Even during Nirvana's heyday, Krist Novoselic, the band's bassist, never was one for the spotlight; today he's keeping it that way. In this lowish-key comeback project, Novoselic handles a mere three vocals, with main duties falling to Curt Kirkwood, from Nirvana favourites/MTV co-musicians Meat Puppets. However, Novoselic's restraint on bass is as effective a counterfoil to Kirkwood's Arizona mysticism as it was to Kurt Cobain's howl.
Adding drummer Bud Gaugh (from US band Sublime), the trio shun current trends in favour of a plangent rock somewhere between REM and the Stone Roses; there is longevity in the glorious melodies of Telescope, Pyramids, Blind Me and the most commercial moment, What I Said. Kirkwood's guitar is sublime, and the songs deal with emotional paralysis and changing lives with clever obtuseness. Perhaps most tellingly, especially in the light of the recently published Cobain diaries, the Novoselic-sung Inquiring Minds complains about people who "poke around" and can't let the dead rest. Meanwhile, Eyes Adrift's enriching debut moves on from the Nirvana legacy with quiet dignity.
