Joe Preston

Released in 1992 as part of a trio of solo EPs by the Melvins' members, the Joe Preston EP stands as the most experimental and least 'Melvins-like' of the set. While King Buzzo and Dale Crover delivered records that felt like extensions of the band's sludge-rock identity, Preston utilized his solo space to explore the outer reaches of drone, noise, and minimalism. The centerpiece of the EP is the 23-minute 'Hands First Flower,' a track that largely defined the 'drone' tag associated with the band's more avant-garde periods. The recording is notable for its use of a drum machine, a rarity for a band defined by Crover's live percussion, and its heavy reliance on samples from Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. Historically, it serves as a bridge between the Melvins' grunge-adjacent years and the more abstract, experimental path Preston would later follow with projects like Earth and Thrones. The EP's physical release was also conceptually playful, featuring different playback speeds for each side, reinforcing the band's penchant for challenging their audience's technical and sonic expectations.