With close to a dozen albums under their belt including both studio and live efforts, moe. has created a hybrid of the two realms with their new album Wormwood. In this follow-up album to their 2001 studio release Dither, the band recorded the songs over the course of several live shows during their 2002 Summer tour, and then ventured into the studio to add overdubs and to polish it. Contradictory to a stumbling block of many so-called "jambands", moe. has been able to consistently put out great studio albums, including fan favorites No Doy and Tin Cans and Car Tires, and they continue that trend with the release of Wormwood. By blending catchy pop hooks, tight instrumentation, original composed sections and some straight up rock guitar solos, moe. has become one of the leaders in the "jamband" music scene, landing them some large-scale gigs including the 2002 Bonnaroo Music Festival (where they will once again appear later this year). A unique feature of Wormwood is that it features several segues, allowing each song to more or less flow smoothly into the next.
"Not Coming Down", the album opener begins with a drum intro by Vinnie Amico, followed by the rest of the band jumping in, led by Rob Derhak's percussive bass slapping. The powerful beginning of the song soon becomes slightly overshadowed by some sub-par (by moe. standards) singing and lyrics by Al Schnier. The song's somewhat generic chorus, which features the repeating lines of "yeah, yeah, yeah, not coming down", isn't one of the band's more creative moments of songwriting but the overall energy of the song still makes it a solid album opener. The title track, an instrumental/segue which clocks in at close to five minutes follows, eventually leading into one of the album's strongest tracks, the Southern rock sounds of "Okayalright". A segue track titled "Rumble Strip" shortly meanders into another one of the album's strongest tunes, "Gone". The song's catchy chorus features some great vocal interplay between Schnier and Derhak, and the song's revolving chords provide a nice backdrop for a tasteful melodic solo from guitarist Chuck Garvey. Another short segue titled "Organs" leads into the fiery guitar riffs of Schnier and Garvey, reminiscent of Zepplin's "Moby Dick" on "Crab Eyes". The rocking intro quickly transforms into a pseudo-reggae beat which showcases percussionist Jim Loughlin on xylophone. The somewhat cheesy chorus lyrics of "boom, boom, boom, bang, bang, bang" eventually make way for an energetic guitar solo from Schnier.
The first of two songs written and sung solely by Chuck Garvey, "Bullet" follows, which features a great jam lead by Chuck's scorching guitar solo, in what is one of the high points of the album. "Bullet" leads into "Kyle's Song", a tune sung by Rob which was previously released on their live album Warts and All Volume I. In "Kyle's Song", the band's passion for high-octane jamming is showcased in an extended jam which captures moe.'s ability to push the boundaries and reach various musical peaks. "Kids", the eleventh song on this fourteen-track album, features a playful melody which could easily provide a backdrop for a Saturday morning cartoon. In "Kids", Schnier reflects back on his childhood friends and the inevitability of growing up. The final full song on the album "Shoot First" is sung by Garvey and driven by acoustic guitar playing. The song carries a Latin feel while still remaining true to the sound that is moe.
Overall, Wormwood depicts the raw energy of a live moe. show blended with the aspects of a solid studio recording that moe. fans have become accustomed to. The album flows much like a live show, although the six segue tracks offer very little excitement by themselves, and it could be argued that a couple of them drag on longer than needed. With this solid release, moe. continues to carve out its niche in an increasingly cluttered music scene.
