They're fat, they're round, they roll along the ground, they're Van and Gary Conner and Ben talked to them.

Mark Lannegan stands at the mic. His body is still, apart from one leg tapping out the beat. His jaw is angled to the microphone, his eyes are shut and his hair hangs around his face. He opens his mouth and ... and a sound so deep, so moving ... just so resonant eases it's way into the already dense Screaming Trees sound. It's a voice that could make the alphabet sound like a plea for forgiveness. It's a voice that reaches to the depths of your soul, it's a voice that makes you believe you have a soul.

It's not just his voice though that makes Mark Lannegan startling. His appearance onstage is unmissable. His face is a picture of concentration, his jawline looks taut and whilst performing he displays a series of ticks and gestures that are minute details but speak volumes. He doesn't look well. He keeps walking to the back of the stage and swallowing pills and his repartee with the audience is on the minimalist side of monosyllabic. It's a haunting sight and the perfect centre point for the Screaming Trees songs. They have an ease of melody which blends into a subtle grasp of the dynamics of the rock song so that each song hits a point where the rythym, melody and Mark Lannagan's voice all peak and the song seems to just transcend the sum of its parts. I don't know how to explain it but there is just something that happens that I can't hope to express without waving my arms about and making bizarre facial grimaces. Your best bet is to just go out and buy the album.

The new one is called 'Dust' and it is being hailed as the rock album of the year. Now, you might be getting worried about this. The fact that they are from Seattle and have long hair and have been known to wear check shirts probably doesn't help either. However, this is epic without being overbearing, it is a masterpiece without the musical wank and it was the soundtrack to my summer.

However, before it was recorded the Screaming Trees had already recorded a set of songs to follow up 92's 'Sweet Oblivion' but they soon realised they weren't happy with it and, before the tapes even got to the record company, pulled the plug. So, as me and journalists from Red Brick and DeFacto meet Gary and Van Conner, the guitarist and bass player respectively, I ask what was different about the songs on 'Dust' as opposed to the unreleased album; "Well, they were just better I guess," says Van, "it's difficult to explain really but it just dawned on us that they didn't really feel right. I don't know what was different about recording 'Dust' but it was the right thing to do." So, with the album getting so much critical acclaim do you feel vindicated by your decision? "I guess so, although this way the record company got one record for the price of two so we're a bit poor at the moment."

Well, actually that's not really how the conversation happened. To explain I need to go back a little. The interview takes place in the dressing room at the Wulfrun Hall and it is perhaps it is good that it is not with Mark as he looks very intimidating and the Conner brothers are amiable, stoned and very large. They sit opposite us and chat away for over an hour. I'm not sure how many questions we ask but I know it wasn't very many. They, especially Van who does most of the talking, just seem incapable of staying on the one subject. I don't think we ever get a straight answer but it is one of the most relaxing interviews I have ever done. So, for the sake of accuracy if you want to try and recreate the interview just take each one of their answers and repeat it ad infinitum.

But, back to the album. As I've said it is called 'Dust'. The last one was called 'Sweet Oblivion'. One of the first lines sung tonight is; "Sweet oblivion feels all right." So, there seems an obvious pre-occupation with death? "Yeah, I guess so. We've had a few friends die since the recording of 'Sweet Oblivion' and so I guess that comes across. But I don't think you can pin our songs down that much. I mean we all write bits for them and you could never say 'oh, Gary wrote that one about this specific event' as it wouldn't really be true. I don't think it's that pre-occupied with death though. I think a lot of the songs have a positive mood."

This is true in a way. It's no coincidense that Peter Buck called this album a 'psychedelic Automatic For The People'. Like that album, there is a comprehension of death as something closer, more of a reality than most people care to think. In some ways it is almost an option, yet from the edge of this abyss both records are able to affirm life with more feeling and focus than you'll find on your average pop song. One of the most haunting thoughts I had after the gig was how much Mark looked like Kurt Cobain. His hair and stubble almost exactly replicates the iconic Kurt and the fact that he was good friends with him does lend some of the tracks on 'Dust' a special poignancy.

But don't let this all get too morbid. The point I was trying to make is that although death is a theme, life always comes out on top. This is especially true when you watch the Screaming Trees perform. Although Mark is the focus, the Conner brothers provide some light entertainment. Van does the onstage banter and then you get Gary leaping about like a mad man acting out the part of supreme axe master perfectly.

Back at the interview though and Van has started rambling on about the various side projects the band members are involved in. This lasts rather a long time. First you've got Mark's solo project where he plays with J.Mascis on drums, Mike Johnson and various others, then you have Van's band with members of Mudhoney and Tad and by this time you are starting to get confused. Basically think of all the Seattle/ left field American bands you know and then mix and match.

When he finally finishes we ask him about Lollopolooza which the Screaming Trees did this year. "Yeah it was really good fun" says Van before Gary leaps in to get a word in edgeways, "I got really bored. I much prefered the Oasis tour. There was far more aggro on that. I mean on the Lollopolooza we just hung around with our friends but with Oasis there was all this tension. It was great." Van then goes on to say, in a kind of roundabout way, how Oasis couldn't find anyone to fight who they wouldn't get beaten up by and so ended up fighting themselves. A quick glance at the size of these two and drummer Barrett Martin and you get the feeling the Gallagher boys made a good decision.

As the interview peters out with Gary and Van swapping stories with the roadies about various heavy metal bands and which ones use tapes when they play live we edge out of the room. The last story we hear is of the Kiss tour where they actually have wig techs. You get the impression that this is a band who have paid their dues, a band who have maybe seen a little too much, and a band who maybe get a little too close.

The Screaming Trees were talking to Ben, in November 1996.