Call me crazy, but I feel like I’ve used that headline before. Entirely possible, since The Melvins are among the most prolific creative forces known to man, and their constantly-expanding discography requires the utmost attention to be kept up with. One might have thought they’d record some of the shows from their recent residency at Spaceland in Los Angeles for their next live installment, but as the PR wire informs, only fools assume when it comes to The Melvins.

Check it:

The Melvins‘ latest offering, Sugar Daddy Live, a 13-track live recording, will see a May 31 release on Ipecac Recordings. Recorded at The Busta-Guts Club in Downey, California, the album features fan favorites such as “Boris,” “A History of Bad Men” and “The Kicking Machine.”

The band recently completed a month-long residency at Los Angeles‘ Spaceland and are currently in New Zealand with a forthcoming round of Australian dates as part of the Soundwave Festival. The Melvins were in Christchurch when the Feb. 21 earthquake struck but escaped unscathed and are due to resume their tour later this week.

Sugar Daddy Live tracklisting:
1. Nude with Boots
2. Dog Island
3. Dies Iraea
4. Civilized Worm
5. The Kicking Machine
6. Eye Flies
7. Tipping the Lion
8. Rat Faced Granny
9. The Hawk
10. You’ve Never Been Right
11. A History of Bad Men
12. Star Spangled Banner
13. Boris

They’re the Melvins. They do cool shit. Witness this from the PR wire:

The Melvins perform each Friday throughout January at Spaceland (Silver Lake, CA) with a different set and featured albums including the band’s current lineup, a 1983 incarnation with Mike Dillard and several albums in their entirety.

Performance information is as follows:

Jan. 7: Melvins set (current lineup performing songs from Colossus of Destiny); Lysol and Eggnog records in their entirety.

Jan. 14: Melvins 1983 (Buzz, Dale and Mike Dillard); Melvins set (current lineup performing normal set) and Houdini in its entirety.

Jan. 21: Melvins Lite (Buzz & Dale only); Melvins set (current lineup performing normal set) and Bullhead in its entirety.

Jan. 28: Melvins set (current lineup performing normal set) and Stoner Witch in its entirety.

For ticket information, please visit ClubSpaceland.com or call (323) 661-4380.

In February, the Melvins head to Australia (Soundwave Festival) and New Zealand. The band visits Japan and Mexico in March.

One of the most interesting things about putting together an end-of-year list for me is that, as I go through like this and explain why each release is in the spot it is (confession: this isn’t my first time), I break out the album and give it another listen. And in some cases, like with the Melvins‘ 2010 release, The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac), I haven’t heard the record in months. It’s like visiting an old friend. Or a still semi-new friend, anyway.

The Bride Screamed Murder was released on June 1, and I saw them on the 18th in NYC. I don’t want to say it was immediately after, but probably a week or two later, I put the album away — filed appropriately, of course — and never went back to it again. It’s nothing against either the Melvins or the album itself, I guess I was just done with it.

So, if it seems like The Bride Screamed Murder — which legitimately has some killer tracks (“Evil New War God,” “Pig House,” “Electric Flower” and the creepy “PG X 3″ all come to mind) — is low on the list, that’s why. It was a good album, certainly much better than 2008′s Nude with Boots outing, but it wasn’t enough to hold me for the rest of the year, and my fickle attentions turned elsewhere.

And sure, I’ll allow my crap-tastic interview with Buzz Osborne and the hellish nightmare that paying $30 to see them at Webster Hall turned out to be might have something to do with it, but hey, it’s my list, and there are still 18 other albums I listened to and enjoyed more than this one in 2010, so take it for what it’s worth. If you’ve got a complaint, that’s why the comments are there.

Some context: I was in Connecticut with The Patient Mrs. for some familial-type obligations and a couple days of the madness known as relaxation, but that wasn’t going to keep me from seeing the Melvins and Totimoshi at Webster Hall in NYC, so I hopped in I-95 South last Friday after posting the Frydee video and sat for about three hours to make an hour and a half trip.

It was only stressful because I didn’t see Totimoshi at Roadburn, and so wanted to catch their set. The show was early because Webster Hall knows what pays the bills, and that’s dance parties for yuppie assholes. 10:30 or so, and they come in and the Melvins crowd is out. Fine. Totimoshi were on stage as I paid my $30 to get in at 7PM. I barely made it.

Isis headlined. It was their last tour, and no, I didn’t stay. I’m sorry. I wasn’t interested enough to even listen to the free promo download I got of their last album, so I would have felt disingenuous staying for their set just because it’s allegedly the last time I’ll get to see them. I already have my good memories of killer Isis shows. I don’t need any more. Plus I had three more hours of traffic to sit in to get back to The Patient Mrs., and I didn’t want to miss out on that.

I like Totimoshi. I’ve liked Totimoshi for a long time now and I still like them. I think that was probably the biggest stage I’d ever seen them on, and even with drummer Chris Fugitt using half of the Dale Crover/Coady Willis combined megakit, they sounded good. But really, I’m just pulling for Totimoshi because I think they should be headlining tours instead of this perennial “always the bridesmaid” thing they seem to have going on. They could very well have sucked and I’d be blinded by my affection for them. Doesn’t mean I enjoyed the set any less.

Although, one thing about this show: it was fucking packed. And hot. And after three hours of 95, I was, well, a grumpy little bitch. About everything. I was grumpy shelling out $30 for a show I knew I wasn’t going to see all of, I was grumpy they were sold out of Melvins box sets (though the new album was just $10, which I happily paid), and I was grumpy smashed in with a douchetastic NYC crowd in the sweltering Webster Hall main room. Normally, beer is the solution to this, but the last thing I wanted was a dooey (I think that’s how it’s spelled, though I’ve seen it as D-U-I too), so I just stewed in it.

And then came the Melvins. They kicked ass. That’s all there is to it. They were really tight, the material sounded really good — highlights being the call and response of “The Water Glass” and “Electric Flower” from The Bride Screamed Murder and a couple nods to the Lysol record in the form of the Flipper cover “Sacrifice,” “Hung Bunny” and “Roman Bird Dog” — bassist Jarred Warren was dressed as a super hero, Crover and Willis‘ two-man drumset looked and sounded killer, and Buzz Osborne led the charge as only he could. Leaving when they were done, I didn’t feel like I was missing the highlight of the evening.

I took some pictures, but they sucked. I took some video, but the batteries died (hence the Bonnaroo clip below). And finally, I took myself back to Connecticut, where I watched the Black Sabbath Classic Albums: Paranoid DVD again (thanks, Pete), and called it a night. I don’t know whether to mark it a win or not — I think the math works out in the red, though I haven’t drawn up any charts — but fuck it, two killer sets is a big help when it comes to focusing on the positive, and I’m going to try to do just that.

Melvins guitarist/vocalist Buzz Osborne is notorious for not enjoying the interview process. In fact, a quick search produced an exchange from 2006 where he says, “Almost every interview I’ve ever done has been nothing but complete bullshit.” So there you go.

Of course, the counterpoint to that is simple: They are what you make them. But let’s assume — just for the sake of argument — that Osborne probably didn’t feel like talking about the Melvins‘ new album, The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac), about how the band has changed over the course of its three albums with bassist/vocalist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis (collectively also known as Big Business) in the lineup with himself and drummer Dale Crover, or even really about why or how they put together their new 13-CD box set. I guess that’ll happen.

Nonetheless, as Osborne, Crover, Willis and Warren made their way to Phoenix, Arizona, for the second date of their current tour, questions were asked and answered with a minimum of condescension and scolding, and I still made it to the ballgame that evening on time. In the end, everyone wins, one way or another.

I’ll say this about it: I still like the Melvins. The Bride Screamed Murder rules and I’m still looking forward to seeing them in New York this Friday — and if I have the cash, I’m still going to plunk down $200 for that box set, assuming there are any left. I’ve come out of interviews before and never been able to listen to the artist or band again, so take that for what it’s worth.

Please find enclosed after the jump a Q&A with Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, and enjoy the ensuing bullshit.

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Whatever’s left that hasn’t yet been said about Melvins, I don’t know what it is. Good and bad, they’ve been polarizing audiences since the mid-‘80s, and with The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac), which kicks off with a killer doomed-out riff and moves into percussive jaunts and military march cadences, I’m going to guess that’s not going to end anytime soon. At this point, you probably already know who they are and you probably already know how you feel about them. Guitarist/vocalist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover are still working with drummer Coady Willis and bassist/backing vocalist Jared Warren of Big Business, and if you dug this incarnation’s previous studio full-lengths (as opposed to the countless singles, live albums, limited releases, splits and others that pop up), namely 2006’s (A) Senile Animal and 2008’s Nude with Boots, you’re going to dig The Bride Screamed Murder as well.

That’s not to say the seminal Aberdeen, Washington, outfit is treading water either creatively or performance wise. The magic of Melvins has always been Osborne’s ability to keep the songwriting fresh and maintain the experimental edge – at times balancing the output in one direction or the other as regards accessibility – and The Bride Screamed Murder is no exception, from the aforementioned call and response of opener “The Water Glass,” on through the memorable runs in “Pig House” and the warning “Don’t look down/You might regret it” in album highlight “Electric Flower.” Their take on The Who’s “My Generation?” (here with an added question mark as though they’re not certain whether or not it is) is bound to surprise some, but it’s not without precedent when you consider their take on Kiss’ “Going Blind” from 1993’s Houdini. “Evil New War God,” being the first cut to follow “The Water Glass,” is a decent example of what The Bride Screamed Murder’s more “straightforward” – this is still the Melvins we’re talking about – material has to offer.

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To be fair, it has been a couple months since the last Melvins album, a remix affair called Chicken Switch came out. They are due. It should come as no surprise, then, that the PR wire has details on a new record, The Bride Screamed Murder, set for release on June 1 through Ipecac Recordings. Anyone else thinking redemption for the Melvins/Big Business lineup? Here’s hoping:

The Melvins release The Bride Screamed Murder on June 1 via Ipecac Recordings with a US tour launching the same day in San Diego and including a stop at the Bonnaroo Festival.

The Bride Screamed Murder is the third release featuring Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Big Business’ Coady Willis and Jared Warren. While Melvins recently celebrated their 25 anniversary, the latest incarnation debuted with the highly-praised (A) Senile Animal (2006) and continued with Nude with Boots (2008).

Joining the Melvins on tour for a half dozen shows will be label mates Isis (who will also perform at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival) while Totimoshi will be along for the full run of Melvins dates.

Tour dates:
June 1   San Diego, CA   Casbah
June 2   Tempe, AZ   The Clubhouse
June 3   Albuquerque, NM   The Launchpad
June 5   Austin, TX   Emo’s
June 7   Houston, TX   Warehouse Live
June 8   Baton Rouge, LA   Spanish Moon
June 9   New Orleans, LA   One Eyed Jacks
June 10   Birmingham, AL   Bottle Tree
June 12   Manchester, TN   Bonnaroo Festival **
June 14   Athens, GA   40 Watt Club *
June 16   Washington, DC 9:30 Club *
June 17   Philadelphia, PA   TLA *
June 18   New York, NY   Webster Hall *
June 19   Brooklyn, NY   Music Hall of Williamsburg *
June 20   Boston, MA   Paradise *
June 21   Boston, MA   Paradise *
June 23   Cleveland, OH   Grog Shop
June 24   Detroit, MI   Small’s
June 25   Chicago, IL   Double Door
June 26   Madison, WI   High Noon Saloon
June 27   Des Moines, IA House of Bricks
June 29   Denver, CO   Ogden Theatre
July 2   Calgary, AB   Sled Island Festival +
July 3   Calgary, AB   Sled Island Festival +
July 5   Vancouver, BC   Rickshaw Theatre
July 6   Seattle, WA   Showbox at The Market
July 7   Eugene, OR   John Henry’s
July 9   San Jose, CA Blank Club
All dates feature Melvins (two sets) w/Totimoshi except:
* = Melvins/Isis/Totimoshi
** = Melvins/Isis
+ = Melvins

I’ll say it: I’m feeling damn good going into this weekend. Got that Iron Man show tonight, and next week marks one year of The Obelisk. The numbers look good and a little bit ago I got off the phone from interviewing Dave Fucking Chandler of Saint Fucking Vitus, so I’m pretty stoked on life right now. It’s way better than flushing your car keys down someone’s toilet. That interview and a bunch more about the anniversary (and hopefully some other stuff) kick off next week, so until then, please enjoy this awesome Melvins video, filmed live at Amoeba Records in California. They do “Honey Bucket” from the classic Houdini album. Rock.

For anyone who, like me, pissed and moaned that the last Melvins record, Nude with Boots, was boring or samey or sounded like the unused b-sides to its predecessor, (A) Senile Animal, the PR wire reveals there’s a remix album in the works. Dubbed Chicken Switch, it’s bound to be completely unlistenable. Still, it’s Melvins news, so it’s news. Look for them to tour with Down and Weedeater in the fall and to be the coolest cats in the room at the All Tomorrow’s Parties fest in New York Sept. 12.

The Melvins will release Chicken Switch, a 15-song remix CD with a twist, on Sept. 29 via Ipecac Recordings. Unlike usual remix CDs where the remixer is given a single track to work with, for Chicken Switch each remixer was given a full album to work with and pull from to create their track (and in some cases, more than one full album was used as source material). The song names were also newly selected by their remixer.

Chicken Switch track listing and remixer:

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Holy crap, I need a break from reviews. Too much thinking equals sleepy in the brain. Here’s a Melvins video from a show I could have gone to but decided to stay in my hotel and watch Wayne’s World 2 on Comedy Central instead. I’m by no means the biggest Big Business fan in the world, but you get what you pay for.