Indie rock’s darkest stars, Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan, combine for a midnight burn
Anyone familiar with Greg Dulli’s Afghan Whigs or Twilight Singers can imagine the settings, the film-noir tension, the slinky off-the-cuff rhythms and the sudden blasts of histrionic guitar that compliment the murky instrumentation that seems to favor a squeaking mellotron. Anyone familiar with ex-Screaming Trees Mark Lanegan’s solo career knows the finality of his commanding, deep-throated blues. Both gentlemen have been known to indulge in dangerous vices and worry their contemporaries—putting the two together would be against doctor’s orders. But any right-minded producer would see the inherent value. Lanegan began speaking of this collaboration before a note had been recorded, and it plays out perfectly. “Seven Stories Underground” builds on rough-cut Tom Waits-like percussion. “Each to Each” uses funkier beats and strings. “God’s Children” leans towards Dulli’s glitzy nocturnal settings. “All Misery/Flowers” strips down to Lanegan’s scale. It’s the sound of the blues taking a ride in a stylish sports car.