Dead Meadow - ‘Feathers’ - (Matador Records) Released 04/04/05

 

 

‘Feathers’ is the fifth release from Washington band Dead Meadow. Formed in 1988, this is their first outing as a quartet with the welcome addition of second guitarist Cory Shane.

 

Judging by the art work of this album I was expecting a hippy, trippy, drug laced, psychedelic cocktail. What I wasn’t expecting was such an original sound from a band whose influences are so prominently floating on the surface of their music. Take one part 60’s psychedelia, two parts Black Sabbath and whisk lightly. Then bled in one part Led Zeppelin, add a touch of Tolkein and a hint of Pink Floyd, leave to bake for 30 years and Bob’s your uncle, pull Dead Meadow out of the oven.

 

With lyrics that draw from the writing of J.R.R. Tolkein and H.P. Lovecraft the result is a journey into the realm of myth and fantasy. Right from the opening track you are catapulted backwards in time. With haunting guitars and gentle vocals ‘Let’s Jump In’ aptly chucks you into the weird and wonderful world of Dead Meadow.

 

The lynch pin of the album is the beautifully epic ‘Eyeless Gaze All Eye / Don’t Tell The Riverman’. This is very Sabbath; a meaty catchy central riff slowly gives way to dreamy slide guitars and a constant mellow drum beat that sucks you in. With ‘Stacy’s Song’ and ‘At Her Open Door’ you are treated to ballads-Dead Meadow style-like a gentle, melodic out of body experience. Last track on the album, ‘Untitled’, is another fantastically epic journey down a 13 minute windy road with more twists and turns than a bad soap plot.

 

You might get bored of Jason Simon’s droning vocals but let’s face it; this band is not about any one individual it’s about the overall mood and a delicious slice of ambient fantasy. Sit in the dark, light some candles, grab a beer and get away from the world for 57 minutes of sprawling, grandiose contemporary stoner/psych rock at its best.