly approachable and completely listenable. “Under the Willow Tree” is a work in subtlety. Songs like “Good Morning” and “Like When I Was a Kid” convey feeling without being overpowering. Where Whitmore will often bludgeon a point home through the sheer emotional power of his world-weary voice, Doughty slips his ideas past you with an almost apologetic air. There’s some treacle on the album (“Grandma’s China”), but most of what’s here is worthy of your summer nights on the porch. CV