Above (30th Anniversary Edition) vinyl

Mad Season's Above (1995) is a haunting, introspective grunge album, one that stands out for its inclusion of pioneering genre genii Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Screaming Trees, and its distinctive blend of tene-briated rock with bluesy undertones. Now repressed on its 30th Anniversary, we once again bask in Layne Staley's stimulant voice, weaving unmistakable soul-searcher lyrics on 'River Of Deceit' and 'I Don't Know Anything'; reflecting addiction, despair, redemption. Electric textures overlay each mix like catenary haywire, establishing a maverick sound that sits, forborne, in an uncomfortable social space, accepting social ills like falsity and duping: despite the literal aboveness of the title, the album seems to say, "the only way is through."