By Adam Koch
There’s a certain amount of respect and reverence that has to go into an album review. Consider it tripled when surveying members of three of America’s finest “grunge” bands unite to form a super-group, albeit commanding only a small amount of superiority.
That should be a dramatic enough opening to a dramatic enough story. When Krist Novoselic (Bass/Vocals), Bud Gaugh (Drums) and Curt Kirkwood (Guitar/Vocals) came together to record their first album, one can only imagine a short list of taboo conversation topics.
Heroin could be the top of the list. You see, Novoselic was the bassist for Nirvana, and Gaugh was Sublime’s drummer. The drug-addled fate of both bands is well documented, but not as well for Kirkwood. He and his brother Cris were two thirds of The Meat Puppets. Cris’ wife died of a Heroin overdose, and no one has seen him since Halloween, but everyone is sure he is still looking desperately for a vein.
All that said, Eyes Adrift’s self-titled debut album carries emotional baggage that is readily apparent upon the first listen. The album is mellow and almost brooding, in a way that mirrors Toad the Wet Sprocket or even, dare I say, Alice in Chains. Novoselic and Kirkwood both have hopelessly depressing voices, and, although they have the talent to sing, they seem too bogged down by depression to make a solid effort of it. The CD is a good listen, but it is definitely the kind of music you have to like first. In short, while I have tremendous respect for the members, I feel that this album represents a lackluster effort with only minimal commercial appeal. Not even a must-have for grunge die-hards.