Prog-rock side project not 'watered' down by endless noodling

All praise the return of prog-rock! In one of the more interesting collaborations in recent memory, drummer Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden fame tests his singing and songwriting mettle alongside ex-Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain to form Wellwater Conspiracy.\nThe group is the brainchild of Cameron and has put out numerous independent releases. The result is a sound that meanders between alternative pop-rock and experimental rock in the vein of Yes and Rush.\nThe first half of the album is impressive lo-fi melodic rock with Cameron's weary crooning bringing the listener back to the height of the prog-rock era when five-minute keyboard solos were customary. Wellwater Conspiracy, however, even at it most experimental, keeps all songs to a digestible length. The instrumental cuts show the band's impressive versatility.\nThe latter half is littered with swirling psychedelic guitars and keyboard punctuations that bring to mind early Rush or late Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Even the album's medieval theme expresses Cameron's need to invoke the name of Geddy Lee. With its mix of experimentalism and psychedelic pop-rock cuts, this album is arguably one of the best unheard sounds of the year. For now, if only for a short time, the retro rock conspiracy remains a secret.