Melvins’ Frontman Buzz Osborne Talks Importance of Listening Ahead of 36-Song Acoustic Collection Release

The Washington-based, genre-defining band, Melvins, wants you to listen up. Whether that means paying close attention to the soul-shaking sounds of groups like Led Zeppelin or The Jimi Hendrix Experience, or divine individual artists like Tina Turner or Aretha Franklin, Melvins’ frontman, Buzz Osborne (aka King Buzzo), wants you to hear what’s in the music: the depth of the songs, the intricacy of the artistic choices, the magic, even the proximity to God. In a way, that’s why he and Melvins’ co-founder, drummer Dale Crover, went through much of the band’s back catalog and decided ultimately to transpose 36 songs to to four acoustic albums, the collection of which, Five Legged Dog, is slated for release on Friday (October 15).

While at first, Osborne and Crover had no set intention in releasing the four-album collection, the band’s ambition soon grew. The members took on the challenge, especially when recording the vocals with the acoustic guitars. In so doing, Osborne says, perhaps their listeners will now hear the seminal band’s music differently, maybe even more impactfully.