DEAD MEADOW

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

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

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.

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