WHOLE LOTTA CAVE IN SIDE PROJECTS

Boston-based hardcore turned space alt-rock outfit Cave In may be on indefinite hiatus, but the band members are sure keeping busy on their own. After a string of highly successful underground hits on Hydra Head, the band moved to the big leagues for 2003’s Antenna on RCA, an excellent album which achieved little commercial success. Shortly thereafter the band announced an indefinite hiatus, but since then the members of Cave In have certainly been keeping busy with various side projects: Stephen Brodksy’s Octave Museum, Adam McGrath’s Clouds, and Caleb Scofield’s Zozobra. In short, it sounds like these three seminal Cave In members have been smoking an awful lot of pot and have let it show in their music. Details and music after the jump.

Stephen Brodsky’s Octave Museum is a psychadelic experiment in weirdness. This has more in common with mid-period Beatles than anything Cave In ever did. I’m not sure this will please many Cave In fans but it’s an interesting snapshot into the mind of a guy who used to front a hardcore band.

Clouds also takes things back a ways, a fast and furious stoner rock fuzzfest that pays tribute to Black Sabbath and Kyuss alike. But Clouds doesn’t get mired in doom; the tone is upbeat and fun. Get really, really high while you listen to this.

Zozobra is the closest thing to Cave In of any of the side projects. Scofield combines odd time signature ambient guitars riffs with big, boomy drums. The result is something that ends up sounding like a more stoned version of Cave In, and far doomier and darker than either Clouds or Cave In. The vocals are also pretty aggressive. This fucking rips.

None of these approach the intellectualism and genre-bending awesomeness that is Cave In, but they’re all worth a listen and no doubt great to see live. Until Cave In does a reunion tour, this will have to tide us over.

-VN