This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Start with former Soundgarden (and current Pearl Jam) drummer Matt Cameron. Add Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain and Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd. Sprinkle with cameos by Seattle luminaries and bandmates like guitarist Kim Thayil and one Wes C. Addle — easily recognizable as Eddie Vedder — and you should have a post-grunge supergroup extravaganza, right? Wrong.
Wellwater Conspiracy is no Temple of the Dog, and their third album is no flannel-flying screamathon. Instead, it’s — get this — a clutch of no-frills Nuggets-style garage-rock, complete with choppy guitar lines, crash-bash drumbeats and the occasional psychedelic freakout. Even better, it’s just as satisfying as it is surprising. This is no self-indulgent side project — these tunes are well-crafted and fully realized works that channel the spirit of The Byrds, old Who and Roky Erickson. Now that’s a conspiracy theory I can get behind.
