Attack of the Killer Track! is a series that explores tracks from artists from a variety of genres. Some of the tracks were singles, some of them were obscure b-sides or long forgotten album tracks. One thing is certain – all of them are killer tracks.
At some point I’d imagine this section of the site could turn into “Mudhoney Corner”. For 26 years now, the band has cranked out punk-garage-grunge rock at a healthy clip. Saturday the 15th of February I had a chance to see the band live for the 2nd time in 7 months. A certain benefit to living in the Seattle region is that Mudhoney plays local shows at a regularly, even when not touring the US. I missed out on their opening slot for the sold out Pearl Jam show, and I couldn’t make their small gig at Full Tilt Ice Cream a few months ago so you could say that I was determined not to miss this show at the Tractor Tavern. The show didn’t disappoint – Mudhoney displayed a youthful vigor that would put bands half their age to shame. What had me smiling the most was watching the band (late 40’s to early 50’s) spit out punk rock gems with absolute glee on their faces. “You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)” was originally released as a single in 1989 and appears on the extended SuperFuzz Bigmuff EP as well as the self titled debut full length. A catchy intro, with lyrics that initially seem positive, it builds to a chorus that is anthem for the ages. This song came out as grunge was exploding, but to these ears it sounds like garage rock with punk attitude. The band is on fire – Mark Arm’s vocals are menacing, Steve Turner’s guitar is melodic yet heavy, Matt Lukin’s bass is perfect, and Dan Peters lends an almost jazzy feel to the drums. What initially sounds like praise – “They say you’ve got it / I see you got it / You got it good” quickly turns to condemnation of the braggart stance “You got it / Damn right you got it / SO WHAT / KEEP IT OUTTA MY FACE”. This, my friends is punk and garage rock perfection. It was one of the highlights for me at the show last weekend, so I’ve embedded the studio version as well as a version from a relatively recent concert. It sounds just as incredible in 2014 as it did in 1989.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XQAI_1-foE]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5icQDw1jLE]