Rating:

(One Little Indian, 2006) Just who in the hell does Greg Dulli think he is? Do we believe his evil, drug addled screams, or his lush sweet croonings? His tales of loss and yearning? His rants of agony? The truth is, in the end, it doesn’t matter. With his newest edition of the Twilight Singers, Dulli delivers something for everyone.

With two Twilight albums of original material behind him, Dulli has meandered around a bit. The first Singers album, Twilight, was actually recorded before, during, and after the making of The Afghan Whigs heroic last stand, 1965. Origanlly concieved as a revolving group of musicians, and vocalists, Dulli enlisted the help of Harold Chichester and Shawn Smith to share vocal duties. Later the album was beefed up and added to by Dulli and the production team of Fila Brazillia. The end result was a significant change from the Whigs albums, yet a fragmented and meandering piece of art. Blackberry Belle was a true band album, and Dulli delivered a moody, dark, more accessible album. It even boasted a bona-fide single in the hypnotic “Teenage Wristband”. And after the well received covers album, She Loves You, Dulli stands here. Reportedly clean for the first time in years, he stands at the edge. And facing his demons has rarely sounded this good.

“There was a rapture/So I can never see you any more.” Let that sink in for a moment. The opening couplet of the catchy single “Bonnie Brae” says something significant about the album. Dulli was recording in his adopted home of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. He chose to stay in the Big Easy, even running on generators at one point, to finish the album. It is important to see these songs as connected to the tragedy. There are no direct lyrical connotations to Katrina, but the “Don’t ask me why” in the poppish “Underneath the Waves” might be seen that way.

The album is by far the heaviest thing Dulli has put out as the Twilight Singers. The heavy, processed guitars of “I’m Ready” seem stolen from a Nine Inch Nails b-side. Here we get the lusting Dulli pleading “I’m ready/To love somebody.” The following “There’s Been an Accident” is where we see Dulli at his most diverse. A string quartet and a guitar squel, then a harrowing piano line open the piece. Then the hip-hop drums kick in, building the noise to a big chorus. The dark lyrics are treated to a fine vocal from Dulli. It must be said that he has grown as a vocalist. From screaming over the Whigs on Gentlemen, to the clear, toned, in-tune voice on Powder Burns, Dulli has grown immensley. “Bonnie Brae” is a monster. A heavy slab of what used to be called “alt-rock”. The huge chorus is a keeper. At some point after listening to the album, you will find yourself singing “Situaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaation dire/On Bonnie Brae/On Bonnie Brae.” The piano introduces the pseudo funk of “Forty Dollars”. Dulli uses the come on of “Buy me love for forty dollars,” to set up his use of the Beatles’ “She Loves You”. The title track also deserves high praise. It also has a ’90s feel to it, as a plucked electric guitar leads us to another huge chorus.

To put a fine point on it, Powder Burns delivers, time and again. It gets lower marks based simply on its sound. The record sounds so ready for “Alternative Nation” it is almost eerie. However, it is the album Dulli fans have been waiting for since the demise of the Whigs. Dark, rocking, and always on the edge, Powder Burns is Dulli’s biggest and best statement since, well, the ’90s. A rewarding album, despite it’s flaws, from start to finish. This peak in Dulli’s career, much like 1993’s Gentlemen, sees him not only looking down from the edge, but also looking in.

 1. Toward the Waves

 2. I’m Ready

 3. There’s Been an Accident

 4. Bonnie Brae

 5. Forty Dollars

 6.Candy Cane Crawl

 7. Underneath the Waves

 8. My Time (Has Come)

 9. Dead to Rights

10. The Conversation

11. Powder Burns

12. I Wish I Was

Buy album

– Jeff Crowder

This 4-beetsreview was posted on June 27th, 2006. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.