Dulli started the Twilight Singers as a side project while the Whigs were between record deals, recording songs in New Orleans with a varied cast of friends, experimenting with sounds and ideas like trip-hop and folk that laid beyond his regular band’s milieu. Nothing if not prolific, after the break-up of the Whigs and the release of the first Twilight Singers’ album, Dulli began yet another project: a collection of rock-oriented material that he hoped would provide a signpost to his musical future. However, the songs were shelved after the death of his friend, filmmaker Ted Demme, and although several of the tunes would later be reworked into Twilight Singers songs, the originals remained lost to time.

Until now, that is. Greg Dulli’s Amber Headlights collects nine songs from those 2000 sessions, presenting them in their raw, unvarnished form. The songs rock hard, possibly more than anything else that Dulli has recorded, and display an undeniable heart of gold beneath the varnish of clashing guitars and amped-up, funky rhythms. The material sounds eerily timeless, not like the Afghan Whigs or like the Twilight Singers, but rather like vintage ’70s-era rock & roll where the boundaries between black & white, rock & soul were constantly blurred and artists were able to play what they damn well pleased. There are some good songs here, one or two even verging on greatness, and all would sound wonderfully exciting on the radio.

The vocal harmonies of “Black Swan” sound like the Eagles while its riff-happy interludes sound like Rush to these ears, verging on a power metal vibe. The folk-pop of “Pussywillow” sounds amazingly contemporary, predating artists like Bright Eyes or Iron & Wine, the song chiming brightly like a bell and sporting Dulli’s tender duet with Petra Haden. The dark-hued “Wicked” slowly unfolds from its quiet opening into a droning, hypnotic, psychedelia-tinged dirge while “Get The Wheel” is a blues-tinged tale in a John Hiatt vein. Dulli’s lyrics are smart, introspective and universally accessible, displaying no little skill in creating a sense of both time and place. Although Dulli may never create music sounding exactly like this again, Greg Dulli’s Amber Headlights is an excellent road trip into the artist’s past, a rock solid collection of songs that can stand proudly with Dulli’s best work (old and new) as well as with anything any other musician is creating these days.

Keith Gordon

Amber Headlights is a collection of songs, with strong appeal, not
just to those who love Greg Dulli’s work from the Afghan Whigs and the
Twilight Singers, but to anyone who likes a strong, well constructed
song, that, whilst being technically brilliant, does not lose sight of
the fact that music is about feelings and emotions and is always aided
by sassy, sex appeal…this album is a complete journey, ideas and
movements reinforced from one song to the next, that leaves the
listener gasping for more despite the tones of being used and rejected
the morning after the night before…genius…

Greg Dulli, legendary for his role in the Afghan Whigs and as the
leader of the Twilight Singers, released a collection of songs
entitled Amber Headlights towards the end of 2005. Listening to Amber
Headlights, I feel that there is a distinct probability that my words
are going to be from an obviously feminine view point…Greg Dulli is
a musical Casanova, seductive and alluring…so wrong, but so, so
right…his lyrics and melodies backed by a pulsating beat just pull a
girl right on in…I’m sure for a guy listening to this album the
viewpoint would be more…more…well, tough, there is only one Greg
Dulli…

Opening with “So Tight” Greg’s powerful, husky vocals reach out and
take the listener by the hand and take them right out into the centre
of the dance floor and entice a sexy, sassy, strut of a dance out of
even the most reluctant of movers and shakers…”and I know you want
me dead, and I can feel your breath up on my neck, oh my….” …oh
my…oh my, indeed.

… “Cigarettes” … the album continues to entice movement, and “if
you’re trouble then I’ll follow you down”…enveloped with melody and
rhythm Greg’s vocals again lead the way…”the cigarettes are going to
kill me, I know”…I’m following you down…

Changing gear for a softer track in “domani” Greg Dulli keeps the
melody strong and the vocals pulling down to the beat, which brings
the listener deeper into the emotions of the album…”aidez-moi..”

“Early today (and later that night)” is a song that inspires love yet
is quite disturbing at the same time, still moving, drawn forward by
the questioning “what’s going on?” followed by terse rejection…”do
that thing – swing -” moving, moving into “golden boy” (yes, you are
Mr Dulli), dust, desperation, reverberating with hope … lyrics
giving birth to the questioning of existence…am I following you
down, or to salvation?

“Black swan” follows on from the feelings “Early today..” brought to
mind…”Pussywillow”, introduced with a drum roll by Jerome Dillon,
sees Greg duetting with Petra Haden (who also provides violin on the
track) on an up tempo number, “aidez-moi – I am the last to know”

The final two tracks on the album complete the journey “this world is
wicked – I fit right in…this world is wicked – it’s beautiful” “if
you’re trouble then I’ll follow you down…” Lead the way…I don’t
need my coat…I’m still in full sassy, sexy, strut mode…Greg Dulli,
Amber Headlights – leave it feeling empowered and used and slightly
abused…knowing you can’t wait to go back for more…weak at the
knees “aidez-moi”…”I wanna see you again.”

Greg Dulli is touring with the Twilight Singers this summer in support
of the new Twilight Singers release “Powder Burns” (release 16th May
2006): dates as follows

Manchester Academy 3 – 6th July
Glasgow King Tut’s – 7th July
T in the Park – 8th July
Oxegen Festival, Dublin – 9th July
Leeds Cockpit – 10th July
Nottingham Rescue Rooms – 11th July
London Garage – 12th July

Shelved after the death of his filmmaker friend Ted Demme in 2002, ‘Amber Headlights’ shows that even Greg Dulli’s unfinished business is better than most artists’ completed albums.

While Dulli’s first Twilight Singers record in 2000 swapped amps for atmospherics, this one – worked on between spring 2001 and the following January – harks back to the swaggering rock of his former band the Afghan Whigs, using a revolving line-up of musicians but sounding as tight and focussed as any road tested band.

Shining brightest here is ‘Early Today (and Later That Night)’, as perfect an introduction to Dulli’s magic as any newcomer could hope to hear, and yet another favourite for fans to add to the pile.

At just nine tracks and 31 minutes, ‘Amber Headlights’ is a short ride, but these songs were too good not to see the light of day.

Harry Guerin

Amber Headlights is the first solo record from Greg Dulli, ex-singer/songwriter of the criminally underrated grunge/soul outfit The Afghan Whigs, and founder of the excellent (and still together) Twilight Singers.

Written in 2001, between the release of the debut Twilight Singers’ record and its follow up in 2003 (“Blackberry Belle”), “Amber Headlights” is a snapshot of Greg Dulli in a transitional stage. Dulli even admits this on the sleeve notes, “What you have here are my days in the wilderness trying to make sense of my first foray into recording without a net.”

What is interesting about this record is that some of the songs included on the album also feature in a different guise on “Blackberry Belle” which shows that these songs were very much work in progress. This is where the problems for this album begin. It’s hard not to think of this album as a collection of unfinished and unrefined songs, of which some crop up as better versions on later releases. And there are several of them.

Saying this, there are some great tracks on Amber Headlights, boosted by the fact that Dulli’s voice sounds stronger than ever. Opener “So Tight” is a sexy little number with Dulli reverting back to the sound of the Whigs around the 1965 soul era. Second track “Cigarettes” is a Twilight Singers track in another form (featuring as “Follow You Down” on “Blackberry Belle”) and again has the Afghan Whigs treatment. In general the majority of this album does sound like what The Afghan Whigs might produce if they were to have reformed, but in truthfulness there is little on Amber Headlights that would rival The Whigs back catalogue.

Greg Dulli does little to cover new ground that he hasn’t already addressed on records previous to “Amber Headlights”, both with The Whigs and The Twilight Singers. Quite why this record has been released at all is a puzzle in itself and what it achieves is up for debate. Is it for the fans or merely for Dulli to say he’s finally released a solo record? The idea of The Afghan Whigs reforming is probably what the old loyal fans all would would want. What they’ll get is another Twilight Singers record due in May and that’s good enough for now.

After the split of the Afghan Whigs it was always going to be interesting to see where Greg Dulli was going to go to next. When the Twilight Singers released their first album and then followed it up with the rather excellent Blackberry Belle everything in the world of Dulli must looked great, but there was a moment in between these records that had changed his outlook.

The material that makes up this record, the Amber Headlights, are sessions that were shelved between the first and second Twilight Singers albums due to the death of Dulli’s close friend, the film director Ted Demme. From the sleeve notes of the album, he freely admits that this death changed his outlook on life and these songs that he’d recorded no longer appealed to him and he couldn’t connect with them. He had disappeared, the last Twilight Singers album was a covers record, so it’s reassuring to see that he is back, though anyone hoping this is a return to form will be slightly disappointed.

As with any collection of songs that were shelved and then released, there’s a sense of wondering whether they should see the light of day after being shelved. All the right ingredients are here for a Dulli based project – strong, gruff vocals, heavily produced guitars and songs about sexy ladies and cigarettes. The problem is it all sounds rather dated. The Afghan Whigs were pioneers in this not quite grunge, not quite mainstream rock that has become increasingly popular. The highs on this album are great slices of alt-rock; the track Cigarettes has a great riff with pierces through a wall of sound that sounds like the Twilight Singers at their most ambitious, but the song Domani is a soft-rock track by numbers, wah-wah guitar and all. It just seems as though the quality control filter was set a little low and lacks a bit of direction. Some of these tracks certainly should have stayed shelved.

This was, according to Dulli, his first attempt at recording “without a net” – his first solo record. It seems as though he works better when he has someone else’s feedback, an additional hand to help the quality control. Let’s hope that he pairs up with someone soon so that one of the most under-rated voices in alt-rock has a comeback to be proud of.

Originally put on hold following the death of his close friend, the film director Ted Demme in 2002, Amber Headlights collects songs recorded after the 2001 demise of Greg Dulli’s soul-grunge hoodlums The Afghan Whigs and before the gospel-hued Twilight SIngers project became his day job. That it should be a document of a man in transition is appropriate: this black-hearted hombre has always excelled at escaping (usually himself) and at seeking redemption. From the dense breakneck recklessness of Cigarettes through the stomach-churning violence of Early Today, Amber Headlights is a
gothic road movie where every scene packs such a wallop it’s hard to find your way back home.

thx Paul for posting to the Congregation mailing list

I got my hand on the wheel
and another on my fire-
i smell trouble, girl
that i aim to stop

Detta projekt startade i kölvattnet av splittringen av The Afghan Whigs splittring 2001. Greg Dulli och ett gäng musikant polare riffade fram ett gäng idéer och några fastnade på tape. I samma veva dog Dullis vän Ted Demme, filmaren som inspirerade honom att spela in The Twilight Singers “Blackberry Bell”. Tiden gick och “amber highlights” föll i glömska. Under slutet av 2004 och början av 2005 blev Dulli ifrågasatt angående var “amber”-äventyret tagit vägen av musikantvänner som Jon Skibic och Mathias Schneeberger. Tiden var inne att avsluta projektet.

I god elektrisk anda som bygger arvet från The Afghan Wigs, fortsätter mafiosoikonen med diger kvinnlig uppbackning, att med stämsång och god riffglädje hitta storformen på denna efterlängtade återkomst. Att The Twilight Singers stundtals visat god form hindrar inte att jag då och då smygnostalgiskt dammat av “1965″ och undrat när uppföljningen skall dyka upp. För hur det än är, så finns det stunder som “So Long” och “Cigarettes” där samspelet når oanade höjder, där whiskeystämmor och elgitarrer flätas samman i ett strövtåg utan återvändo. Svävande stråkar med piano klinkande och duetten med Petra Haden i “Pussywillow” är på ett sätt ledmotivet till detta strövtåg av svarta kärlekssånger.

Tyvärr når inte alla kompositioner upp till den inledande toppformen och nyfikenheten lägger sig en aning, men storbandskänslan som är skapad i replokalen återges levande och det är utan tvekan en gnistrande återkomst. Som jag har väntat.

The cigarettes are gonna kill me, i know
i gotta get a light before i hit the door-
does anybody have a light?
well, aidez-moi, cuz i need to get right
Daniel Robertsson – 9 februari 2006

=======
Translations welcome….

Amber Headlights by Greg Dulli. This nine-song EP, clocking in at less than 35 minutes, sounds more like the Afghan Whigs than Dulli has in years. While his current band, the Twilight Singers, explores more layered, dreamier sounds, most of these songs offer that trademark angsty, Whigsy guitar — descended as much from ’70s blaxploitation soundtracks as punk/metal.

There’s a good reason this sounds closer to his old band. It originally was recorded back in 2001, but for reasons I’m not sure of only saw the light of day late last year. Some riffs and melodies from Amber Headlights have been reworked into other tunes on Twilight Singer albums.

Longtime Dulli fans surely will find similarities between this effort and Black Love, the Whigs’ 1996 masterpiece. As is often the case, the narrator of these songs is a shadowy cad, almost like a Steely Dan character, trying to lure young naked prey with slick talk and cocaine.

“Your weakness is my sweetness,” he sings with Petra Haden in an almost-mocking falsetto in “Pussywillow,” though he also sings, “sweetness is my weakness.”

“Used to feel love, now I wanna hurt you/real bad/real slow,” he confesses as the Shaft-like guitar starts to boil in “Early Today (and Later That Night).”

“This world is wicked/it’s beautiful,” he sings on “Wicked.”

But in the last song, “Get the Wheel,” Dulli, alone at a piano, sounds as if he’s gone soft on a skirt: “Last night was all right,” he sings in his cool rasp. “I wanna see you again.”

And you know she’ll be back.

The likelihood is that this album would have sounded just as disappointing in 2002 as it does in 2005. Amber Headlights is a step backwards after the lush beats and subdued songs of the Twilight Singers’ debut, 2000′s Twilight, but it also seems weak following the harrowing Blackberry Belle and even the so-so covers album She Loves You. The fact that it was released out of order only reinforces comparisons to the albums that would have preceded and followed Amber Headlights, forcing the listener to create an alternate timeline based on so many what-ifs.

The album starts with the nearly identical “So Tight” and “Cigarettes”, both of which sport conspiratorial verses that peel out into racing choruses. But any momentum is tripped up by lyrics that border on parody: “Sexy lady, she wanna play me,” Dulli sings on “So Tight”, “after she get hot she starts to get a little shady.” They’re the best tracks on Amber Headlights, but we’ve heard better versions of essentially the same songs on Blackberry Belle– “Teenage Wristband” and “Decatur Street” are not only more pointed and purposeful, but their momentum proves more reckless.

From there it’s downhill. “Domani” recalls 1965, particularly “The Slide Song”, but its swelling chorus suffers from the lyrics’ forced ambiguity, which predictably compound love and drugs: “I’m never coming down/so beautiful/no one around.” Songs like “Early Today (and Later Tonight)” handle romance with the rough disregard of a trashy revenge flick: all exploitation, no soul. The obvious pun of the album title doesn’t help– Amber Headlights = boobs! The drama that infuses Dulli’s best work quickly descends to melodrama: “I used to love you/ now I’m going to hurt you,” he sings on “Early Today (and Later Tonight)”. “When We Two Parted” it ain’t.

The other downside to these necessary comparisons with Dulli’s previous and subsequent work is that they reveal how limited his particular aesthetic can be. He’s made a fairly solid and respectable 20-year career out of very strictly defined creative parameters, drawing on specific strains of black American music– 1960s and 70s soul in particular– to bolster his white rock sensibility. His best songs are swirls of dark desire, pitting Dulli against his demons; at his best and darkest, it feels like the most he can even hope for is just to keep them at bay. Amber Headlights, on the other hand, sounds bloodless in comparison: his most dangerous demons seem to be nicotine and the persistent urge to remind us he’s got some great blow. He doesn’t just revel in his dark persona; he happily confesses his seedy sins as if every listener were a priest. But there’s no real danger in these songs, no conflict, no stakes at all– so no payoff, no catharsis. No wonder Dulli abandoned them.