Under a Billion Suns

The second album since Mudhoney's 21st-century revitalization and return to its origins at the venerable Sub Pop label, 2006's UNDER A BILLION SUNS finds the Seattle grunge veterans building on its predecessor, SINCE WE'VE BECOME TRANSLUCENT. On this formidable 11-track set, frontman Mark Arm and company once again bring out the horn section for a few numbers (opener "Where Is the Future," the raucous closer "Blindspots"), and, more importantly, pound the distortion pedals and toms like it's 1989, particularly with the lurching "On the Move" and "Hard-On for War," essentially a sludgy update of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." Anyone doubting that Mudhoney still packs a serious sonic punch will be happily knocked out by this excellent outing.