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DEAD MEADOW

Psychedelic/Space Rock • United States


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Dead Meadow biography
Founded in Washington DC, USA in 1998

Dead Meadow were an unlikely band to be found in the Washington CD hardcore scene. Their love of strung out and droney riffs, elaborate arrangements, surreal lyrics, and psychedelic guitars solos certainly separated them from bands like Fugazi. Dead Meadow's sludgy and tripped out riffs show a band rooted in the stoner rock template but transcending the genre, creating what the band themselves describe as an 'organic sound'.

The bands self titled debut shows a band who are masters of creating psychedelic music based in crunchy hard rock and hypnotic riffs. Howls from the Hills sees them incorporating influences from eastern music, while Shivering Kings and Others find a band experimenting with folk music as well as blues. Their most recent effort, Feathers, is proof that they are still capable of expanding their sound with the group bringing their music into a shoegaze direction.

Fans of psychedelic music and stoner rock with a progressive and forward thinking attitude should certainly check out the music of Dead Meadow.

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DEAD MEADOW discography


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DEAD MEADOW top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.12 | 28 ratings
Dead Meadow
2000
3.07 | 8 ratings
Howls From The Hills
2001
3.72 | 13 ratings
Shivering King And Others
2003
3.69 | 16 ratings
Feathers
2005
3.44 | 9 ratings
Old Growth
2008
3.33 | 3 ratings
Warble Womb
2013
4.00 | 1 ratings
The Nothing They Need
2018

DEAD MEADOW Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings
Got Live If You Want It!
2002

DEAD MEADOW Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

DEAD MEADOW Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

DEAD MEADOW Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

DEAD MEADOW Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Dead Meadow by DEAD MEADOW album cover Studio Album, 2000
4.12 | 28 ratings

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Dead Meadow
Dead Meadow Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars When I saw the picture of this trio in the liner notes my reaction was "These guys must still be in high School!" They look like teens with a dog in the photo as well. They recorded this their debut album late in 1999 and everyone talks about the guitar and for good reason. It's the tone, the distortion, the wah-wah we get it all and for sure the guitar stands out and is very impressive. Six of the eight tracks have vocals.

I like the packaging and the picture of this galley going up the river with mountains rising on each side with a castle on one side at the top of that mountain and a dragon on top of the other side. They were are from Washington DC but at some point moved to LA. This is the first of eight studio albums they have released. These guys are so much more than a Stoner rock band but I get how highly they are esteemed in that community and they certainly have played live a lot over the years.

There's a lot of trippy music on here with the distorted guitar being the common denominator. The opener "Sleepy Silver Door" has vocals that brought Stu from KING GIZZARD to mind although it's only on this song I hear that. "Indian Bones" is catchy with the guitar grinding it out over top, vocals too. Neil Young comes to mind with the higher pitched vocals on "At The Edge Of The Wood" as we get a more folky sound with the strummed guitar and not much else.

That closer "Rocky Mountain High" follows that sparse track and benefits from that as a contrast as they hit us with a powerful sound here with plenty of depth. So much fuzz! "Lady" is another great guitar track and he burns it up slowly before 3 minutes. Some energy on this one otherwise. "Beyond The Fields We Know" is the longest at 9 1/2 minutes and features a bass solo and builds from there. Beautiful stuff 6 1/2minutes in. So many good songs on this album including "Greensky Greenlake" where they slow it down but check out the passion 2 minutes in.

A solid 4 star record and I believe their last release was in 2022 so I'm glad they are still making music.

 Dead Meadow by DEAD MEADOW album cover Studio Album, 2000
4.12 | 28 ratings

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Dead Meadow
Dead Meadow Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Dead Meadow's tripped-out heavy psych style finds hem working on the borderland of stoner rock, but whereas much stoner rock revolves around 1970s nostalgia, Dead Meadow sound like the real thing - like a group scooped up from the early 1970s, carried forward in time on waves of bong smoke and by the power of their esoteric jams and given a modern studio to craft their works in. The riffs are a little heavier, but more or less everything else here follows the heavy psych playbook to perfection. It isn't perfect or revolutionary, but it's a fun diversion for anyone who likes a bit of the old space rock.
 Dead Meadow by DEAD MEADOW album cover Studio Album, 2000
4.12 | 28 ratings

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Dead Meadow
Dead Meadow Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Igor91

5 stars Dead Meadow are one of the premier psychedelic bands to come out of the U.S. in the past 20 years. Their self-titled debut is a showcase of retro, bong-rattling psychedelic rock to the highest (no pun intended) degree. On this album they mix the heavy, fuzzy riffage of Black Sabbath, the wah-wah pedal workouts of Jimi Hendrix, and the mellow psychedelia of Pink Floyd. Every song is superbly executed, and immediately creates a smokey atmosphere that remains throughout. My personal favorite track on the LP is the opener, "Sleepy Silver Door," which hypnotizes as much as it hits you over the head. The only caution I would give the listener is singer/guitarist Jason Simon's vocals. His voice kind of has a nasally whine to it, but it actually fits the music pretty well. I feel that this album is their brightest moment, with their third release, "Shivering King and Others," coming in a close second. Following that album, Dead Meadow would gradually move in a more psychedelic pop direction, dropping some of the heaviness from their early days. While not very progressive in nature, Dead Meadow's debut is an absolute must for fans of heavy psychedelic rock. Highly recommended for late nights around a wood fire with friends. 5 stars.
 Shivering King And Others by DEAD MEADOW album cover Studio Album, 2003
3.72 | 13 ratings

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Shivering King And Others
Dead Meadow Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Researcher

4 stars ‘Shivering King and Others’ may be Dead Meadow’s best album yet. The band seems to have become the preeminent psych-drone act of this century (granted, the century is still young). And with good reason; since the one-two punch of their self-titled debut and ‘Howl From the Hills’ the band has increasingly refined the drone and psych riffs that make them such a huge favorite among the type of crowd who listen to droning, trance-inducing psych music (I know who you are – I’m the one messing with your head at concerts). Anyway, even for those of us who prefer to stay mentally in the now, Dead Meadow offer an attractive alternative to spending your time listening to forty year old psych records that you’ve already heard 1,000 times before. At least this stuff is new, and sonically more dynamic in most cases.

I’ve no idea what guitarist Jason Simon is singing about most of the time, and even reading the lyrics doesn’t really help. But I can’t say as it matters anyway, unless they are about something like selling babies into Bedouin slavery or something – that wouldn’t be good. But I think with titles like “Good Moanin'” and “I Love You Too” we’re probably on safe ground on that count.

Speaking of “Good Moanin’”, that’s the archetypical Dead Meadow song for this album and probably for the band’s whole career as far as I’m concerned. Constant drum from one end to the other, undecipherable vocals, bass that sounds more like a buzz saw, and Stephen McCarty’s drums that I’m fairly certain could hypnotize you if you were watching him live. And I’m guessing that’s probably happened with several fans before.

The other track worth pointing out is “Raise the Sails” which I guess is the band’s version of a ballad. The drone lets up every so slightly here, or at least takes on a more melodic tone, relatively speaking. I still have no idea what Simon is singing, but again that doesn’t matter. Dead Meadow are about the shapes, colors and emotions that sounds evoke, so details such as lyrics or even what chords are being played are irrelevant. What’s important is how the listener hears and reacts to them.

I got hooked on Dead Meadow with ‘Howls from the Hills’ a few years ago, and while I doubt if I would go see them live since my company has a random drug-testing policy and second-hand smoke can kill anyway; I really enjoy playing their CDs every once and a while just to kick back and enjoy the visual, tactile and other sensory experiences their music can evoke. Four stars for their third album, and highly recommended to psych fans as well as people who want to do more than just hear their music.

peace

 Feathers by DEAD MEADOW album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.69 | 16 ratings

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Feathers
Dead Meadow Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Researcher

4 stars Dead Meadow continue to ply their trade as anthropologists of sixties acid psych music on this, their latest album from Matador. The band looks more like a grunge act, and the music seems more focused than sixties psych (probably for the most part because these guys don’t seem to be wasted out of their minds like their musical ancestors were). But this is psych music, make no bones about it.

The sound here is sonically crisp and focused (relatively speaking), unlike the first album which had a decidedly American vibe to it and seemed to suggest something closer to an Appalachian background than the Washington DC burbs these guys actually hail from. The guitar feedback is displayed aplenty but without gratuitous excess, and the sitar reinforces the psych bent without becoming some sort of opiate-drenched dirge like an old-school band named Electric Couch or something would likely indulge in.

The standout track for me is “Heaven” with its spacious rhythm guitar and simple but effective drums. The tempo is also pretty solid, something that can’t always be said of these guys or this genre. On “Get Up on Down” for example the band seems to be plodding along trying to find a sense of purpose, and on “Let it all Pass” the persistent cymbal tinkering and slow pace really detract from some excellent lead guitar work.

But this album is more even than the band’s first two, and most of the tracks move along well and manage to stay interesting. “Stacy's Song” and the lengthy untitled track are a bit slow as well, but here the mood is more reflective and languid than bland so I guess that’s okay.

This isn’t a band that goes out of their way to be inventive or explore many new ideas, but they have managed to carve out a niche for themselves playing tightly constructed psych music that avoids many of the traps that style has been guilty of in years past. For that they deserve recognition, and if you are a psych fan you will undoubtedly find this an appealing album and worth picking up. Four stars may be just a bit generous, but three seems like an insult so I’ll err on the side of caution and go with four. Recommended to psych fans and those who like their music rather dark without being depressing.

peace

 Dead Meadow by DEAD MEADOW album cover Studio Album, 2000
4.12 | 28 ratings

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Dead Meadow
Dead Meadow Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by The Wizard
Prog Reviewer

5 stars It is truly a feat the music this ear shattering heavy and monolithic is so relaxing and organic at the same time. And to imagine that it came from the DC scene, where hardcore punk was the standard is even more puzzling. Dead Meadow see to have came straight from outer space. Their music echoes of a spiritual vibe that is absolutely otherworldly. However in reality they are just a bunch of kids with a love of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, as well as the surreal imagery that exist in their lyrics.

The album opens with Sleepy Silver Door, which is powered by a riff that is as power as it is beautiful. The songs drones along, drums plodding along at a classic stoner rock tempo as singer Jason Simon guiding us along on a surreal journey through mysterious lands masterfully illustrated by the groups instrumental prowess. The albums dreamlike qualities are perfectly demonstrated, before the Blue Cheer style boogie of Indian Bones. Yet even throughout the faster moment of the album, the psychedelic and dreamlike quality is maintained.

Jason Simon's masterfully played guitar solos are quite possibly the highlight of the album. His use of the wah metal to add to texture and feel is amazing. He treats the pedal like a child rather than just another effect to blast at the audience. The rhythm section of Steve Kille and Mark Laughlin are also masters of their craft, creating the powerhouse that drives Dead Meadow's sound.

So basically you'd be doing yourself a lot of good by checking out Dead Meadow, they're a band every fan of psychedelic music needs to hear. I honestly cannot imagine myself being a true fan of psychedelic without having heard this band, and this album perfectly represent their earth shattering sound.

 Howls From The Hills by DEAD MEADOW album cover Studio Album, 2001
3.07 | 8 ratings

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Howls From The Hills
Dead Meadow Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Researcher

3 stars If you are ever in Columbia, Missouri check out a hole-in-the-wall called Slackers located on their downtown strip. I try to stop every time I travel through there and spend an hour or so trolling through their used CD and album bins. You can find some really great (and sometimes obscure) stuff that mostly comes from the local college student community. That's where I found this CD and bought it with no knowledge whatsoever of the band.

I still don't know much about them, except that they sure love psych fuzz guitar and lazy, sonically ear-pleasing songs. This album was originally released in 2001 on the Tolatta label, which is owned by one of the guys in Fugazi. It is apparently in the process of being reissued with some bonus material, so I assume the guys got signed to a bigger label with decent distribution channels, although I don't know which label.

The influences range from Deep Purple to Butthole Surfers, and probably just about every blues/psych band that ever lived. This album was recorded mostly at a barn in Indiana and has a pretty intense vibe that makes the thing seem a whole lot longer than it really is.

The tracks all kind of flow together fueled by Jason Simon's persistently fuzzed-out guitar and a thudding bass line courtesy of Steve Kille. A couple tracks ("Jusiamere Farm" and "The White Worm") feature a little cello and conga, but mostly this is just heavy psychedelic guitar, bass, drums and vocals.

The lyrics are full of poor grammar, non-sequiters and strange sentiments, which is to say that this is a pretty typical indie-psych offering:

"If I was but a cow that you milked before dawn, what would you say when you came and all my milk was gone?"

and

"I hoped in my heart a fire would start, but the fire I made to keep me from my grave serves to attract the hungry depraved."

Sucks to be you I guess. The more interesting tracks are the longer ones. "The White Worm" has a guitar/bass funk going on that sounds like it was lifted out of 1972, and "One and Old" has some awesome feedback taming that is probably Hendrix- inspired.

The other ear-catching tune is "The One I Don't Know" with a guitar/sitar meandering arrangement that not only varies the tempo of the album for a few minutes, but makes me think these guys have listened to a little Syd Barrett somewhere along the line.

In all a decent record, not great, but certainly done with some amount of energy and enthusiasm for this type of music. Three stars is probably the right place for it, and recommended to psych fans looking for something newer than 1972 to listen to.

peace

Thanks to chamberry for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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