''Since We've Become Translucent'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...

, released in 2002. The album was the first to be recorded after the departure of their original bassist Matt Lukin, three years earlier. It was also the first to be released through

Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...

after the band returned to the label. ''Since We've Become Translucent'' marked a prominent change in the band's sound. The album departed from their typical

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

sound and features a relatively accessible rock sound. However, on tracks such as "Baby, Can You Dig the Light?", psychedelica,

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

are explored. The bulk of the album was recorded over three weekends with three different producers – Johnny Sangster, Martin Feveyear and Scott Colburn – between November 2001 and February 2002. The band focused on three songs at a time, which they rehearsed and recorded before moving on to the next songs. This approach would also be used on the band's next album '' Under a Billion Suns''. One track, "Inside Job", was recorded with

Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhoney, ...

in a single day in April 2000 with former

MC5 MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...

Wayne Kramer Wayne Stanley Kramer (''né'' Kambes; April 30, 1948 – February 2, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and Film score, film and television composer. Kramer came to prominence in the 1960s as the lead guitarist of t ...

on bass, before new bassist

Guy Maddison Guy Bernard Maddison (born 31 March 1965) is an Australian punk music, punk and grunge musician. From 1986 to 1989 he worked as a member of noise rock group Lubricated Goat and appeared on their album ''Paddock of Love''. He was a member of Bl ...

joined the band in 2001.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mudhoney #"Baby, Can You Dig the Light?" - 8:26 #"The Straight Life" - 3:33 #"Where the Flavor Is" - 3:34 #"In the Winner's Circle" - 4:27 #"Our Time Is Now" - 3:39 #"Dyin' for It" - 4:54 #"Inside Job" - 2:52 #"Take It Like a Man" - 2:35 #"Crooked and Wide" - 4:54 #"Sonic Infusion" - 7:40

Personnel

Mudhoney

* Mark Arm – vocals, guitar (except 8), organ (1, 6), piano (3, 8), backing vocals (4, 8) * Steve Turner – guitar, backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 8) *

– bass guitar (except 7) * Dan Peters – drums

Additional personnel

* Craig Flory – tenor saxophone (1, 3, 8), baritone saxophone (3, 8), horn arrangements (3, 8) * Jeff McGrath – trumpet (3, 8) * Greg Powers – trombone (3, 8) *

– bass guitar (7) * Jo Claxton – violin (10) * Miho Takekawa – vibraphone (10) * Johnny Sangster – backing vocals (2, 5), producer, engineer, mixing (2, 5, 6) * Martin Feveyear – backing vocals (8), producer, engineer, mixing (1, 3, 8) * Scott Colburn – infused sonics (10), producer, engineer, mixing (4, 9, 10) * Julian Martlew – backing vocals (4), assistant engineer, mixing assistant (4, 9, 10) *

– producer, engineer, mixing (7) * Steve Hall – mastering * Jeff Kleinsmith – design * Jesse LeDoux – design * Lance Hammond – cover photos * Emily Rieman – inside photo

Chart

References

Mudhoney albums 2002 albums Sub Pop albums Albums produced by Johnny Sangster Albums produced by Jack Endino Albums produced by Martin Feveyear {{2000s-alt-rock-album-stub