Mike Watt: Hyphenated-Man (2010)

Mike Watt's 3rd "punk opera" is a bit different than his last two in that there is no cohesive narrative told throughout the album. Rather it's a collection of 30 songs, all with hyphenated titles and inspired by the works of both 15th and 16th century artist Hieronymus Bosch and Watt's first band, the legendary Minutemen. Individually the songs don't always work that well but as was the case with most Minutemen albums, the whole is greater than the individual pieces alone. It's almost impossible to keep the tracks separate from each other -- the longest song is 2:04 -- as they bleed together from start to finish in a rush of numerous styles of rock. The tracks run the range from pure punk to more eclectic styles such as funk, spoken word, jazz, blues, folk and who knows what else. Watt holds them all together with his vocal style that consists mostly of talking, grunting and whispering but never lacks for emotion or style. Watt's backing band, The Missingmen (guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales) provides outstanding support throughout all of Hyphenated-Man. They're phenomenal instrumentalists, capable of playing numerous styles both fast and slow and of course Watt is one of the greatest and most original bass players in history. Lyrically, Hyphenated-Man doesn't offer too much insight into the head of Mike Watt but it is a very enjoyable listen and will surely be the best punk opera released this year.

Rating: 4

Track Listing:

1. Arrow-Pierced-Egg-Man (1:19)
2. Beak-Holding-Letter-Man (1:35)
3. Hammering-Castle-Bird-Man (1:50)
4. Bird-In-The-Helmet-Man (1:26)
5. Belly-Stabbed-Man (1:15)
6. Stuffed-In-The-Drum-Man (1:21)
7. Baby-Cradling-Tree-Man (1:22)
8. Hollowed-Out-Man (2:04)
9. Finger-Pointing-Man (1:47)
10. Own-Horn-Blowing-Man (1:37)
11. Fryingpan-Man (1:44)
12. Head-And-Feet-Only-Man (1:44)
13. Shield-Shouldered-Man (1:21)
14. Cherry-Head-Lover-Man (1:48)
15. Pinned-To-The-Table-Man (1:34)
16. Mouse-Headed-Man (1:17)
17. Antlered-Man (1:40)
18. Confused-Parts-Man (1:18)
19. Bell-Rung-Man (1:30)
20. Boot-Wearing-Fish-Man (1:32)
21. Thistle-Headed-Man (1:38)
22. Funnel-Capped-Man (1:42)
23. Blowing-It-Out-Both-Ends-Man (1:50)
24. Jug-Footed-Man (1:38)
25. Lute-And-Dagger-Man (1:23)
26. Mockery-Robed-Man (1:27)
27. Hill-Man (1:40)
28. Hell-Building-Man (1:15)
29. Man-Shitting-Man (1:48)
30. Wheel-Bound-Man (2:04)