Customer Reviews

Wormwood

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wormwood deserves the recognition received for its excellence at the Jammys. This album is experimental in nature with influences ranging from the Dead to Steely Dan to the Allman Brothers to Jeff Beck. These elements have been drawn upon as inspiration, not used for replication.

As always the instrumental work is superb from Moe, but the album's ambiance is strengthened with innovative recording techniques. The drum tracks were recorded live and the rest of the tracks were recorded in a studio.

The guitar solos are what set Moe. apart from other jam bands. This album in particular contains amazing solos. These solos move beyond the Garcia recipe of jamming upon three simple chords moving in a predictable progression. Wormwood's solos are woven throughout complicated melodies with care. (Okay Alright is the one counter-example of my previous statement, but the song kicks ass anyway.) There are no awkward breaks for solos that are drawn out. I am a Moe.ron and love the pleasure of hearing a constant jam (Warts 1,2,3,4), but at times Moe. is guilty of sacrificing progression for a ripping solo, dragging songs on to 20 minutes. The solos on this album vary in length, but are perfect in length for achieving the effect that they were intended for.

Being a fan of jambands(GD, Allmans, Umphrey's Mcgee, SCI, Particle, Phish, Ratdog...), I admit I am partial to Moe. However, any fan of quality music will be able to appreciate the talent that was required to create this album even if they are not fans of jambands.

If you have purchased this album and love it, share it with a friend. The more people are exposed to good music, the more people will realize what they have been missing while listening to their radios.

Peace

This is the type of musicianship that I have come to love from this group's live shows. I found moe. during the recent Phish hiatus and have never looked back. They are great musicians.

This album is tight with segues (segways) into most of the songs (My Favorite is Wormwood > Okayalright) just like their live shows. Between this album and Phish's new one Round Room, my two favorite bands have finally produced studio albums that are worthy of their live show status.

this is one of my favorite cd's I have. I like how they took the live recording and over-dubbed it with the studio recording, it gave it the feel of both worlds. this is an awesome cd from an awesome band. it would be a great purchase.

In one way or another, I have kept tabs on moe. for the best part of a decade. Like all-too-few of its more widely recognized ancestors (the Grateful Dead) and cousins (Widespread Panic), and unlike most other so-called jambands, this northeast-based quintet augments its considerable instrumental and improvisational skills with a wonderful knack for penning good, simple, and catchy songs. However, until recently, all but the best of the band's tunes seemed a tad too self-conscious--not in a "Look how clever we are" way, à la Zappa and Phish, but in a "Boy, this tricky new turn might be fun" way, à la budding college poet aims to impress girls.

If the very strong Dither, the band's previous studio effort, represented an overdue maturing, Wormwood proves that the five boys named moe. are now all grown up, and the music buying public will reap the benefit. Birthed and raised in concert, recorded on the road, and brushed-up in the studio, the tunes that comprise this set hold together surprisingly well, especially considering that they run the gamut from Beatles-style pop to ambient electronica, and from country-esque twanging to hard rock anthems. But hold together they do. And, somewhat surprisingly, the at-one-ness of Wormwood seems to have been enhanced by guitarist/vocalist Al Schnier's solo exxcursions away from his band mates and into the worlds of synthesizers and garage Americana.

In short, this album is a must buy, both for longtime moe. fans, who will truly appreciate the distance the band has traveled (both literally and figuratively) from the delightful but sometimes sophmoric musings of Headseed, Fatboy, and No Doy, and for newbies who might heretofore have been intrigued to learn more about the jamband scene, but have remained fearful of its reputation. So what are you sitting around reading my BS for? Buy it! Now!

I have to say, I really wanted to like this album. I wait with baited breath for each new moe. release, (No Doy! gets my album of the century award) but based on all the other reviews, I guess I must be missing something.. (perhaps a hit of acid??) Sure, there are some great tracks, Not Coming Down, Okayalright, Crab Eyes, Kids.. and the fusion of live drum/guitar tracks seems like a GREAT idea.. in theory... But Wormwood just doesn't do it for me like moe.'s previous releases. I long for new songs in the same vein of epic masterpieces like Mexico, Dr. Graftenberg, Rebubula, Four, Plane Crash, Opium.. All of these translate wonderfully from studio to live performances, and no doubt many tracks on Wormwood would have a more driving energy live, but as a studio release, I find most to be sub-par to the type of moe. studio work I'm used to. If you're looking for a studio release, and you're new to moe. and are more inclined toward mainstream music, start with Dither. If you're a jamband fan looking for a studio release start with No Doy! or Headseed. And if you want an official live release go with Instant Live: Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK, 10/10/03. It's by far the best live show I own, and I own well over 400 hours of live music from ALL kinds of bands. When you've purchase all moe.'s other releases, circle back around and pick this up, like many of the other reviewers, you may find something here that I'm not.

Far and away the best moe. album to date. Very fresh sounding compared to recent efforts like dither. There is what some fans would consider alot of "filler" on the album, however these tracks such as rumble strip, bend sinister, etc, help tie tha album together perfectly. If you are new to moe. I would suggest seeing them live before making any final judgments. These guys are a force to be reckoned with. Highlights of the album are Crab Eyes>Bullet>Kyle's Song, it just flows so perfectly. BUY IT NOW!!!!!

I bought this album only because I kept seeing the name moe. on links from Widespread Panic And String Cheese Incident websites. It immediatly became a standard in my rotation. Trippy thing is that only after listening to it for months did I realize its a studio album. The way they blend it together gives it a live sound that is uncanny. I've seen these guys perform some of these songs live and its captured here as good as any live album I've heard.

One of moe.'s best studio albums. I'm very impressed with this album -- it's extremely interesting and contains a great variety of new songs and previously unreleased old songs that I recognize from shows. Much better than Dither.

When I got this CD, I was so excited to hear what moe. had put out. This is a prime example of how an album should be made. The songs all flow together and relate in a matter I have never heard before. The more I listen to it, the better it gets which means that I have listened to this album probably over 15 times in four days, and I still am not bored of it in anyway. The song "Gone" is one of the catchiest, most well written songs I have heard in years. After hearing this album I just kept thinking to myself that Vinnie the drummer makes this band so amazing. His solid interesting and complicated beats make the songs solid, where as most bands would not have been able to pull off half the songs on this album. Chuck one of the guitarists also shows his distinctive amazing guitar playing in "Bullet". Of course I do not mean to say that the other members of the band are not important, for if any were missing or replaced this album would not sound as amazing as it does. This is an example of how well a band can become as the members get to know each other and their styles better. This album should attract everyone, its style can not be described as simply jam, and the musics diverse nature is what makes it so appealing. Enjoy

What is so great about moe. is that they take the best parts of their influences (Zappa, Marley, Panic, Allmans), tweak it, and make it their own. Each song is unique, and if you know these guys, you know that you're ears will be tinglin' for the full 54 minutes. It is very well produced and a fun listen. I highly recommend it. The lyrics and vocals are excellent (which you don't always get in this style of music). moe. has been one of my favorites since I saw them at my frat house ADE in New Brunswick in 1993, and this cd reaffirms my belief. I am proud to see how far they have come and can't wait to see them Friday in San Diego. Go get this, and get ready for Spring!