There are times — not many, but a few — when I sit down to write about an album and know I’m not going to need to pull out my gonzo rock n’ roll thesaurus in order to spin my praise. This is one of those times. As one friend recently stated, “Mark Lanegan has no peers,” and, really, what more needs to be said? The musician’s work with The Screaming Trees, Gutter Twins, Isobel Campbell, Soulsavers, and others is well documented, but the landscape he’s laid out with his solo work is incredibly gorgeous and virtually untouchable. The majority of his recorded solo material is deep, dark, and gracefully tortured, but where the albums he’s released as just Mark Lanegan present it in a softer form, the Mark Lanegan Band turns it up and wraps it in a whole bunch of grit, fuzz, and noise. It’s been eight years since their only other album, 2004′s Bubblegum, but Blues Funeral picks right up where that one left off, turning drum machine chaos, savory sequencing, bluesy rhythms, and a malady of melody into something emotionally gripping and powerfully rock n’ roll. Of course, as with anything Lanegan does, it’s his voice that is the star, and Blues Funeral is no exception. His voice could sell me my own death and I’d buy it. And at least I’d be at peace knowing I’ve got an amazing soundtrack for the long, slow walk down. No one does it better.
Check out the video for “The Gravedigger’s Song” from Blues Funeral!
You know, if I’m not careful, this blog is gonna go soft in a hurry, what with all the acoustic/indie stuff I’ve been reviewing lately, and I’d be especially concerned if Several Shades of Why had been released by anyone other than J Mascis, but it’s because this is a J Mascis release that it’s suitable consumption for such a hairy hole as this. From his look to his sound, the man has been iconic (and laconic) for nearly 30 years, and now that he’s abandoned the comfort of one of his myriad bands (Dinosaur Jr., Witch, Sweet Apple, etc.) and chosen to try his hand at a delicately beautiful sound, we should pay attention. Several Shades of Why is, for all intents and purposes, J’s first solo studio record (Martin + Me was live covers, then there were those records with his Friends and The Fog), although he was helped out by such notable musicians as Kurt Vile, Sophie Trudeau (A Silver Mount Zion), Kurt Fedora, Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), and others. That roll call is probably too nerdy and hip for most, but trust me when I tell you that the songs are all J, his strained, alternative voice callously caressing the deep n’ dark melodies to create a collusion of dopey vagueness and intimate intricacies with every breath and chord. Simply put, it’s signature J done quieter than normal, where the nondescript titles (“Not Enough,” “Is it Done,” “Can I,” etc.) reveal very little and the easy ambiguity hides nothing at all.
Listen to “Where Are You” from Several Shades of Why!
Three-song demo from a Dallas family trio (that’s two bros and their dad!) who blast some low-pro mutton chop rock at you like filthy UFO exhaust. Full of deep woods boogie, bluesy fuzz n’ roll, chuggin’ Grand Funk-meets-AC/DC riffola, and play hard, party harder, get-ready-for-the-revolution lyrics, this demo panders to your inner basement hero; opener “City Nights” ought to incite barroom fuck-ups across the land into beating each other with their over-sized belt buckles, the title track delivers a choice cosmic metal groove, and “Mothership” barrels its way through rusty skies before giving in to the freak jam. Oh, there’s plenty of solos too, the kind that drove your mama crazy back in the day. Mothership might not be musical rocket science, but they do give up some good, honest, burly action.
Listen to “Eagle Soars” from the Eagle Soars Demo!
Mark Lanegan Band
J Mascis
Mothership