The last Meat Puppets’ album that featured both Curt and Cris Kirkwood was released 12 years ago, so you might say that Rise To Your Knees is an event in itself, even before listening to any of its fifteen tracks. And fans of Meat Puppets’ inimitable blend of country-folk and acid rock will not be disappointed. As always, the focus is on the songs. The trio (adding new drummer Ted Marcus) keeps arrangements and instrumentation to the bare minimum and let the tunes and the words speak for themselves. In fact, its austere style is refreshing in an age of over-produced albums and emphasizes the strength of the material on display; songs like the spacey “Fly Like the Wind,” the placid “On the Rise,” the crisp “This Song,” the proto-grungy “New Leaf” and the keenly psychedelic “Light the Fire.” A brilliant comeback, both for original fans and newbies alike.
--Kevin Mathews
