Dust
Screaming Trees
1996
Album Summary
Dust is the seventh studio album by Screaming Trees, released on June 25, 1996. After an aborted attempt at recording a followup to Sweet Oblivion with producer Don Fleming, the band hired producer George Drakoulias to man the controls for what eventually turned out to be their last album. In contrast to the group's previous recordings that were more influenced by psychedelic rock and punk rock, Dust contains music that is equally influenced by folk and blues, while still retaining a harder-edged sound. "All I Know" was released as a single from the album and became a success on rock radio. "Dying Days" features Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. Kerrang! Magazine selected Dust as the best album of 1996 in their year-end awards. The band toured behind Dust for nearly two years (with former Kyuss and future Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme serving as a touring guitarist), and afterwards went on an extended hiatus, eventually disbanding officially in 2000.
WikipediaKinda surprised to find this album on here. It's completely unnotable. No real hits. Certainly didn't change anything even the genera. It's not a bad album, but there's nothing remarkable about it either. To me, it's just another of the hundreds of bands that tried to copy the Washington sound of the 90s but unremarkably so.
Not bad at all. Didn't know them yet and didn't have very high expectations when I read about them, but it's really very decent. A variation of rather light grunge with some more experimental psychedelic rock mixed in. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
A reasonable description of the Screaming Trees would be to suggest they're the Eagles of Grunge. As an unabashed Eagles fan, I mean that as a compliment. It might explain why the music press didn't fall over themselves to give Screaming Trees the praise they provided the Nirvanas or Pearl Jams or even Soundgardens of the day. Or maybe it was because this band's vice of choice seemed to be booze instead of some of the hard drugs other grunge bands preferred. Whatever the reason, unlike the wildly successful Eagles, the Screaming Trees just never completely broke through in a way I thought they surely would after hearing them on the "Singles" soundtrack. Maybe their music was just too accessible for the grunge crowd to embrace. Ultimately the music is all that matters. This still holds up quite well - it's not nearly as dated as a lot of grunge from the Era - and deserves reappraisal. One should dock this a point for the horrible album cover, but acquiesce upon remembering the fictional grunge band Matt Dillon fronted in "Singles" called Citizen Dick.
I was only aware of Screaming Trees because of Mark Lanegan's collaborations with QotSA. This could be an underrated gem, a grower, I'll be re-listening to in future.
Overall, the album feels kinda flat. Not bad but doesn't really grab me in any significant way. Indicative of the era really. Screaming Trees are one of those 90s bands that I know the name, but I couldn't tell you any songs of theirs that I know. Sounds like a thousand others from that time period. Meh. I do like a lot of stuff Mark Lanegan has done post screaming trees, though.
I rather like this album. While uneven, the best of the tracks are better than a lot of the watered-down, over-hyped songs and bands with more output in the nineties. I'm not sure why they never crossed my radar back then. If they had, I think I would have listened to this album. Now, it's maybe a bit too rooted in it's time to make a regular rotation for me, but I would like to re-experience it occassionally.
Lanegran's voice sounded frankly appalling at the start, but by the end I was on board, or at least less irked. So give him that. Give the band their dues, too, as dreary murksters who know how to keep things sprightly. Or if not sprightly, at least varied. The Indian guitar work helps. And they can arrange their way through five minutes plus when they need to. But in truth, I only think this is keeping its head above water because one listen isn't enough for me to parse what I surmise from the turgid and sad sack music are turgid and sad sack lyrics.
Uninspiring cover hides grand and majestic grunge (not grunge) album with nods to classic hard rock, 60s psychedelia, folk and blues instead of the nihilistic pop punk and metal of their contemporaries. Underrated.
I really enjoyed this album. Unexpected gem for me, hit in all the right places. I was a big fan of a lot of the grunge that came out (Pearl am, Nirvana, etc.). I don't know how I missed this group!
Mark Lanegan is a god. This isn't their best album but that doesn't make it less than a 5/5.
Usually when I read that a band is classified as "grunge" I'm not super excited. Most bands in that genre don't appeal to me - the music is too heavy on the noise and light on the melody. This was really good however. Solid songs, solid production, interesting tunes. 3.5 stars rounding up to 4.
The Trees broke through on the neo-psych grunge of "Sweet Oblivion" but this is their greatest artistic triumph, encompassing not just psych influences (especially noticeable on the sitar-tinged opener "Halo of Ashes") but country and blues as well, especially on closing numbers "Dime Western" and "Gospel Plow". "Make My Mind" is another highlight, with a hook that makes the most of singer Lanegan's gravelly delivery. Unfortunately, the band would dissolve after this high watermark, though the "Last Words" compilation basically serves as a final "lost" album.
A very cool album. Reminds me of Canadian band Tea Party. I like these guys much more than their grunge brethren like Soundgarden and bands of that ilk. Their sound is more nuanced and the vocals smoother and more inviting. I'll be enjoying this album quite a lot in the coming weeks 4 đ
This is brilliant. A riveting listen, compelling vocals, an alt rock grunge classic. Sounds so good. RIP Mark Lanegan.
Je n'ai aucune envie de vous livrer une critique à froid, plus de dix heures aprÚs avoir écouté cet album. C'est la raison pour laquelle je vais vous retranscrire mot pour mot l'échange que j'ai eu avec mon compagnon d'écoute gadelmapeze une poignée de minutes seulement aprÚs en avoir terminé avec les Screaming Trees : - Il était bien l'album d'aujourd'hui ? - Pas mal, disons 3,5. ProblÚme : la note 3,5 n'existe pas sur ce site Î combien mal pensé. Alors pour remédier à cette anomalie , j'ai mis au point une méthode consistant à arrondir à l'entier inférieur. Trois sur cinq.
Screaming Trees were at the forefront of the grunge wave in the late 80s... and then kinda got left behind as the genre exploded in the early 90s. They never reached the heights that their compatriots achieved commercially, though apparently "Dust" was critically acclaimed. I'm not really sure why though. I know "All I Know," but I'm not familiar with the rest of the album. The Screaming Trees song I know best is "Nearly Lost You," off 1992's "Sweet Oblivion," mostly because it was on the soundtrack to the movie "Singles" alongside Pearl Jam, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, and Alice in Chains. What does Screaming Trees not have in common with those bands? I'm kind of at a loss to explain why this was a well-received album. It was voted best album of 1996 by Kerrang! magazine!? Tool's "Ănima" came out that year, among others much better than "Dust." Because "Dust" is pretty unspectacular. It's fairly run-of-the-mill grunge. I don't get much of the folk and blues influence the Wikipedia article claims it has. At the end of the day, I've still got "Nearly Lost You" stuck in my head, even though I didn't actually listen to it today.
So I guess that the 1001 execs decide there's 30 or 40 genres (like grunge, for example) that should be addressed in their selections, and then present us with the best releases from those genres. Of course, if you're not a fan of the genre, like grunge for example, you question what exactly it is that makes this band worthy of being on the list. This was the question I was asking after 4 songs when I abandoned. But when I returned and listened to the 2nd half of the CD, which is a bit more acoustic and varied. It could have been worse. Still...
Generically boring 90s alt-rock. Might be my least favorite of the 90s styles to be honest, it's just.... there... Like, just listen to Pearl Jam if you want this style.
I thought it was just okay at first, but you know what, I'm not feeling it.
Eh, not a fan, especially in a world with so many better bands. Leaving them in the 90's.
Best Song: All I Know. Nice alt-rock chorus that feels radio-friendly in a not unpleasant way. Worst Song: Traveler. Nothing here sticks out here as singularly "bad", just generally boring, so this song wins by virtue of being slightly more boring than the rest. Overall: Perfectly ordinary music that I can't imagine a single person getting excited about. An album whose highs are as medium as its lows.
I think I preferred Screaming Trees by Dust. After Abbey Road (yesterday), we now seen to be listening to some middle of the road bullshit again. It's not bad music, but the chord progressions are so textbook, with the lyrics on Spotify I can sing along, despite never having heard it before.
She wears a halo of ashes Spectre of the wind Waits on me so patiently I no longer can pretend
A delightful album, good alternative sound interspersed with mellow pacifying notes.
Dust stands as a monument to what a beast of a singer Lanegan was. Scrappy and hoarse yet fragile and beautiful. An absolutely unique voice mainly comparable to singers such as Waits and Cave. While a bit more polished than earlier Screaming Trees records this still sounds extremely raw at points. And while the string section delivers it is Barrett Martin's exceptional drum and percussion work that earns Dust the last star for me personally.
This is one of my favourite alternative rock albums of all time. The record is packed with power and beauty. 'Look at You', 'Sworn and Broken' and of course 'Gospel Plow' are incredibly beautiful. With each listen, my favourite track changes. First it's 'Dying Days', then it's 'Witness' and the next time it is yet another one. Very impressive! Mark Lanegan truly was a genius with a voice of his own.
Not totally sold on the singing, but it's still a great album filled with varied, interesting and well crafted songs.
YES GRUNGE THANK GOD i was beginning to lose hope. I adore this album, and basically all of Screaming Trees. Just the perfect music for me, and Lanegan is a fantastic singer for the music they produced.
Don't know how I haven't come across them before being a fan of the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. So happy!
Thereâs something in my head telling me Iâve at least come across the name Screaming Trees before, but I canât place where. I donât recognise any song titles on this album, but Iâm eager to find out if I get any pangs of recognition. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: All I Know, Gospel Plow This was pretty great. I enjoyed it to the point that when I could feel the music wrapping up, I was a bit gutted as I wanted it to continue on. The album isnât too short by any means, taking 44 minutes to listen to everything, and yet I still wanted more! The singing had such a deep, rich tone, and the guitar distortion was such a delight - not too distorted that it becomes a mess, but still with plenty of grit. Overall, a very enjoyable surprise for me with this album today.
The middle eastern grunge thing going on in âHalo of Ashesâ is really cool and unique. A lot of folk and blues influences Iâm enjoying here too as I get into âDying Daysâ. Really solid 90s rock album by a band Iâd never heard of!
Except for the first track, Halo of Ashes, I found myself at first thinking "pretty standard grunge fare." Halo of Ashes was definitely unique with its Eastern-tinged grunge and made for a great opener. The following tracks at first seem to fall into that standard grunge fare category, but it's probably not fair to simply refer to Screaming Trees as Standard Grunge Fare. This band was an early part of the Seattle scene but never broke through like the other bands (but apparently the other bands were fans of Screaming Trees). Articles about the band say the problem was the band was seriously dysfunctional. In fact, this was their last album, released in 1996, followed by two years of touring, a hiatus, and a breakup in 2000. After listening a few times, it's hard not to wonder how they weren't superstars like their contemporaries. The album grew on me, particularly the later tracks. The songs are catchy and the production quality is first class. The singer has a great voice that is definitely part of the grunge sound but is still distinct. On first listen I was going to rate it a 3, which I define as "a good album that I don't mind hearing but wouldn't go out of my way to seek it out." For me a 4 is a great album that maybe has a few weak tracks or requires a particular mood. I'll call this a 3.5 and round up to a 4.
BuenĂsimo ĂĄlbum. No conocĂa a esta banda. Me gustĂł completo el disco. Definitivamente no es grunge, pero se nota que fue influencia para el gĂ©nero.
I would have been all up on this in the 90s - feels a bit stuck in time.
I had forgotten that I knew most of the songs- this is a really strong and still very listenable example of the genre and the time that does more than just replicate a sound. Happy to have been prompted to listen again!
Mucho mejor de lo que esperaba al ver la portada. Con ese dibujo feo y el nombre de la banda me imaginĂ© que iba a ser (mĂĄs) punk o progresivo y resultĂł ser un alternativo noventero bastante agradable que me recuerda a Alice In Chains, Janes Addiction o algo del estilo. Nada malo y con algunas rolas que incluso agreguĂ© a mi librerĂa.
Otro ĂĄlbum, y otra banda que probablemente jamĂĄs habrĂa conocido de no ser por este disco. Me sorprende mucho no haber escuchado nunca de esta banda, aunque viendo en su bio que tuvieron muchos periodos de inactivadad, creo que no deberĂa sorprenderme tanto. Supongo que las disqueras dejaron de darles promociĂłn al percibirlos como 'poco confiables'. Las canciones que me gustaron mĂĄs fueron Halo of Ashes, Look and You y especialmente Gospel Plow.
Fantastic album and one I have never heard. I'll be back for more listens
Pretty awesome rock album from I band I was unfamiliar with. Rock with a bit more blues influence.
7/10. Solid album, but not outstanding. I like the way this combined 90s sounds with elements of classic rock.
That was the first time that I have heard this album. It had Themes similar to the head boys album I listened to in high school
i enjoyed this a lot more than i'd expected to. i'm pretty sure that if i'd had any interest in straight-up rock & roll back in '96, i would've loved this album then. as it happens, i did not, and as a result, i heard it for the first time only today. i feel like i should have something deep to say about this, but i just don't. it was fun, in a way i was unable to appreciate at the time, but i quite enjoyed hearing it now. Look At You was a fun surprise in a fun overall landscape. good times!
4.5 Stars. A hard rock grunge record that is great all the way through. I enjoyed every song on here, the melodies and hooks are memorable and its easy listen from start to finish.
I'm way more familiar with Mark Lanegan's solo career, so it's interesting to hear his voice sounding a little younger. This was apparently their final album? I should dig into their back catalog. Fave track - "Make My Mind" or "Witness", I reckon....
Not bad, but very 90s. Not much my style. Well mixed and good instrumentals, though. The album is valleyed, with the best songs at the start and end.
not my kind of music but still a decent listen - enjoyed the 2nd half more
I had never heard of this band beforehand, but I really enjoyed this. A great mixture of psychedelic rock and Indian instrumentation. Really strong production. Shame they didn't keep going.
Old school grunge. Great vocals and I particularly like All I Know and Dime Western
Ik kende dit niet. Wel goeie muziek, maar mocht misschien iets minder 'braaf'
Enjoyed it a lot. Bunch of different sounds that make the songs stand out. There's some grunge, some psychedelic rock, some experimental. My favorite songs were the ones that went like "bwowowow". The instrumental on Dime Western is great. Not for everyone, but it's a yes from me.
I really enjoyed this! Note to self: Canât judge an album by its coverâŠ
This is an album that I should've been more familiar with than I am. It must have come out right when I was getting out of listening to new grunge, and just completely missed my radar. I liked it, though, and will isten to it again!
Pretty good discovery from this genre that I hadn't heard before. A death album that doesn't sound like death.
I genuinely enjoy this album. The first few songs are very grunge meets alternative of the mid-90s, but at Dying Days it starts giving me 70s rock vibes so I like the shift in tone! Super easy to listen to. Iâd say the opening song is my least favorite.
Really charmed by this. There are occasional quiet moments that keep it from being just thrashing guitars the whole time - and those moments help us hear and appreciate the thrashing guitars. Interesting to know that Josh Homme toured with them for a couple years. You can really hear how it may have influenced him - I especially hear it in Mark Lanegan's singing style. And I'm sure the influence went both ways since Lanehan joined QOTSA.
Never heard the Screaming Trees before but I had heard of them. I'll have to check out more of their music.
Pleasantly surprised to see some love for this band and this album in particular. While not popular at the time it 's a good album, Witness is such a great tune and maybe my fav Trees tune.
Pleasantly surprised. More musical than muddy: maybe grunge is the wrong classification? Better a 3 and a 4 but weâll round this one up as I was expecting a much more miserable ride.
-"Dime Western" has a riff that sound like a Dream Theater riff -Actually I think it sounds like the riff from "Heaven On Their Minds" from "Jesus Christ Superstar" -Very cool psychedelic-Beatles-esque-sitar-like stuff going on in "halo of Ashes" -"Gospel Plow" starts spooky and then picks up in quite a cool way -Overall nice album with some cool spooky-slowish rock with some nice heavier moments throughout
4/04/2022 Today's Album: "Dust" by Screaming Trees - This album takes influences from multiple genres in a really appealing and well-assembled manor. This grungy, psychedelic, folky, bluesy, and hard rocky LP at points sounds like early Radiohead, Red Hot Chile Peppers, Doves, early Pink Floyd, and even Lynyrd Skynyrd or CCR. It is obvious though, that this is a group of talented musicians that are using these inspirations to create some amazing tracks. Not only do these ideas seem to flow from one to another very seamlessly, but the production of these tracks is great and there are a bunch of really great instrumental performances throughout the mix. Despite the different genres used throughout the track list, the instrumentation stays relatively similar throughout, which gives this project a great feeling of consistency. The vocals sound really nice; the album cover is really cool and interesting; the chord patterns may feel a bit re-used, but the soul and energy is there and every track ends up feeling unique. Some tracks don't catch my attention as much as others, but those who don't serve as nice interludes between some of the really dazzling moments, like at around 2 minutes into Sworn and Broken with the dazzling synth solo it has. Given this album came out in 1996, I think it might be fair to assume that this sound inspired many other bands (most obviously Doves from my perspective). The final track, Gospel Plow is a little more experimental than the others and it runs for about 6 minutes, but I think it's a really fantastic track that incorporates a lot of the sounds they were using in the rest of this album. It almost sounds like if Tool in the best way, with these really cool chugging bass lines and some eerie synth notes. It ends the album in a really killer way and cements this record in my mind as one of the most solid albums of the 90s, showcasing everything that was big in that era from alt rock to grunge to even classic rock revivalism. I think this album is a must listen for anyone who likes moodier 90s rock with excellent performances and a lot of melodic character. There are some points that aren't for me as much as others, but I can still see the value in what they were creating and their hits make up for it all 10 fold. Score: 8.5/10 Highlights: Halo Of Ashes, All I Know, Look At You, Dying Days, Sworn and Broken, Traveler, Dime Western, Gospel Plow
Big, blowsy and beautiful, this is state-of-the-art late â90s rock from a fully mature band. No real clear hit jumps out but itâs solid from top to bottom, with every track offering something of interest. The mini-solo guitar flourishes in nearly every song are grace notes amid very interesting instrumentation and production choices (strings, bells, synths, acoustic instruments, etc.). The mood and tempo stays in a comfortable middle range with both hard edges and mellower moments to up the drama. This just sounds great, and is well worth knowing (not to mention another listen). 3.7 / 4