The Melvins

Led by the peerless King Buzzo, few bands are as prolific and respected as living noise, rock and metal legends the Melvins. Now at the point in their career where they can merrily experiment in any way they wish, they've released this weird, playful and unabashedly cheeky collection of covers, featuring guests like Scott Kelly, Clem Burke and Jello Biafra. Each track is a tribute to one of the many bands the Melvins respect and are influenced by — from Venom and Throbbing Gristle to David Bowie and the Fugs. As strange and arty as some of their interpretations are, each track is defined by how much fun the band and guest contributors have playing them — a sense of glee infuses every weird noise and sludgy riff. Everybody Loves Sausages is defined by a weird sense of déjà vu: after listening to it once, it's hard to believe that the Melvins' vast, doomy interpretation of Roxy Music's "In Every Dreamhouse A Heartache" or the sleek, sick, squalling version of Throbbing Gristle's "Heathen Earth" didn't exist prior to this release. The poppy, metallic triumph of David Bowie's "Station To Station" is the highlight of the record; it's full of explosive moments of weirdness and a sinuous, smirking intelligence.