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Jun 2, 2012

Eyehategod - Take as Needed for Pain (1993)


1. Blank 7:10
2. Sister Fucker (Part I) 2:13
3. Shop Lift 3:17
4. White Nigger 3:56
5. 30$ Bag 2:51
6. Disturbance 7:01
7. Take as Needed for Pain 6:09
8. Sister Fucker (Part II) 2:39
9. Crimes Against Skin 6:49
10. Kill Your Boss 4:16
11. Who Gave Her the Roses 2:00
12. Laugh It Off 1:33

*bonus*

13. Ruptured Heart Theory 3:33
14. Story of the Eye 2:30
15. Blank/Shoplift 3:58
16. Southern Discomfort 4:24
17. Serving Time in the Middle of Nowhere 3:20
18. Lack of Almost Everything 2:28

Of all the slowed down post-Sabbath weirdo (Melvins, Black Flag, Boris) junky (Flipper, Nirvana) depressives (Flipper, Nirvana, Harvey Milk), Eyehategod were not only the most haggard, but (at least on Take as Needed for Pain), the most danceable and fun- possibly because they got the groove of Sabbath right and infused it with the influence of the music and culture of their location- New Orleans- making the riffs bluesier and catchier, so when they're fast they're energetically punk rock and the would-be feel-bad breakdowns are actually the most enjoyable parts. It seems at this stage they were either unwilling or incapable of writing a true bummer, something that would change on the follow-up Dopesick where bottles got broken, things got written in blood, and the music followed suit- maybe capturing the frustration of addiction or more lightly (because I can't relate to addiction), the sensation of throwing up on yourself when depressed and high (curse the feeling!)

You know how when you're in a good mood you laugh at how absurd and inconsequential everything is (teen angst), then on a bad day the gravity of the implication of that wears you down? I like to think Take as Needed for Pain is the band at a more playful stage in their mental/spiritual decline, and Dopesick is where they stop finding comfort in being sad (see what I did there)

Whether it's a failure on their part or not, Take as Needed for Pain is the most fun you can have with sludge outside of a Melvins record and I really can't recommend it more highly despite the band's silly name and how fucking sad they all seem

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