Kicking off with the downright poppy "Motorbike Girl," even as Rick's guitar blasts through everything like the bastard it is,
feedtime's last album of their 1980s existence makes for one hell of a farewell. Whether or not it was the exercise of the covers album
Cooper-S that found the trio letting its hooks come forward more than ever,
Suction easily challenges (and often beats)
the Jesus and Mary Chain when it comes to the "melody + noise" equation. "Drag Your Dog" kicks with one hell of a groove, not to mention throwing in barks and ruffs as Al's vocals kick things along in an almost warm way, while other songs cleverly mix similar amounts of catchiness and grind. The playful qualities often credited to the band in its live work seep in as well -- dig the skronky whines and oddball falsetto in "Possum," for a start, not to mention the quavery delivery of the "star light, star bright" childhood rhyme. Distorted horns appear here and there, and harmonica makes perfect sense on more than one song, like the slow build and slam of the appropriately titled "Confused Blues." Even gentle female backing vocals -- and acoustic guitar! -- takes a bow on "I'll Be Rested." There's still plenty of the sheer, upfront brutality that makes
feedtime feedtime, though, as Al's rumbling bass blasts, Tom's strong, punchy drumming, and, above all, Rick's twisted blues-in-hell feedback sheets make perfectly clear on nearly every song. "Highway" isn't merely a perfect
feedtime song in terms of title; it sounds it right down the bones, with no space to breathe and distortion sending the rave-up to utter and total hell. "Arse" may end the album on a slow groan of a note, but it's still a great way to wrap things up for the band through and through. ~ Ned Raggett