Up on the Sun

Following the happy exorcisms and vibrant hallucinations of Meat Puppets II, Up On the Sun returns the Puppets to a more serene state of mind. If the second album was a hit of acid in the Mojave dusk, then Up On the Sun is a tall cup of homemade lemonade sipped on the porch —which is not to say that they aren’t still spiking the brew. Leaving behind the mud-slinging distortion of Meat Puppets II, the intricately woven guitars of Up On the Sun could almost pass for R.E.M.’s music from the same era; then again, it’s hard to imagine R.E.M.’s songs starting with a line like “hot pink volcano in the heart of the tornado” (from “Hot Pink”). No, despite the polish, the Puppets are still surrealist tricksters at heart. If anything, Up On the Sun gave the band an opportunity step out of their punk identities and get in touch with the hippies within. “Up On the Sun” is a tune that absolutely radiates “good vibes,” while to find guitar tapestries as elaborate as those on “Enchanted Forest” and “Seal Whales” one would have to return to the golden years of Lesh and Garcia. Longtime Meat-heads should feel free to proceed straight to the bonus tracks, which include a melted-plastic version of “Up On the Sun” and the wonderfully wobbly (and perfectly titled) “Mother American Marshmallow.”