Weedeater – Jason… The Dragon (Southern Lord)
One of the charms of Wilmington, North Carolina trio Weedeater is how subtle their approach to stoner rock is. Although their name and everything about their sound, vibe, and lyrics is reminiscent of marijuana and marijuana-induced states, they avoid blatant references like genre buddies Bongzilla and, contrary to what their name might suggest, they never venture into the territory of the corny.
Equally as legit and non-corny is their much-anticipated fourth album, Jason…The Dragon. Production was stalled by several band injuries, including vocalist/bassist “Dixie” Dave Collins blowing off his toe with a shotgun, but this only increased the anticipation of the next release from a much-loved band that has been active since 1997, but has taken their time releasing albums.
Weedeater – Jason… The Dragon (Southern Lord)
One of the charms of Wilmington, North Carolina trio Weedeater is how subtle their approach to stoner rock is. Although their name and everything about their sound, vibe, and lyrics is reminiscent of marijuana and marijuana-induced states, they avoid blatant references like genre buddies Bongzilla and, contrary to what their name might suggest, they never venture into the territory of the corny.
Equally as legit and non-corny is their much-anticipated fourth album, Jason…The Dragon. Production was stalled by several band injuries, including vocalist/bassist “Dixie” Dave Collins blowing off his toe with a shotgun, but this only increased the anticipation of the next release from a much-loved band that has been active since 1997, but has taken their time releasing albums.
Overall, Jason is everything a seasoned band should strive for. It sounds slightly tighter musically, and less brutally simplistic, but it hasn’t lost any of it’s southern grit or distinctive sound. I have always loved the fact that Weedeater evokes images of moonshine stills in West Virginia instead of smoke-filled bedrooms, and the southern vibe on this album is as strong as ever.
Jason opens with an old-school sounding vocal sample that sets a weird, chilled out pace easily matched by the first actual song on the album, “Hammerhandle.” This track is not necessarily anything to write home about, and maybe was not the most ass-kicking choice to start off the album, but it is gnarly, slow, catchy, abrasive, and everything that is Weedeater, and makes clear immediately that the band is going to remain true to their signature sound throughout their fourth release.
The first song that really stands out is track four, “Turkey Warlock.” This song and the title track focus on themes of loss and betrayal that could relate either to love for a woman or drug addiction, and this theme continues throughout the album. Both of these songs are also done in typical, straightforward Weedeater fashion, but they stand out as landmark tracks, much like the band’s classic “Monkey Junction,” and promise to be future crowd pleasers at shows.
Like all good albums made to hold one’s attention, the end is even better then the beginning. Acoustic interlude “Palms and Opium” is just beautiful, with layered vocals and droning slide guitar work that is simple yet incredibly effective in the context of the song. This is immediately followed by my personal favorite,“Long Gone,” which is by far the heaviest and catchiest thing on the album. The lyrics “sweet smoke red eyes I can hardly see,” screamed during the heart-wrenching climax, are a perfect example of their subtle weed references. The line brings a thousand things to mind, but does not advertise pot affinity in an obnoxious or overdone way.
The second-to-last song, “Homecoming,” is one of the more positive on the album. The riff is super upbeat, and the lyrical subject is getting someone or something out of your life for good. It seems that the band kicks the proverbial habit at the end of the album, which reminds me a lot of their contemporary Phil Anselmo’s true-life heroin ballads. Jason closes with “Whiskey Creek,” which is nothing but muted banjos and a rainstorm, and sounds absolutely amazing, taking the cake for effective non-musical tracks. On most albums this short, this would be annoying as a follow up to a movie sample and an acoustic track, but it is done so well that it is hard to find fault.
Probably one of the best things about this album, in fact, is how short it is. Many sludgy bands try to define themselves with fifteen-minute-long songs that never seem to go anywhere, but Weedeater are effective enough without that. They have never felt the need to write overly complicated songs, flood the market with tons of albums, or follow the same path as other bands in their genre. I look forward to the next time Weedeater play in Richmond (their show at Strange Matter in February was amazing), and I am anticipating another album two years from now that, despite delays and expectations, blows this one out of the water.
