by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
Since the pupal beginnings of the Screaming Trees in the mid-80s, their legacy has grown through the impact of the post-grunge renaissance of the early 90s to the increasing awareness and legacy of frontman Mark Lanegan’s solo and collaborative releases. In the early stages of Screaming Trees’ existence, the band paid homage to groups like The Seeds and Electric Prunes with their adventuresome take on psychedelia and imposing proto-punk. The band made headway into combining that classic raw garage band sound with a prescient experimentalism shared by labelmates like Meat Puppets and Leaving Trains, yet the stunning vocals of Lanegan and stabbing guitar of Gary Lee Connor created a sound of their own. On debut album Clairvoyance, these elements are a little rough and ragged, and Lanegan’s vocals are not as distinctive as later years but still carry a stunning depth and soulfulness that infuses these songs with a very special type of magic akin to a less dramatic Jim Morrison or Eddie Vedder.
“They Tell Me These Things” is Screaming Trees at their most raw, as Lanegan’s vocals rant and rave over crazed keyboard as Gary Lee Connor’s guitar chugs along with the rhythm section of Van Connor (bass) and Mark Pickerel (drums). Screaming Trees come out with a ferocious howl in every aspect, showing the muscle and versatility they so carefully balance at their highest points. Lanegan’s vocals carry a menace and sincerity that must be heard to be believed. “Seeing and Believing” is driven by Van Connor’s popping bass, as Lanegan’s melodious vocals float and sway between a very interesting mélange of Byrds jangle, west coast psychedelia, and the twisted anxiety of Dinosaur Jr.’s debut.
“Standing On The Edge” has the band doing their best Bad Seeds/Nick Cave-inspired darkness, as you get the early stages of Lanegan’s coarse and mysterious creek. Lanegan lets loose his trademark howl between rhythm guitar lines, mixing dark post-punk and classic west coast surf twang. This track shows the musical complexity the Trees carried even at such an early stage of their budding career. Amongst the newly unearthed extras, “The Bat” rises above the pack, although there are challengers to that position in the likes of “It Doesn’t Matter” and “Turn Away.” “The Bat” kicks off with a rumbling bass line and guitar that frighteningly stabs as Lanegan unleashes a gruff and violent growl of a vocal performance, while “Turn Away” mixes the ferocity of Raw Power-era Stooges with the lysergic travels of Electric Prunes with a touch of Misfits’ Danzig-led, hard-nosed drama.
Clairvoyance might not be the most cohesive record Screaming Trees released, however it is also quite underrated in the cannon of their recording career and achievements post breakup. There’s a palpable energy and a band that, although still feeling out their true trajectory, holds a handful of tunes that rank right up there with later releases. This reissue is a fascinating documentation of the early years of a legendary band of the post-garage boom of the 80s, showing a ferocity and menace Screaming Trees would later perfect. The new unreleased tracks are a treasure trove and some truly eclipse those that made it on the original album; a joy to behold in the here and now.