From Wall of Sound.com

Wellwater Conspiracy - The Scroll and Its Combinations
Label: TVT
Genre: Rock
File Under: Psychedelic future
Rating: 82

by Mark Arm


Named after the long-suppressed pro-LSD manifesto by Hal Lindsey, Wellwater Conspiracy mines the same hole once dug by arcane psychedelic warriors like Larry Norman, Norman Greenbaum, and The Abbey Normal IV. Wellwater isn't mining for nuggets or pebbles, instead it sifts through these obstructions studying the quarks and leptons that make them up. The men of Wellwater seek the essence of each nugget, distill that essence, then create a whole new rock of their own devising.

The Scroll and Its Combinations is the third and latest lysergically driven Wellwater Conspiracy platter. What you get with each serving is no mere re-creation, but a healthy dose of electric recreation for mind and body. The only time this record feels like the band is looking backward is during its covers of Q65's "I Got Nightmares" and Steve Morgan's "Of Dreams." Throughout the rest of the material, our heroes face forward, moving upward, forever onward.

Check out the shimmering, fuzzed-out guitar on "Tidepool Telegraph." Marvel as time distends during "What Becomes of the Clock." Play "Is that a guitar? Is that a synth? Or is it a guitar-synth?" as "Now, Invisibly" rolls along. Take care not to get sucked into the vacuum cleaner/cheese grater that's doing its number to "Keppy's Lament."

So how does something like Wellwater Conspiracy come to be? Well, in the midst of Soundgarden's heyday, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd formed Hater with John McBain (who had just left Monster Magnet) and a couple of other guys. The three splintered off Hater to form Wellwater Conspiracy, while Matt and Ben soldiered on in Soundgarden.

Hater released a self-titled album in 1993 that kicks all over Soundgarden, though hardly anyone heard the record because the band never toured and A&M didn't promote it. In 1997, Wellwater Conspiracy released Declaration of Conformity, a stunning record. All the instruments were recorded by John and Matt, but Ben lent his unhinged vocals to half of the songs; by the time they recorded their second album, Ben was no longer involved.

I miss Ben's vocals on the newer recordings. They provided the perfect counterbalance to Matt's smooth and sweet voice. Both voices together helped make Declaration of Conformity one of my favorite albums of the last decade. Even without Ben however, the level of Wellwater's work elevates the band at least eight miles above your standard current combo.

Now, my friend, you are faced with The Scroll and Its Combinations, and the knowledge unlocked by the Wellwater Conspiracy's tradition of great music. You have the opportunity to dig deep into this rich vein. Or you can ignore this and continue on with your flat, meaningless existence. What's it gonna be? Are you gonna take a hit, or are you square? — Mark Arm

Mark Arm plays rock and roll with Monkeywrench and Mudhoney. He recently turned to the lucrative field of music criticism to help pay for his trip to the International Space Station.


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