Customer Reviews

Wellwater Conspiracy

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

 

 

Having all the Wellwater cd's released and being very fortunate to see them live once, surprisingly, this is the least assesible cd, it took a few times to really get into it and fully understand what all is going on. In a review I read Matt Cameron as saying this is what Wellwater sounds like without being influenced too much of what we like. If this is what is going to continue, bring it on..

I'm not going to try to fool anyone -- this isn't a CD for the "casual" listener. The only way you're going to like this is if you're truly passionate about what you listen to.

Moving on. Matt Cameron is a drummer, not a vocalist. However, in my opinion, I think he's an awesome singer and pulls it off well. Granted, he's not as powerful as, say, Eddie Vedder or Chris Cornell (the two singers he's worked closest with), but they sure as hell can't drum like he can.

With that aside, I thought that the song selection on here is amazingly strong. I was a bit worried after "The Scroll," but this record is reminiscent of the masterpiece "Operational Directives." Songs like Wimple Witch and Dragonwyck instantly put you in a bouncy trance (no seriously, if you're in a bad mood, Wellwater is the proven cure). Then there are songs like Sea Miner that are just so amazingly beautiful.

Give this cd more than just one listen. Only then will the details pop out at you, and that's the glory that is Wellwater: the simple, yet astounding intricacies.

After "the scroll", I wasn't sure what to expect from Wellwater Conspiracy. I must say that I am pleasantly surprised with this album. Despite the official status of side project for this band, this is some of the most inventive, original music I've heard in years. Similar to their previous albums, this cd is very experimental. It is all over the place musically. I guess you would expect that coming from these guys. The 60's vibe is very much still there. However, they have begun to touch on a more powerful alternative rock style with this album. The experimentation has become a little more interesting as well. Some of the tracks almost start to border on Radiohead's strange electronic style of Kid A. This album can be summed up as a combo of inde/60's style, a bit of The Doors, some strange groove style that borders on Clutch briefly, a touch of Swervedriver, and the few brief ventures into Radiohead. This could quite possibly be the most diverse collection of musical styles blended together that I have heard in years. This album is a bit more comercially friendly than their previous releases, but that's not a bad thing. So far this year, this is probably the most original and interesting album I have heard.

Wow! This cd is far superior to the last few Pearl Jam cd's. Wellwater Conspiracy has Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam/Soundgarden) and a bunch of other Seattle stars. Every song on this cd is strong and catchy, but yet, it has a very unique sound. This cd is very unusual but is also very compelling and addictive. It runs the gamut of musical genres, from garage rock to straight ahead pop/rock. Without a doubt, this is the cd of the year.

I downloaded the songs and really liked them, but I was getting really crummy audio on my computer so I assumed that I had gotten a hold of some bad files. I went ahead and bought it anticipating a much fuller sound on my home stereo. Wrong. And I have some nice Paradigm speakers, a quality Amp, and a pretty nice Rotel CD player. There simply is no excuse for a recording this bad. If they are going for lo-fi, they ended up with much worse, and unprofessional - something that sounds as muffled as the recordings I made on the radio using my boom box when I was a kid. The Strokes managed to score a "lo-fi" sounding album with their first, so it isn't too hard.
What a shame. These songs could really reveal some sonic detail with the right recording. I'm in a strange position here. I REALLY can't recommend buying this disc if you expect any semblance of modern recording quality standards. If you ONLY care about the music, go for it. Wow, I'm not sure what to think.

I generally like music that is unique but I'm not sure what this is. The vocals are not clean enough. Either the singer is not very strong or there is too much emphasis on effects. Either way, the vocals strike me wrong. I also think the music is all over the place. There's definately some interesting songs and quality music, but it seems to lack a strong identity. I've given it three good listens and I find that I want to fast forward too much.

What happened here? The music lacks the psychedelia and quirkiness of the first three albums. This album is far less catchy then previous releases.