SUCH HAWKS SUCH HOUNDS

It took them a few albums, but Dead Meadow finally nailed it on SHIVERING KING AND OTHERS.  The follow-up, FEATHERS, was equally kick-ass.  I think the mix was off on their early albums, the whiny vocals were in front, it was sort of a painful sound to listen to.

OLD GROWTH was still good, but the spacey mellow ballad/heavy sludge ratio was out of whack on this one.  THREE KINGS was time and space filler, a couple of new tunes stuck in with some live stuff that sounded pretty much like how it did in the studio.  Which, admittedly, is a good thing.

The latest one, WARBLE WOMB, was good enough for what it was, and I will probably buy the next one, but it was sort of a letdown coming a full five years after OLD GROWTH.  I was hoping for more growth or expansion  or mind-blowing insanity.  On the other hand, I've never really seen an instance where large amounts of pot smoking ever helped long term creativity.  It seems to become a lifestyle in and of itself instead of creatively assisting whatever lifestyle came before it.

Or maybe I'm just square.

In any event, SHIVERING KING and FEATHERS are probably the pinnacle of 21st century stoner rock.  Worthy successors to that tasty early Sabbath riffage.