Earth

Most people still associate the name Dylan Carslon with the death of Kurt Cobain, instead of with the music he created with his band, Earth. Yes, Carlson did give Cobain the shotgun he supposedly killed himself with, but he also is a wonderful musician. Long before that ever took place, Carlson's Earth was one of the most interesting bands on the original Sub Pop roster. Their droning instrumental guitar jams on their Earth 2 CD were highly influential on a new generation of drone rockers - their musical vision can be heard in modern bands such as SUNN(O)))), Sons Of Otis, Boris and many more. The new posthumous release is the second batch of previously unavailable Earth recordings to appear in the past year (the other was a bootleg clear vinyl LP of demos), offering up four previously unreleased tracks for the first time, along with the long out-of-print live LP of the same name that was released on Blast First UK in 1995. While the live set is a great 30-minute ride, it is the unreleased songs that will really draw people in. Recorded when the band was still a more conventional trio that included Melvins/Thrones member Joe Preston along for the ride, the four songs included here are some great Sabbath-influenced sludge rockers. Kurt Cobain fans should also take note that the Nirvana leader sings the lead vocals on the CD's fourth track, "Divine And Bright," making this the most recently released Cobain rarity to see the light of day, although honestly it is the weakest track on the album.