Their first independently released album, Clairvoyance, had won Screaming Trees a deal with SST, the prestigious underground label that housed several of the most unusual and respected rock groups of the early '80s. Even If and Especially When provided a huge upgrade to their sound. Leaving Washington for the first time clearly elevated the group’s confidence. The album’s best moments sound like a surprisingly comfortable fusion of early Byrds and early Black Flag. If the Trees hadn't survived long enough to be lumped in with the emerging Seattle grunge scene, it’s possible they'd now be regarded alongside The Lyres, The Mummies, and The Fuzztones as one of the greatest garage rock bands of the '80s. There’s nothing canned or hokey about “The Pathway,” “Back Together," or “In the Forest.” The material is as thorny and churning as the stuff Mudhoney would make in the years to come, but where Mudhoney made a deep study of The Stooges, Screaming Trees are more engaged here with the wooliness and urgency of The 13th Floor Elevators.