The first recording issued from ex-
Soundgarden
members after their April '97 breakup is a bit of a surprise. Shedding their ex-band's sludge-metal sound,
Matt Cameron
(drums) and
Ben Shepherd
(vocals) explore 60's garage rock sounds (
the Who
,
the Ventures
, etc.), and add some hallucinogenic elements as well (late
Beatles
Pink Floyd
w/
Syd Barrett
). Ex-
Monster Magnet
member
John Paul McBain
rounds out the group (on guitar & bass), and proves to be well-versed in achieving interesting, classic sounds from inexpensive home-recording equipment.
Declaration of Conformity
is
Ben Shepherd's
debut as lead vocalist of a group (he played bass in
), and his high-pitched voice fits this unusual retro music perfectly.
"Sandy,"
"Far Side of Your Moon," and "Nati Bati Yi" explore surf music, while "Enebrio" and "Space Travel In A Blink of An Eye" are influenced by early
(they even cover
Syd Barrett's
"Lucy Leave" on the album). Other highlights include the spooky "Green Undertow," and the strutting "Trowerchord." Fans of
the Wellwater Conspiracy
should also check out their precursor group,
Hater
, which released an album on A&M back in 1993 (and featured two other members). ~ Greg Prato