*** Seaweed

ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

(Merge)

Whereas the morass of indie bands bashing out punk-pop on detuned guitars was downright overwhelming just a few years ago, these days it's either scraping-by survivors or established hit machines who are still grinding the grunge for a living. Which is damn nice, since it gives true-blue original alternative bands like Quicksand, Built To Spill, and the 10-year-old Seaweed -- whose first EP, Despised, was released on Sub Pop in 1991 -- the opportunity to be heard above the din of endless, signed-for-a-bigger-advance copycats. Joined by Quicksand drummer Alan Cage for these mid-'98 sessions in their native Washington State, Seaweed singer Aaron Stauffer and guitarist Clint Werner don't deviate from their essential formula -- walls of raw guitar, Mudhoney-meets-Gas-Huffer vocals, and cryptic lyrics that work better sung than on paper -- but they've added an artfulness and a Sebadoh-like folk-core feel, particularly on the superb closing track, "Stay Down." Still, when they hit the rave-up on "In the Middle" or commence the barre-chord blowout of "Let Go," they reunite punk pathos and pop wistfulness in a way that takes you right back to the source -- y'know, dude, the Pacific Northwest.

-- James Rotondi