808. Screaming Trees - Dust (1996)

Track Listing

1. Halo Of Ashes
2. All I Know
3. Look At You
4. Dying Days
5. Make My Mind
6. Sworn And Broken
7. Witness
8. Traveler
9. Dime Western
10. Gospel Plow


Review

If the Screaming Trees have often been put in the same bag as grunge this is because those who put them in that bag have little knowledge of Post-Punk. The clearest musical influence on this album at least is that of British post-punkers, the first song would not be out of place in an Echo and the Bunnymen album for example.

The Screaming Trees are also not afraid to play with psychedelia and other "uncool" things for the mid-90s. The album is backward looking in a good way, it wears its influences lightly enough not to seem derivative, and the songs are good enough for it not to matter much anyway if they did.

Frankly most of the classifications given to this album do not make it justice. Grunge? Not really, it doesn't sound at all like grunge even if they were surrounded by grunge bands. Hard Rock? In a way yes, but so is Def Leppard and this is a very different band to that. No, the mix of Psychedelia and punk influences give it a determinately Post-Punk feel, which makes the album a bit outside of its era, but a pretty good one nonetheless.

Track Highlights

1. All I Know
2. Gospel Plow
3. Halo of Ashes
4. Witness

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

After an aborted attempt at recording a followup to Sweet Oblivion with producer Don Fleming, the band hired producer George Drakoulias to man the controls for what eventually turned out to be their last album. In contrast to the group's previous recordings that were more influenced by psychedelic rock and punk music, Dust contains music that is equally influenced by folk and blues, while still retaining a harder-edged sound. "All I Know" was released as a single from the album and became a success on rock radio. "Dying Days," a song that was also released as a single to some minor success, features Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

All I Know: