DEAD MEADOW
OLD GROWTH (MATADOR)

The fifth offering from these Washington, DC-bred/LA-based psychedelic merchants finds Dead Meadow much more refined, but without sacrificing the feedback-laden goodness and textures that made their previous efforts so tasty. Opener “Ain’t Got Nothing (To Go Wrong)” plays like toned-down Blue Cheer—sleepy but not drowsy, groovy but not too stoney. Compared to 2005’s Feathers and their 2001 self-titled album, here the band betrays a much more bluesy side coupled with restrained forays into oceans of wa-wa pedals. Frontman Jason Simon’s nasally vocals have improved tremendously, allowing a confidence that plays well with his already stellar guitar work, heard on the serpentine riffing of “The Queen of All Returns” and the gentle Zeppelin strumming of “Down Here.” Then there’s “Hard People/Hard Times,” which makes atmospheric use of bassist Steve Kille’s sitar before launching into a barrage of raw energy, then settling down into a foot-tapping verse, and again crescendoing into Simon’s sonic landscaping. Overall, Old Growth probably has more in common with the Black Keys than Hawkwind. Fans of their heavier earlier material might find this less pummeling and completely tripped-out, but the boys still fly the neo-psychedelic flag higher and better than most of their contemporaries.

Tags: dead meadow, Music, review