Feathers [Import]

SpacemenSabbathRideZeppelinVerveFloyd. There. Now that the mandatory nod to this album's stylistic forbears is out of the way, we can move on to just how phenomenally _good_ it is. While looking at various reviews of _Feathers_ recently, I was struck how no two reviewers seem to agree on which song is the "highlight" or "centerpiece." That's telling of the kind of depth and consistency that this disc possesses--any one of about five different songs on it could have been the keystone of a lesser release.

On _Feathers_, Dead Meadow accomplish the rare feat of taking readily-identifiable influences and crafting something satisfyingly new out of them. It's not really revivalism, nor is it tongue-in-cheek; it's deep, sincere, and massively heavy work in the grand (and surprisingly vital) tradition of dark psychedelia. Having never heard them before, I was expecting at best a worshipful cultist's recreation of Sonic Boom's guitar tone or Blue Cheer's production values, but instead I got..well, listen for yourself. The record needs little further cheerleading.

As an aside, I see little basis for some people's grousing about how DM have "sold out." It's just the kind of I-was-there-first sanctimoniousness that happens whenever a cult band threatens to break out with a broadly appealing album. I haven't heard a lot of earlier Dead Meadow, but what I have heard sounds rather brittle, aimlessly repetitive, and undisciplined compared to _Feathers_.

Anton Newcombe introduced me to Dead Meadow 2 years ago, and they now fall within my top 5 bands of all time. With the addition of a 4th member, DM have re-done some old favourites, and expanded exponentially with surprisingly beautiful songs like "at her open door" and "don't tell the riverman". They have stepped back from the heavy fuzz guitars in favour of layering, an unexpected and welcome change.

I don't label my music, and I have little idea what "stoner-rock" means to the masses. This is music that makes you stare hypnotically at their psychedelic bass drum as it throbs your skull and you sway in time. If that's what you want, buy this. And if you ever get a chance, see them live to get the full effect.

More of the same - hypnotic soundscapes swirling around in your head, nasaly vocals accompanying them. The line-up has changed a bit with the trio now becoming a quartet, as the band added a second guitar player. This only further texturizes the music and makes it all that much more of a great listen. If you like Dead Meadow, no doubt about it, you'll like this release. If you've never heard them before, what are you waiting for?

1 complaint: 2 of the 9 songs were previously heard on their other records. "Heaven" from their previous album, and "Sleepy Silver Door" from the self-titled release were redone.