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Since We've Become Translucent




Since We've Become Translucent (SP 555, taken from a line in Sonic Infusion) will be released by Sub Pop Records on August 20 on CD and LP. The record was made over the course of three sessions with three engineers at three studios in which they recorded three songs each time.

The Songs:

The following songs will be on the record in this order. No additional songs were recorded.

  1. Baby, Can You Dig The Light (8:23) - Mark: "Words probably don't happen until about minute six. It opens with an organ and the guitar doing this kind of floaty thing and then the drums come in [and] the bass. We kind of latch on more to that than the guitar. And the organ is more coloring. So I guess we're playing drum 'n' bass." Craig Florey plays saxophone on the song.
  2. The Straight Life (3:31) - Originally recorded during the April, 2000 session and released as a download on musicblitz.com. It has been re-arranged like they've played it live.
  3. Where The Flavor Is (3:31) - Features a horn section.
  4. In The Winner's Circle (4:24)
  5. Our Time is Now (3:36)
  6. Dyin' For It (4:54)
  7. Inside Job (2:48) - Recorded by Jack Endino with Wayne Kramer playing bass in April, 2000. It was remixed by Jack Endino in December, 2001 for this release.
  8. Take it Like a Man (2:33) - Features a horn section.
  9. Crooked and Wide (4:54) - Recorded by Scott Colburn. [Real Audio file]
  10. Sonic Infusion (7:40)

The Engineers:

The Packaging:

The LP comes in a gatefold sleeve and the record itself is made of transparent ("translucent") green-tinted vinyl. The CD cover consists of three transparent cells (one with "Mudhoney", one with the faces and a wave, one with two waves) laid on top of the standard booklet cover (the title, the bodies, one wave, the yellow background).

Comments:

Mark in Neumu, 3/15/02: How do you describe it? Well, sort of Hawkwind vibe for this part of the song, then a Wipers thing going on here. But it's all meaningless, because it may not sound like that to anyone else.

...What happens with most bands is they write a whole bunch of songs and then record them all at once. So, your mind is scattered over all the songs at once - you don't really focus on one at a time. Our goal was to go in with two or three songs and record them. And we always had three every time we went in and we went to three different places - it worked really well.

...One of the main differences that I think you'll find [on the new record] is in the bass playing. Guy's bass playing is quite different than Matt's - it's more fluid.

Mark in Rolling Stone Online, 3/14/02: In the mid-Nineties we were doing a bunch of soundtrack songs. We'd write one song and go into the studio and mix it and record it that way. Steve had been saying for a while that he'd want to go do a whole album that way. It was sort of on that principle that it would be a lot easier to keep focused on those songs at that time.

Each studio and engineer has its own sound. I think it makes things more interesting. It's not like we're all over the map stylistically. It's still us. It's still rock & roll. It's not like we're going to take a stab at reggae, and do a little techno number, and see which one radio picks up.

I tried to keep things personal, but also looking outward. One of the working titles of the record was Sentimental Wartime Ballads, which in the end sounded too jokey to me, especially considering the events. We didn't want to be the Dead Milkmen.

Jack Endino, 1/1/02: ...Mudhoney has just signed a one record deal with Sub Pop! I've heard some of the songs they recorded already, and the stuff is really, really good, I shit you not. They've done something interesting with this one: they are going around to each of the engineer/producers in town that they like, and recording a few songs with each one. That way the record will have a more diverse sound. I think it's a totally brilliant idea. So far, they've used Scott Colburn (www.gravelvoice.com), Johnny Sangster, and Martin Feveyear. I also have a song they recorded with me last year which we just remixed, but I'm not sure if it will be on the record or not. Hope so!

It was "Inside Job" [that was re-mixed] but I'm not sure they have the rights to use it on the album. They re-arranged "The Straight Life" [like they've played it live] and re-recorded it elsewhere, and the third track [recorded during the 4/2000 sessions] still has no lyrics yet, and not sure when Mark will come up with some.

Scott Colburn in his e-mail newsletter, 1/1/02: To ring in the new year we thought it appropriate to make your ears ring with Cut of the Month, so tune in to mighty mighty Mudhoney's "Crooked and Wide" from their forthcoming album on Sub Pop. This is one of three pieces recorded at Gravelvoice last month, and we are very happy with the results. I think this song is the lost track from Black Sabbath's first LP, but you be the judge.

Mark, 11/7/01: Mudhoney is going into Gravelvoice studio with Scott Colburn on the weekend of Nov 17 (check out www.gravelvoice.com) and we've booked the weekend of Dec 8 at Egg Studios with Johnny Sangster...It's for a specific project: The New Album. We've got four completed new songs that are ready to go plus the Alice Cooper cover. Our plan is to record two or three songs (as we come up with them) in different studios with different engineers. That way our focus will be on a couple of tunes instead of 16. Hopefully the sound of each studio and sensibility of each engineer will add a specific texture (or flavor, if you will) to the material we record.