Month: November 2011

When a singer doesn’t have a great voice it is often said that they have a lot of soul. We can look to Bob Dylan and Stephen Malkmus from Pavement as testaments to this. Greg Dulli, the lead singer of The Afghan Whigs and now The Twilight Singers, is another surefire addition to this truism. A cracking voice, a charming whininess, a slight tonal miss – these are all qualities that endear us to the ever personal heart of Twilight’s music. But in the case of Dynamite Steps I must concede that Dulli slacked a bit on his vocal duties.

On The Corner
On The Corner

Sure, the man smokes and drinks and is getting chubbier and older every day but he shouldn’t have to sound like it. Maybe he is too true to the moment to spend too many takes perfecting the raw output but his voice comes off a bit sloppy and it ends up being one of the weaker points of the album. That’s not to say the soul is gone. Part of Greg Dulli’s allure is that, although his voice isn’t the best musically, it serves to deliver meaningful lyrics with heavy emotion. The mix on this album at times makes it harder to understand the message. Perhaps a producer worked with what was given to him, but another theory is that it was finally time to emphasize the music.

Much like other Twilight albums, Dynamite Steps has variety over its length. I might even be inclined to say the sound has matured past the band’s earlier efforts. More rough and distorted when it wants to be yet more melodic and yearning tracks vie for attention. The drum beats are the result of years of experience and create a jerky sense of hopping back and forth. All the layers complement each other nicely and that’s what Dulli’s collaborations are about- getting veteran musicians together to make something greater than the sum.

I can’t say the second half of Dynamite Steps lives up to the energy of the first but this is a solid outing nevertheless. The Twilight Singers still have their mystical charm. And probably one of the best damn live shows out there.

I’ve talked about She Wants Revenge before, confident the group would be delivering the goods for a while. Even though Valleyheart is a departure from their usual body of work it does not let my expectations down. The sound is more upbeat in an 80s inspired way, sort of like a happy Depeche Mode. Justin Warfield is definitely going for more range to loosen up the duo’s style, and while some tracks are slightly unexpected upon first listen, this is an evolution that works.

Take The World
Take The World

The tracks are overall more dancey, almost a bit poppy. It may initially seem unfortunate to associate She Wants Revenge with ‘safe’ but a lot of acts flirt with the mainstream without damaging their integrity. It pains me to say it but these days pop is less about pandering and more about restyling anyway (think less Rebecca Black and more Linkin Park).

Perhaps it paints the wrong picture to be mentioning all this in the context of this album, which admittedly does end up being the worst of the lot merely due to the fact that the band’s previous work has been nearly flawless. But Valleyheart can stand alone as a great album and will certainly find itself the favorite among some fans. More range than the first album and more variety than the second- there’s a lot to like in this collection. The driving beats and monotonal riffs that define the band are back in full effect. A sense of cool oozes off the tracks and despite the pop tinges this is definitely not top 40 music. She Wants Revenge has cemented their niche perfectly and show no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Bucking my trend of reviewing albums much too long after they’re released, I am determined to get word out of the new Jane’s Addiction album quickly. This is mostly due to the large amount of harsh criticism The Great Escape Artist is getting. Some call it pandering, some call it unnecessary- whatever it is, it’s rubbing people the wrong way. Whereas their last album, Strays, attempted and succeeded at rehashing ‘that same old Jane’s sound’, this effort has different ambitions entirely.

Splash A Little Water On It
Splash A Little Water On It

After an 8 year hiatus The Great Escape Artist is yet another comeback album of sorts and this is most definitely a different Jane’s for a different age. A more electronic sound with a dash of Brit-Pop production sounds like an awful idea at face value but what ultimately matters is the talent and chemistry of old meeting new. This is a case that produces smooth and techie beats along with a softer vocal effort. Dave Navarro admits that his new guitar style is more melodic and simplistic. The end result is what the band wants, a listenable record with a lot of layers.

Irresistible Force (Met The Immovable Object)
Irresistible Force (Met The Immovable Object)

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Did Jane’s Addiction sell out by changing their style and going more modern? Is this unoriginal poppy pandering? A resounding No. An honest listen to Irresistible Force makes this quite clear. There is a lot of purpose and emotion in this song and if a brand new band came out today with this track I think it would get plenty of attention. I am not a single-driven fan, however, but I rest easy listening to the rest of the album. The songs are catchy, smooth, and Perry Farrel’s voice sounds well in place. True fans of this band should find enough familiar here to like.