Those who followed Soundgarden during the band's glory days in the 1990s may remember that, as moody as the band's members were given to being, bassist Ben Shepherd was the darkest, quietest and most perfectly removed man in the group. True, the band made lots of newsprint together, but think about it – how often did anyone read a quote from the bassist? He was almost always painted as “the quiet one.” The same was true when Shepherd appeared in the Wellwater Conspiracy beginning in 1993; yes, it was a good band, but did anyone know they broke up almost ten years ago? No one mentioned the band's dissolution. The same was true of Unkmongoni and a couple of other projects with which Shepherd was involved; they were all interesting projects that Ben Shepherd never talked about. Really, the only reason the world had a clue that the bassist was working on a solo album was because Kim Thayil let it slip during an interview in 2011 and, when it never appeared anywhere, everyone just assumed that the work never amounted to anything.
As it turns out, the album that Thayil said Shepherd was working on would go on to be called In Deep Owl. It would be Ben Shepherd's first solo album, and will be released under the name HBS. the bassist's initials [his full name is Hunter Benedict Shepherd –ed]. As it stands right now, there hasn't been much talk about In Deep Owl circulating but one thing is for certain: this album is so good, everyone will be talking about it soon.
Rather than doing what everyone would expect of a member of Soundgarden or Wellwater Conspiracy or even Hater (the other great but perfectly doomed Ben Shepherd project between 1993 and 2005), Ben Shepherd begins bucking convention immediately as he trades all of his aggro- and stoner-rock cred for an acoustic guitar and a stone-faced, resigned tone on “Stone Pale.” Listeners will be stunned as, almost completely unaccompanied, Shepherd accepts and plays to the stoic image he has fostered for the last quarter century, but also completely overshadows it by offering a truly captivating performance. Shepherd's vocal here bears all the marks of a man unaccustomed to being the center of attention (the melody is simple and the singer's delivery is very reserved), but his lyrics are definitely something to get excited about; hard and dark lyrical images manifest like tumultuous thunderheads (check out lines like “Wrap your shawl around your cold shoulders/ Water is deeper than you'd care to swallow/ The further the shoreline, the colder the fire), and listeners will find themselves just waiting to get swept up in a torrent.
The darkness only gets deeper as the record continues and Shepherd develops the shape of In Deep Owl with each passing song. With added instrumentation, Shepherd first mirrors second wave acoustic grunge like Days Of The New (see “Koda”) before trying on a more modal, almost Lou Reed and Tom Waits-inspired form of vintage rock for “Neverone Blues,” trying on some decidedly “Desert” rock for “Veritas,” going to the deep, deep South for “From The Blue Book” and before returning to home with some decidedly 'Seattle' strains on “Baron Robber” and “Keystone.” The effect makes for a mesmerizing experience; while In Deep Owl is very clearly a work in progress as it sees Ben Shepherd moving in a multitude of different directions (and often bringing different players along for the ride – In Deep Owl features performances by four different drummers) and examining new sonic possibilities for his music, it leaves nothing to be desired at all. By the time “The Train You Can't Win” rolls through with some really cool and ominous, Zepp-y folk guitar playing (think “Gallows Pole”) and builds ecstatically before receding, Shepherd will have no small number of listeners who were wondering whether this album could really have a chance at being good sold on its quality by the time they reach it's end; In Deep Owl is definitely the type of album that listeners will want to explore more deeply after they discover it, and the kind which will leave those who have heard it waiting anxiously for more.
Artist:
www.hbshepherd.com/
www.facebook.com/HBenShepherd
Further Reading:
Ground Control Magazine – "What's The Big Idea, Ben Shepherd?" – [Feature Article]
Album:
In Deep Owl will be released by Dine Alone Records on August 27, 2013. Pre-order it here on Amazon .
