Out of the Gutter
A nineties powerhouse collaboration.
The Gutter Twins
Saturnalia
Released on Nov 30, -0001
Mark Lanegan, formerly of Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age, and Greg Dulli, formerly of The Afghan Whigs and currently of The Twilight Singers, come together to form The Gutter Twins. Mark Lanegan’s raspy Tom Waits-esque voice is a perfect compliment to Dulli’s singing style. There is no way to sugarcoat this; but the album sounds an awful lot like an Afghan Whigs album featuring Mark Lanegan. This will be great news to Afghan Whigs fans, but those who did not appreciate the sleek production and pretentious nature of The Afghan Whigs will almost certainly be able to pass on Saturnalia.
This is both a dark and moody album. It also doesn’t bust out “the rock” as much as I had thought it would. There are times when I feel like this should be the soundtrack to a strange Jim Henson Production such as Labyrinth or The Dark Crystal. Saturnalia is filled with some good songs along with some filler. The album isn’t great, but it certainly isn’t bad. Give these two a little more time and their music will surely be even more of a departure from their previous bands.
High Point: Circle the Fringes makes us remember why we liked ninties rock.
Low Point: I’m all for electronic drums but sometimes they feel forced on this record.
Quick Point: You like the Afghan Whigs – You will be prone to enjoy the album. You dislike the Afghan Whigs – You will be prone to dislike the album.
High Point
Low Point
Posted by Greg Herald on Mar 12, 2008 @ 12:00 am