Dale Crover was already well assured of a place in musical history long before he embarked on a solo career. Having initially been recruited from an Iron Maiden cover band, Crover has served as the Melvins drummer since 1984 and as a touring member for bands such as OFF! and Redd Kross.
He had two stints as drummer for Nirvana, in 1988 and 1990, having first collaborated with Kurt Cobain when he played bass in the short-lived punk band Fecal Matter. Then, in a 2016 list, Rolling Stone magazine named him the 69th greatest drummer of all time, quoting Dave Grohl as saying, “He’s the best drummer in the world.”
Crover had enjoyed a career of over thirty years when, in 2017, he embarked on a solo career with the release of The Fickle Finger of Fate, which was followed in 2021 by sophomore effort Rat-A-Tat-Tat! Both drew on a backlog of songs and ideas he had collected over the years and were experimental in parts. When it came to writing his latest album, Crover states, “I didn’t have any songs, so I just went on this writing spree”. The result of this spree is Glossolalia, his most concise, focused record yet. Across eleven tracks, recorded with longtime Melvins engineer Toshi Kasai, Crover showcases his multi-instrumental talents and eccentric lyricism and welcomes a number of notable guest stars.
The title track, raucous rocker “Glossolalia”, opens the record and is based on Crover’s unusual experience in high school when playing drums at a church during which one of his classmates began speaking in tongues. “Glossolalia” is the dictionary term for speaking in tongues, and Crover decided he wanted some glossolalia to start the track. When Kasai mentioned he might be able to speak to Tom Waits’ manager, Crover stated he thought, “It might be weird enough that he would do it,” and do it he did. Waits sent back two parts of himself speaking in tongues, both of which Kasai and Crover thought were so good they had to use both, and the recordings prove to offer an unforgettable introduction to the album.
The second track, “Doug Yuletide”, is the first of two collaborations with Crover’s longtime Altamont bandmate and friend, Dan Southwick. The rolling riffs offer a more laid-back feel to the opener, and Velvet Underground member Doug Yule inspires the track’s name. The title is not the only acknowledgement towards the Lou Reed-led band, with Crover also describing the song as a “vampire-story Venus in Furs”.
The catchiest moment on the album arrives on “Blow’d Up”, an up-tempo song led by a driving, pulsating drumbeat. Developed from reflections on relationship dynamics, the chorus proves memorable. Crover introspectively sings, “All my life I’ve been hearing it, All my life I was living it, All my life I was giving you, All my time.”
Crover demonstrates a more light-hearted side on Jane, one of the shortest songs on the record. It is a welcoming punchy number delivered as a tribute to the late singer-actor Jane Birkin: “All the men try to win her over, but they just get the cold shoulder.”
Legendary Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, a noted Melvins fan since their early days, guests on two tracks. The first, “I Quit,” offers a darker, grittier feel with hard rock riffs, while Crover’s lyrics deal with the theme of control. Thayil also adds an atmospheric yet moody layer to “Rings,” during which Crover sings of a seemingly criminal protagonist setting out to do harm.
Another star guest, Rob Crow, known from bands such as Pinback, Heavy Vegetable and numerous other projects, contributes guitar and vocals on several tracks, including the power-pop rocker “I Waited Forever,” which again returns to the theme of control and sees Crover seeking answers, “Now tell me where I went wrong”.
“Punchy” ends the record with lyrics from a dream Southwick had about Crover, “It seems so strange, To be sitting here telling you these things, In My Dream, You were wearing purple and green”. Intricate guitar licks combine with a haunting vocal delivery from Crover to draw the record to an evocative close.
Although modest about his solo ambitions, Glossolalia shows there is more to Dale Crover than his drumming prowess. His evolution as a solo artist is evident, from the experimental footings of his 2017 solo debut to now releasing a focused statement that leaves a lasting impression while demonstrating his endearing personality. Glossolalia is undoubtedly his finest solo offering to date.
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