LiE (Live in Europe)

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Considering their well-reported goofy side and a playfully contrary attitude that seemed in no way careerist, very few would have expected Mudhoney would prove to be one of the most enduring groups of Seattle's first grunge explosion in the late '80s. But 30 years after the release of Superfuzz Bigmuff, the band is not only still at it (and with 75% of their original lineup), they're sounding as strong as ever. There have been scattered documents of Mudhoney's skills as a live act over the years, but 2018's LiE is the first fully authorized, non-limited-edition album to preserve the dirty glory of a Mudhoney concert on plastic. Recorded in 2016 during a string of dates in various European locales, LiE ("Live in Europe") puts its focus on some of the lesser-known gems from the band's catalog; while "Suck You Dry" is one of Mudhoney's standards, otherwise they pass over fan favorites like "Touch Me, I'm Sick" and "In 'n' Out of Grace" in favor of deeper cuts such as "Get into Yours," "I'm Now," and "I Like It Small," all of which sound like top-shelf material in this context. There's just enough looseness in these performances to honor the punk side of their personality, but LiE finds them rocking as hard and as confidently as they did in their heyday, if not more so. Mark Arm's fevered howl is authoritative, Steve Turner's guitar work still fractures 50 years of rock guitar figures into one articulate six-string snarl, Guy Maddison's bass work gives these performances a rock-solid foundation, and Dan Peters' drumming explodes like a cluster bomb from first song to last. Mudhoney is a part-time job for these guys in 2018, but that seems to have only focused their resolve. They're still playing this stuff because they love it, and they know they're good at it. And no one who listens to LiE will question either statement.

© Mark Deming /TiVo