Snuff has been at it for a long time. From their formation in 1986 to their yearly album releases they deserve respect for consistently staying in the trenches as long as anyone today.
"Disposable Income" seems like as a somewhat low-key release. Snuff's trademark musical quirks are less overt and the band seems more comfortable to let the quiet moments resonate. Gone are the ska flirtations of 2000's "Numb Nuts" and it changes the pace of this record quite a bit. Snuff's musical experimentation and genre bending is far more carefully integrated here and makes "Disposable Income" if anything, a more pleasant listen.
I almost can't decide if the backing vocals are harmonizing extremely well or if Duncan's Leatherface-inspired singing is being tracked multiple times. Either way, the vocals on "Disposable Income" come off differently than on pervious recordings in that they mesh better with the band's ever-distorted guitarists and generally thick delivery.
Snuff injects their thrashy punk with some well-realized pop-songwriting on opener "Angels 1-5" and the single "Chocs Away." Accomplished melodic progressions and killer harmonies make "7 Days (Solomons Boring Week)" and "To Disappoint" extremely catchy inclusions. The downbeat "Heads You Win Tails You Loose" slows things to soothing calm as much as "Wearenowhere" brings things to a thrashing cacophony.
"Disposable Income" clocks in at over an hour and probably could have benefited from shorter running time, however as I jump through the record and write this review nothing strikes me immediately as filler. The latter half the album drags a bit but there is enough interesting trombone and organ work on the individual tracks so that they hold up well on their own.
Snuff are finally showing their age, but that also means they're showing their experience. A band that was once characterized by playing thrash covers of dumb pop songs seems to be taking themselves more seriously. "Disposable Income" is a surprisingly coherent listen and quickly becoming one of my favourite Snuff records