desert sessions / albums

Check out this all-star lineup: Josh Homme (Kyuss), Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden, Hater), John McBain (Monster Magnet, Wellwater Conspiracy), Fred Drake (Earthlings?), Brant Bjork(Kyuss, Fu Manchu), Alfredo Hernandez (Kyuss), Dave Catching (Earthlings), and Pete Stahl (Wool, Earthlings?). This CD contains both 10" volumes put out by this veteran conclave. Propelled by a steady rhythm section, guitars or keyboards creep in to contribute mostly spectral wails decaying with tremolo or reverb. The picture you get is very much that of a desert, a wasteland divided by a stark streak of asphalt. Hurtling down that highway is a car in a chase. Not a vehicle-on-vehicle chase, but one psychological. Can the driver get there in time? Can the mania-inducing loneliness of the wide expanse be outrun? Soundtrack for a running reckless in a land where the only visible things are the dash panel, the headlights, and the stars. ~ Tom Schulte, All Music Guide