Screaming Trees Carve Last Words

When Last Words: The Final Recordings by the Screaming Trees first appeared on iTunes, I passed thinking it was a reissue. I could not have been more wrong. One of the "Godfathers of Grunge" had left an unproduced batch of songs at Stone Gossard’s Studio Litho before they broke up in 2000.

The tapes were recently found by drummer Barrett Martin and producer Jack Endino. No, not every song is new and never heard, but enough of them are, alongside some rarities, that Last Words: The Final Recordings is somewhere in between a reissue and rediscovery. And anyone who knows the Screaming Trees will love every inch of it.

There are a few other surprises too. Peter Buck (R.E.M.) had made a guest appearance on some songs. It's nice to find that Josh Homme (pre-Queens of the Stone Age) did too. That makes sense because Martin and Buck worked together after the Screaming Trees broke up.

There will be no reunion, but Last Works is better than reminiscing.

Last Words being released a little over ten years since it was recorded is bittersweet. After the bottom fell out of grunge and the music became too good for people who made it a fashion statement, even the Screaming Trees couldn't keep it together.

They wouldn't have anyway. While some people say they missed their opportunity, with the band hanging on to Sweet Oblivion too long before releasing Dust, they already had some cracks. Despite favorable reviews, some saying it was their best album, the all-too-brief period of idiosyncratic sound was over. Dust never topped Sweet Oblivion.

Last Words provides a final goodbye at a time when music needs something like it again. It also proves Screaming Trees still had some work left in them, even if not everything was fully finished. I've read some people say it lacks the same level of inspiration, but Last Words strikes harder than many recent releases with active bands, especially a whole grouping that sold alt rock for fluff pop.


Although Butterfly isn't on the album, it reinforces that the Screaming Trees were one of the most underrated bands to come out of that era. From the earliest beginnings and well after, the band always produced solid music and fractured personalities.

The original members included Mark Lanegan (vocals), Gary Lee Conner (guitar), Van Conner (bass), and Mark Pickerel (drums), producing their first demo in 1985 with the help of Steve Frisk. All of them also had side projects, some great and others that only gave them all the more reason to split.

Pickerel was replaced by Martin, but that first fracture produced Sweet Oblivion. But then when the two brothers started drifting (with Donna Dresch temporarily replacing Van Conner), they were ever closer to the end. Despite this, the album proves Homme hadn't just signed up as a touring rhythm guitarist. He was in, as short lived as it would be.

Last Words is more than an epitaph for people who know music.

On Last Words, the most immediately sticky song is the Revelator, with its painfully captivating lyrics and full production. Others to check out include the powerful opener Ash Gray Wednesday, the timeless and melodic Door Into Summer, the sharp strummer Reflections, and the breathtaking and clairvoyant Last Words. It will make you long for Lanegan and company.

Other songs are solid, but strain at being unfinished despite some masterful reconstructions. It also serves as a reminder of where Lanegan came from despite multiple successes as a soloist and within various collaborative efforts.

Most recently, he played with previously reviewed The Twilight Singers and contributed a song to UNKLE. More recently, he joined Queens of The Stone Age on stage at the Nokia Club in Los Angeles to raise funds for Eagles of Death Metal bassist Brian O'Connor.

Last Words: The Final Recordings by the Screaming Trees Quakes At 8.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

Not all of the album is perfect, but there is no denying that the Screaming Trees can contend today with anyone actively producing today. The music and its delivery get under the skin. It doesn't even matter that the material is made up of ten decade-old tracks. They sound like they were spooled together yesterday.

Last Words: The Final Recordings is available on iTunes. Alternatively, you can find Last Words: The Final Recordings on Amazon. Permanent fans might also want to check out the Screaming Trees at Wolfgang's Vault. They have two vintage posters there, including the celebrated 1992 b/w by Michael Lavine.

It Happened Today With R.E.M.

Formed in 1980, R.E.M. has always been considered one of the first and most formidable alternative rock bands. They've produced just more than three decades of music together, with their newest album, Collapse Into Now, due out in March.

R.E.M. kicked off the new album with a title track single featuring Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. It's not the first time Vedder has joined the three remaining members of R.E.M. Vedder has joined them on stage during live performances several times over the years.

It Happened Today strikes the right chords for 2011.

The opening of the song is defeatist, with Michael Stipe (vocals) singing "this is not a parable, this is a terrible" against the backdrop of an acoustic guitar and restrained percussion. Vedder also lends a vocal contribution toward the conclusion.

The song, however, is not defeatist as sone early reviews suggested after latching on to the first three lines. R.E.M. turns the tables on the defeat by declaring such happenings as those moments when we can stand up and make the choice to make things better.

With the worst already behind us, it makes any future accomplishments all the more remarkable and memorable. Stipe is right. We earn something after tragedies, setbacks, and terrible things. R.E.M. would know. The band and its members are no strangers to personal trials.

Triumph after tragedy sets the tone for right now.

The accidental meeting of Stipe and Peter Buck (guitar) while working in a record store, and their subsequent pairing with Mike Mills (bass) and Bill Berry (drums) led to a redefinition of post-punk into alternative rock. Together, they toured in an old blue blue van, living on nothing more than a food allowance of $2 per day until finally producing the independent Radio Free Europe.

They did everything no one expected, turning down RCA in favor of I.R.S. in 1982. But any of those tests were nothing compared to losing Berry, who was forced to retire after the stress of touring began to wear on him, which became apparent after he suffered a brain aneurysm and collapsed on stage.

While Berry has made special appearances and recordings with R.E.M. on occasion, he remains steadfast to his decision to retire. Although the band was admittedly lost without him for nearly a decade, they eventually recovered and toured (for the first time since Monster) in 2005. In 2007, they were nominated for inclusion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with the induction by Vedder.

For the upcoming album on March 8, R.E.M. has tapped many talents. Along with Vedder, guests include Joel Gibb, Lenny Kaye, Peaches, and Patti Smith. The band released a teaser compilation on YouTube in anticipation of their first album since Accelerate.


The album is produced by Jacknife Lee, who also produced Accelerate, under the Warner Bros. label. R.E.M. originally invited Lee to work with them after being urged by The Edge (U2). His influences have been felt, especially in preventing Stipe from over thinking the work.

It Happened Today by R.E.M. Hits With A 9.2 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

The single fits easily among their best work since Monster. Stipe's underscoring vocals, Buck's arpeggiated guitar, and multi-talented composer Mills' bass will likely reintroduce another generation to a genre that remains untapped.

In March, the album to look for is the Deluxe version, which also includes three live studio sessions of Discoverer, Oh My Heart, and Alligator Aviator Autopilot along with twelve songs that range from laments to epics. Collapse Into Now will be released on iTunes, and you can purchase It Happened Today as an independent track off the album. You can also visit their website and download Discoverer for free.