The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Well its finally here, the cd everyone has been waiting for. Don't worry if you are not familar with the band, by the end of the review you will be in love with it and running to the nearest store or iTunes website.
The band is the Gutter Twins and features Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) and Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs). The two of them have been working together for the last few years, lending vocals and touring. There were rumors of a cd but no one knew for sure. Earlier this year they posted a few songs on their Myspace page which got everyone excited for the full length.
Track 1 "The Stations" starts out soft and dark, reminiscent of Mark's previous solo works. Mark sings lead here with Greg adding great backing vocals. Both sing over a violin with crescendos growing and fading. Track 2 "God's Children" builds on the tension and takes a page from some early Whigs songs. Greg's at the helm and his vocals are strong and full of emotion. Track 3 "All Misery Flowers" goes back to Mark and has the sound of his last solo record Bubblegum. The piano cuts thru layers of heavy distortion while providing a slight melody to carry the vocals on. In Track 4 "The Body" the mood finally lightens and both Greg and Mark are joined by a female voice. The simple acoustic guitar has the feel of a Spanish guitar and summer sound. Track 5 "Idle Hands" is the heaviest with pounding keyboard and matching guitars. This song is probably the least representative of both artist's back catalog and a better understanding of what the Gutter Twins together sound like.
Track 7 "Who Will Lead Us" features a great folk sound which pays homage to Mark's cover record "I'll Take Care Of You". Track 8 "Seven Stories Underground" raises Mark's voice up an octave which is something we haven't heard from him in years. Greg follows up with his soothing woos and in the end, stands out as one of the best songs on the cd. Track 10 "Bete Noir" features a killer fuzzed out keyboard coinciding with a nice toe tapping beat. Track 11 "Each To Each" has an electronic element to it with Greg taking over vocals and giving us an idea what he would sound like if Unkle or Chemical Brothers came looking for a guest vocalist. The cd ends with track 12 "Front Street", birds chirping and an acoustic guitar. Both Mark and Greg are present and the layers of new instruments build into a grand orchestration providing a great ending to maybe the best cd of 2008.
This is not an easy cd to listen to, all the factors that make both men are present. The dark and brooding vocals, heavy mood and pockets of light are all here. The songs play off of both Mark and Greg's previous work but some bring a new sound to the mix. It's a true collaboration here and if you listen close enough you can see how both men compliment each other and provide us with a glimpses of the past while blazing into new territory. This is a must have for any Mark Lanegan or Greg Dulli fan and even for newcomers its definitely worth listening to. Give it shot, you won't be disappointed.
Posted by mardenhill 3/04/2008 06:31:00 PM
Labels: Music
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