This is a conspiracy that isn’t a theory

For all you conspiracy theorists, there’s a conspiracy floating around that is getting some… For all you conspiracy theorists, there’s a conspiracy floating around that is getting some attention. It has been lying dormant since 1997, but 2003 is shedding some light on it. Wellwater Conspiracy, headed by current Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden fame and John McBain of Monster Magnet, is out to make you skeptics into believers.

The most recent album released by Wellwater Conspiracy, Daybed, is a sophisticated integration of an abundance of different sounds. The elements in each song make them truly unique from one another. The album begins with “Wimple Witch,” which is reminiscent of 1950’s surf rock. You can almost imagine Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon shaking it on the beach to the catchy and almost frantic drumming, which rushes the rest of the song, giving it an upbeat, dance-like quality. The opening bars of “Galaxy” sound eerily familiar to The Turtles’ “Happy Together,” but that’s where the comparisons end. The rest of the track goes on to have a long jam with “Ooos” thrown into the mix every so often.

The highlight of the album is the airy cover of Tommy Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Something in the Air.” It’s a classic song that would be easy to beat down in comparison with other covers, but the Conspiracy takes a refreshing angle. But don’t think that all of Daybed is evocative of earlier eras: “Rebirth” is a lyricless, synthesized four-minute-and-31-second-long track with a sense of urgency.

Daybed is an eclectic journey into the brains of talented musicians. There is a lot of dissonance on this album – arguably too much dissonance, which could strain a sensitive ear, but here it just makes the album that much more interesting. With so many bands out there trying to concentrate their efforts on becoming a carbon copy of another band, Wellwater Conspiracy is a breath of fresh air. The Conspiracy is out there doing something that many other bands are scared to do – play exactly what they feel inside.