posted 10/31/2008 (Fri) @ 12:00 am
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The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia (2008)
Alternative Rock / Blues / Soul
Come dance ’round the hangin’ tree
- The Stations
- God’s Children
- All Misery/Flowers
- The Body
- Idle Hands
- Circle the Fringes
- Who Will Lead Us?
- Seven Stories Underground
- I Was in Love with You
- Bete Noire
- Each to Each
- Front Street
In the early nineties, the devil went up to Seattle. He was lookin’ for a phrase to turn. He came across a young journalist sawin’ on a word processor and printin’ it hot. And the devil jumped up on a pile of Seattle sludge metal and said, “Boy, call it grunge.”
So that bastard started the trend of labeling everything hard, loud, and from the early nineties “grunge.” Nevermind that the soul-tinged punk of the Afghan Whigs or the blaring, bluesy rock of Screaming Trees, both incredible bands in their own right, were effectively snubbed off as third tier “grunge.” Their frontmen—the Whigs’ Greg Dulli, and the Trees’ Mark Lanegan—have fared better, and lasted much longer, in prolific solo careers.
Until now, the closest the two ever worked together was in frequent guest spots on the other’s records. Now, Dulli’s soul and Lanegan’s blues are on the same canvas.
Their first record as The Gutter Twins, five years in the making, is Saturnalia, its name taken from a decadent Roman festival of role reversal during which slave becomes master. Both Twins are in top form here; the sound of Saturnalia is in its title.
Gravel-gargling Lanegan may look like Will Ferrell these days, but his bluesy, pit of hell vocals still tug on the soul like a long drag on a cigarette. Some may cry foul at a perceived overdose of Dulli over the course of the album. Not entirely unexpected; tenors tend to steal the spotlight in rock. Standout “God’s Children” plays more like a walk on the Twilight Singers‘ wild side, with Lanegan faded into the depths of the chorus. But it’s not as if Dulli’s nicotine-baked vox lack soul—just the throat-clutching resonance of Lanegan’s basso growl.
It’s only disappointing in that some of the songs fall short of their full potential. The truth? Already fantastic by their lonesome selves, the Twins sound even more fantastic in duet. Rare do they find the perfect balance, but when they do, as on the pummeling, pagan bonfire dance of “Idle Hands,” the results are as electrifying as the song’s heat lightning slide guitar licks.
Gorgeous as they can be, Saturnalia ends up a husky, unshakable collection of tunes, albeit hit-or-miss in the collaborative department. Too much Dulli here, too much Lanegan there, at times too yelpy, too growly at others. It’s fitting that they sound their best in full-on harmony, where all the excesses smear together into loud, messy greatness. Hopefully their next will blur the lines yet further. The existence of The Gutter Twins begs for a tighter, Lanegan/Dulli speedball sequel.
“Idle Hands” (live on the BBC)
Links
Album entry @ Sub Pop Records
Myspace
Tags: afghan whigs, best of 2008 candidates, blues, collaboration, greg dulli, gutter twins, mark lanegan, punk, queens of the stone age, saturnalia, screaming trees, soul, twilight singers
