Album: Dust
Artist: Screaming Trees
Born: Ellensburg, Washington
Released: June 1996
Genre: Psychedelic Grunge
After Kurt Cobain's death, I assumed that grunge had died too, but a friend of mine in sixth form passed me this album (and a few others), marking my initiation into the Mark Lanegan fan club. Two of Lanegan's heroes are bluesman Son House and avant-garde rocker John Cale, and their styles are reflected in his own melancholic growl, making him one of the great rock vocalists of our times. Lanegan formed the Screaming Trees with the Conner brothers and Mark Pickerel in 1985, so the band pre-dates and outlived grunge, but the band is forever associated with the genre because of its Seattle connections. Dust was the band's seventh and final album, and their most compelling selection of songs. Though I'm a fan of their previous album, Sweet Oblivion (1992), and Lanegan's 1994 solo record, Whiskey For The Holy Ghost, Dust has the best arrangements and songwriting. The album sees the group shake off many of its punk and grunge leanings, in favour of psychedelic rock and folk and added emphasis on Lanegan's versatile blues singing. There's also a strong Eastern, raga influence on both the album's opening (Halo Of Ashes) and closing tracks (Gospel Plow), a sound first explored by experimental rock and folk musicians in the 60s. Though the Screaming Trees weren't the obvious choice as support act for Oasis' North America tour in 1996, they did at least share an appetite for reviving classic rock.
All I Know was the closest the band came to scoring a hit, its Beatles-inspired opening quickly morphing into a straightforward rock song with dark undertones ("cold is creeping deep inside"). Guest appearances by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Tom Petty's keyboardist Benmont Tench enhance the album, with McCready adding the acid rock guitar solo on Dying Days and Tench's Mellotron the perfect accompaniment to the sitar on Halo Of Ashes. On tour in the late 90s, Josh Homme joined the Screaming Trees line-up as a rhythm guitarist, fresh out of Kyuss and before the release of Queen Of The Stone Age's self-titled debut album in 1998. Having these high-quality performers at their disposal, as well as first-rate recording facilities, helped Screaming Trees achieve such a wide range of styles on Dust, from the classic rock of Dying Days (I hear Cream's influence as much as Led Zeppelin) to melancholy ballads like Sworn and Broken and psychedelic folk (Traveler). Lanegan's ability to shift his vocal style from mournful croon to rock growl, and much else besides, also makes Dust such an engaging listen. It's one of the most underrated albums of the 90s. Screaming Trees would never make another album after Dust, mainly due to personal differences, but Lanegan would go on to be one of music's great collaborators, notably thanks to his brilliant trio of albums with Belle & Sebastian's Isobel Campbell.
After Kurt Cobain's death, I assumed that grunge had died too, but a friend of mine in sixth form passed me this album (and a few others), marking my initiation into the Mark Lanegan fan club. Two of Lanegan's heroes are bluesman Son House and avant-garde rocker John Cale, and their styles are reflected in his own melancholic growl, making him one of the great rock vocalists of our times. Lanegan formed the Screaming Trees with the Conner brothers and Mark Pickerel in 1985, so the band pre-dates and outlived grunge, but the band is forever associated with the genre because of its Seattle connections. Dust was the band's seventh and final album, and their most compelling selection of songs. Though I'm a fan of their previous album, Sweet Oblivion (1992), and Lanegan's 1994 solo record, Whiskey For The Holy Ghost, Dust has the best arrangements and songwriting. The album sees the group shake off many of its punk and grunge leanings, in favour of psychedelic rock and folk and added emphasis on Lanegan's versatile blues singing. There's also a strong Eastern, raga influence on both the album's opening (Halo Of Ashes) and closing tracks (Gospel Plow), a sound first explored by experimental rock and folk musicians in the 60s. Though the Screaming Trees weren't the obvious choice as support act for Oasis' North America tour in 1996, they did at least share an appetite for reviving classic rock.
All I Know was the closest the band came to scoring a hit, its Beatles-inspired opening quickly morphing into a straightforward rock song with dark undertones ("cold is creeping deep inside"). Guest appearances by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Tom Petty's keyboardist Benmont Tench enhance the album, with McCready adding the acid rock guitar solo on Dying Days and Tench's Mellotron the perfect accompaniment to the sitar on Halo Of Ashes. On tour in the late 90s, Josh Homme joined the Screaming Trees line-up as a rhythm guitarist, fresh out of Kyuss and before the release of Queen Of The Stone Age's self-titled debut album in 1998. Having these high-quality performers at their disposal, as well as first-rate recording facilities, helped Screaming Trees achieve such a wide range of styles on Dust, from the classic rock of Dying Days (I hear Cream's influence as much as Led Zeppelin) to melancholy ballads like Sworn and Broken and psychedelic folk (Traveler). Lanegan's ability to shift his vocal style from mournful croon to rock growl, and much else besides, also makes Dust such an engaging listen. It's one of the most underrated albums of the 90s. Screaming Trees would never make another album after Dust, mainly due to personal differences, but Lanegan would go on to be one of music's great collaborators, notably thanks to his brilliant trio of albums with Belle & Sebastian's Isobel Campbell.
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