Customer Reviews

Scroll & Its Combinations

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wellwater Conspiracy is John McBain & Matt Cameron. McBain used to be in Monster Magnet, Cameron used to be in a band you might have heard of called Soundgarden. It's also one of the best bands in the world, but the world would probably never know that. Well, I think it's better off that way anyway.... If you're thinking Monster Magnet & Soundgarden, Well, I'm happy to tell you that you could not be anymore wrong. McBain & Cameron are very wise, and are leaving the grinding metal of their former bands at the door. Instead, they dive head first into 1960s rock & pop {back when those were not bad words} with a bit of prog rock thrown in for fun. The album in hand is their third, & with it they are doing just that. With songs like "C, Myself & Eye", "Of Dreams", "I Got Nightmares" & "Now Invisibly" among others; they bring back warm memories of a time long gone when rock music was real & played by real people. For me, there are only 2 setbacks to this album: First, it's way too short. Second, it's missing some of that raw, lo - fi feeling that I loved so much in the first record & is a bit too poppy & a bit less trippy for my liking. But that's all minor details, really. In an age ruled by fake rap metal bullshit, it's very good to have an album like this to remind you that all is not lost with rock.

I bought the cd without actually knowing what I was getting but when I got it I was very glad I got it.WWC's sound is quite different but great.It has a little bit of old blue oyster cult feel to it but seems very fresh and not over produced or replicated.The guitars and overall music has a bright feel to it.I would definately recommend this cd to anyone looking for something different.Its a cd that you can put in the player and not wish to take it out.Everytime I listen to it, I can find something new in it.I hope they keep the momentum going and find time and energy to write another cd.

If you're a Soundgarden fan, grab it. Excellent disc, and suprising in the different sounds is offers. There is a bit of a 60's vibe, but it totally works.

well i u never heard of wwc or never heard the album. for information there is a special guest on "felicity's surprise" named Wes C. Addle (aka Ed Vedder of Pearl Jam which Matt has been playin drums for the past 3 years)

The third CD from this underground Seattle supergroup - and the best one yet. The sophistocation of playing and level of songwriting is reaching ever greater altitudes with this band. This Lp is destined to be a classic: file alongside Pet Sounds, Begin Here, Evolution, Easter Everywhere and Chairs Missing.

It's hard, very hard...impossible not to compare this, the third WWC album to WWC's previous two albums, and in doing so, it doesn't fair very well, despite notable improvement in recording quality and mixing. WWC's first album was a blatant attempt to reproduce not just the sound of late 60's pysche/garage music, but also the "feel" of it as well, and its saving grace (and what made that album remarkable amidst the wave after wave of "garage revival" bands) is that it was genuinely and perhaps innocently inspired. The second album showed WWC trying build on the whole pysche/garage revival thing by keeping that "feel" and "sound" while developing songwriting and production methods, and the end result wasn't as constant as their first yet retained an admirable degree of inspiration unto itself. With this third album, WWC try to up the ante on their experimentations, but there's a distinctive lack of that same inspiration that had made their previous albums listenable.

There is some strong material on this album, but it seems to have trouble surfacing up from under the swarm of guitar overdubs, tweaked vocals, terribly uninteresting "guest" musicians, and overly wrought and contrived songwriting. In short, this album, which totals just over 37 minutes, is too little too worked over. Nowhere on this album, save for the two cover songs, can I detect that "feel" I found so enjoyable on albums 1 and 2, and in it's place is an overcompensating attempt to achieve the "sound." While it sounds like Cameron and McBain are still enjoying what they're doing, and in places it does groove (or at least tries to) the thang just ain't got no soul.

Excesses and soulessness aside, "What Becomes of the Clock," "Now, Invisibly" and "The Scroll" are probably the strongest tracks, demonstrating best what this duo is capable of doing well: creative songwriting that has borders touching psyche/garage bands of yesteryear, yet successfully establishes its own post-60's realm without indulging in tedious tongue-in-cheek or gross retro hero worship. The two covers, "I Got Nightmares" and "Of Dreams," both from ultra-obscure 60's bands, Q 65 and Morgan respectively, also are high points on the album, as their more straight-forward and simple forms give the listener reprieve from the fruits of over-labor that occupy the remaining. "Tidepool Telegraph" is a decent opener, but is unfortunately overextended, which drains it of its solidity overall. "C, Myself and Eye" and "Tick Tock 3 O'Clock" are both pitifully contrived, which a mindful listener could gather just from the titles. Same too for "Felicity's Surprise," which differs only in that Ed Vedder, under an annoying pseudonym, steps in to offers some equally contrived lyrics of his own, and ends up sounding fake and out of place. Rounding out this very uneven collection is the forgettable "Brotherhood of Electric" and the completely useless instrumental outro, "Keppy's Lament."

Of course, since WWC is largely an experimental group, a few duds are inevitable, and the album isn't a complete waste of a listeners time: Cameron, who does a very fine job of handling most of the vocals, also offers up some of his most creative drumming to date and McBain is a beyond solid guitarist is actually seems interested in playing guitar (which he does very well) and not just in the idea of being a guitar player in a band. Musicianship isnt lacking in WWC, and this album does at least bare witness to that, so sworn allies of the conspiracy will no doubt adore this album simply for its mere existence. Still, I don't think too much optimism is inspired by the arc of WWC's first three albums, although at least, they don't appear to be evolving into horrible boogie rock, pretentious prog rock or ELO, unlike many of the long-surviving 60's bands they are emulating. Since Cameron and McBain are a talented pair who've proven in the past their collaboration can be a very fruitful and creative one, I'll readily forgive them for this sad little third album and hope for the best on their fourth, which is due out the day after my writing this review.