Music Reviews •

Puddle of Mudd -wt Life On Display -wl Geffen -wf Somehow, Nirvana clones Puddle of Mudd managed to find overnight success with their debut album, Come Clean. Now, slightly over two years later, the band returns with a record that deserves to send them back into obscurity as quickly as they left it. -wm Life On Display is so bad, it is almost unbearable to listen to its entirety. From the chugging opener, “Away From Me,” to closing track, “Time Flies,” it’s a constant stream of bland grunge lite and modern rock by numbers with virtually none of the hooks that at least gave Come Clean some semblance of appeal. Tracks like “Heel Over Head” and “Bottom” expose vocalist and songwriter Wes Scantlin’s lyrical limitations. On the latter, he repeatedly shrieks “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” The likes of “Sydney” and “Freak of the World” merely reveal his limitations full stop. -wm “Banal,” “generic” and “vapid” are the words that most succinctly sum up this mediocre excuse for an album. And while Puddle of Mudd must feel flattered to be compared to Nirvana, such lame efforts as “Sydney” will undoubtedly make Kurt Cobain turn in his grave. -wd Puddle of Mudd: http://www.puddleofmudd.com/ -wb Andrew Ellis

Recently on Ink 19...

Garage Sale Vinyl: David Bowie

Garage Sale Vinyl: David Bowie

Garage Sale Vinyl

This week, Christopher Long reveals one of his most amazing vintage vinyl acquisitions: an original pressing of Aladdin Sane — the iconic 1973 slab from David Bowie. Why so amazing? He nabbed it for FREE!

Abruptio

Abruptio

Screen Reviews

Film noir meets Sci-fi horror in Evan Marlowe’s bizarre puppet film Abruptio. Phil Bailey promises you have never seen anything quite like it.

Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend

Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend

Screen Reviews

Cheerleader’s Wild Weekend, aka The Great American Girl Robbery, entered the fray in 1979 with its odd mashup of hostage drama, comedic crime caper, and good old fashioned T & A hijinks. Phil Bailey reviews the Blu-ray release.

Garage Sale Vinyl: Nazareth

Garage Sale Vinyl: Nazareth

Garage Sale Vinyl

In this latest installment of his weekly series, Christopher Long discovers and scores a secondhand vinyl copy of one of his all-time favorite LPs: 2XS (To Excess), the splendid 1982 flop from the iconic Scottish powerhouse, Nazareth.

Denude

Denude

Music Reviews

A Murmuration of Capitalist Bees (Expert Work Records, Dipterid Records). Review by Peter Lindblad.

Garage Sale Vinyl: Bonnie Raitt

Garage Sale Vinyl: Bonnie Raitt

Garage Sale Vinyl

Author and longtime Ink 19 contributor Christopher Long kicks off the 2025 edition of his popular weekly Garage Sale Vinyl series with a bona fide banger: the blues-soaked, whisky-injected, self-titled 1971 debut record from Bonnie Raitt.