Dead Milkmen Free For All

[STH]

This album is definitely the darkest DM album yet. A majority of the songs relate directly or mention death, depression, blindness, and darkest of all, Norah Jones.

DM have been no strangers to these topics in the past, but the King in Yellow lacks a lyrical counterbalance to these themes. However, this was probably the point.

Having said that, I love the album! Lyrically, the album is quite good. Rodney did a fantastic job on the vocals, incorporating his usual sound with a few sounds he had yet to attempt on a DM album.

It'll kill me to say it, as Joe is pretty much my favorite guitar player and singer, but I was a tiny bit disappointed this time around. The guitar was mostly spot on, though a few parts didn't seem to be thought out as well as I had hoped (the arpeggios during the verses of Fauxhemia for example). Also, some of Joe's vocals this time around seemed a bit too staccato, particularly on Some Young Guy (example: the line "I feel like an undercover cop"). However, Joe's performance on Can't Relax is absolutely stunning. I love Joe's vocal style and guitar style across all of the DM albums, and this is no exception.

Dean's drumming is excellent as always, and glad to hear that he contributed other parts as well. Bring back the Dean vocal!

If I hadn't known that DM lost a member, I would never have guessed. Dandrew does a superb job, and matches the DM sound perfectly.

Favorite songs are Commidfy Your Dissent, Fauxhemia, and Can't Relax

Least favorite songs: Cold Hard Ground, Or Maybe It Is (this track feels a bit incomplete).

Edit: And I would have loved to hear good ol' fashioned Joe solo or five!