Mark D

This former Melvins bassist is an aural jack-of-all-trades. Not only was he the bassist for the Melvins during their prime era that was the early to mid-'90s, he also recorded/produced them, as well as having done the first release by fellow Bay Area heavyweights Neurosis. With a scholastic background in music and a very open mind, he has assembled a semi-raw sounding solo album that is genius. He possesses the amazing dynamic songwriting flair that the Beatles had, but in this case, it all comes from just one brain, not four. D. plays every instrument on the album (except drums), and practically every track is quite different from the other - as if every square millimetre of D's brain is operating at full capacity. One track might echo the days of the Melvins' crushing period, and the next track could slip into a Byrds/Roger McGuinn-esque folky dreamscape. There's enough heaviness, psychedelia and flamboyant pop to earn D. certification as being an octa-polar being, and that's not all. Those clad in black are treated to an almost NIN-like venture, and stoners everywhere can trip to the Ween-like numbers that have those lovely prehistoric drum machines that are dangling by discordant guitars. And somehow, despite all this, the entire album flows nicely from start to finish. The Silent Treatment is the bonafide successful solo album that has come from someone who has been part of the heavy/stoner music circles. Fu Manchu's Brant Bjork has come up short, and so has Queens of the Stoneage's Josh Homme. This album acts as a portfolio of amazing material that will hopefully score Mark D. at least a publishing deal; or better yet, license to run the universe and its surrounding neighbours in any way he damn well wishes to.