Shins Best Whigs Chart Record
Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots
The Shins had never been higher than No. 86 on The Billboard 200 prior to this week, nor had Sub Pop been higher than No. 79 (with the Afghan Whigs’ “Black Love” in 1996).
“Twilight Singers” by Joseph Arthur
Joseph Arthur has published a poem (lyrics?) titled “Twilight Singers” on his Myspace blog.
Here’s a brief excerpt:
Twilight singers
Sing to the night
Twighlight singers
Black becomes whites
Voices like echos bring down the light
Ghosting the horses galloping tight
Around ancient corners
Nobody wins
The lost tickets floating into the wind
Read more of ‘Twilight Singers’
Whigs in Top 5 Covers
The Afghan Whigs’ take on “Come See About Me” made Brian Berry’s Top 5 Cover Songs of all time list for 411mania.com.
3. The Afghan Whigs “Come See About Me” - Greg Dulli & company contort The Supremes’ massive hit into something dark and creepy. Check out the video. I wouldn’t let these shady cats around my sister. That’s for sure.
Pitchfork: Afghan Whigs Retrospective Revealed
Pitchfork: Afghan Whigs Retrospective Revealed
On May 1, Rhino Records will release Unbreakable (A Retrospective), an 18-track overview of the Afghan Whigs’ dark, decadent career. Notice how it isn’t called Unbreakable (Greatest Hits), because the Afghan Whigs didn’t really have any hits. It also isn’t called Unbreakable (Best Of), because “Summer’s Kiss”, “When We Two Parted”, “Fountain and Fairfax”, and “You My Flower” aren’t on it, and that’s just criminal. (What were the criteria for inclusion on this thing anyway?)
What is on Unbreakable is 16 songs from the band’s Sub Pop albums Up in It and Congregation, Sub Pop EP Uptown Avondale, Elektra albums Gentlemen and Black Love, and Columbia album 1965. And, as previously reported, the compilation includes two brand new Afghan Whigs songs, “I’m a Soldier” and “Magazine”, recorded when singer/guitarist Greg Dulli, bassist John Curley, guitarist Rick McCollum, and drummer Michael Horrigan reunited last fall.
It’s doubtful that the reunion will extend beyond those new songs, however, as Dulli is still very busy with the Twilight Singers and his collaboration with Mark Lanegan, the Gutter Twins.
Tracklist:
01 Retarded
02 Crazy
03 Turn on the Water
04 Debonair
05 I’m a Soldier
06 66
07 Be Sweet
08 Come See About Me
09 Uptown Again
10 What Jail Is Like
11 Magazine
12 I’m Her Slave
13 Going to Town
14 Gentlemen
15 Let Me Lie to You
16 John the Baptist
17 Crime Scene Part One
18 Faded
Unbreakable Tracklisting
The tracklisting for the Afghan Whigs anthology Unbreakable/A Retrospective has been revealed:
1- Retarded
2- Crazy
3- Turn On The Water
4- Debonair
5- I’m A Soldier (New Track)
6- 66
7- Be Sweet
8- Come See About Me
9- Uptown Again
10- What Jail Is Like
11- Magazine (New Track)
12- I’m Her Slave
13- Going To Town
14- Gentlemen
15- Let Me Lie To You
16- John the Baptist
17- Crime Scene Part One
18- Faded
May 1st has been set as the release date through Rhino Records.
Susan Marshall, American Idol
Afghan Whigs backing vocalist and touring partner Susan Marshall has a new item on her resume. She is the co-writer (along with Austin Carroll) of a song on the debut album from American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee. The song is called “Better Off Alone. The album comes out January 30th on RCA.
A Stitch in Time - TransformOnline
TransformOnline
By Tim Den
If you haven’t already learned such a simple fact, A Stitch in Time is here to remind you again: don’t ever doubt Greg Dulli. Everything he touches is priceless, no exceptions. Even this, an EP composed of two covers and three collaborations, is every bit as necessary as the masterpiece that is Powder Burns. FUCK, someone buy me life insurance before my heart explodes.
Opening with a cover of Massive Attack’s recent newbie “Live With Me,” Dulli’s penchant for tackling surprising covers and turning them into his own classics once again yields superb results. Joined by Mark Lanegan, the song churns and wallows gloriously in its own depraved melancholy, brooding like an alcoholic beat poet: stylishly and romantically. Equally enthralling is “Sublime,” Dulli’s joint venture with Joseph Arthur, on which smooth sensuality is celebrated with thick bass, bedroom eyes wah-wah guitar licks, and intoxicating come-hithers. “Flashback” (a cover of Australian band Fat Freddy’s Drop; again joined by Lanegan) and “They Ride” (co-written by ex-The Afghan Whigs member Rick McCollom) both kick and punch like The Twilight Singers’ best rockers do, but of course Dulli closes out the disc with a last-call feeling, slow burning waltz worthy of lonely, drunken, 4am New Orleans nights (“The Lure Would Prove Too Much”). As the song dwindles down to its last few embers flickering in the distance, a collage of phone messages from friends (and maybe family) can be heard talking to Mr. Dulli. Some laugh, some reminisce, some profess love, all add another wonderfully sentimental dimension to the song. Leave it to the King of Tragic Romanticism to know exactly how to further accentuate an already-heart wrenching tune.
When Dulli sings “sunrise” repeatedly as the song fades out, you realize how such an earnestly dramatic and yearning move would be disastrous and vomit-inducing in lesser hands… but when it’s Greg Dulli we’re talking about, you really do envision the sun coming up over the urban sprawl, as you and your love struggle to stay awake on the top of a roof after a night of boozing, conversation, and bonding. It’s a movie-esque ending that not even the most cynical can dismiss as cliché, because – in this case – the feeling is real. You’ve been there and you can vouch for it, and A Stitch in Time’s closing perfectly recalls that sensation in your chest.
AW vs. Jesus Jones
There’s a great post up on Flowering Toilet which begins with a discussion of the Afghan Whigs/Ass Ponys split 7″ and ends with the retelling of the Whigs opening for Jesus Jones. Good stuff.
Powder Burns - Floridian
Why we care: We’re fascinated by the sleazy side of celebrity, especially the high-heeled, low-gutter debauchery of the young and the reckless. And no one better captures the sweet-sour vibe of excess and addiction than chain-smoking Twilighter Greg Dulli, who splits his time between this side project and alt-rock band the Afghan Whigs.
Why we like it: Dulli has always been torn between punk anger and pop smarts, end-credit grandiosity and hungover quiet. With the Twilight Singers, he indulges all his musical skills. This disc was recorded in New Orleans, a town that knows about sin and salvation.
Reminds us of: Wild nights, hard mornings.
Download these: There’s Been an Accident, Underneath the Waves
Grade: B+
A Stitch In Time - Fuzznut
Fuzznut.net: 8/10
Greg Dulli’s Twilight Singers, not content with one well-received album this year, have returned with a five-track EP, Stitch in Time. While Dulli is an undeniable show-off, on this record, the limelight is very much shared with other musicians.
The EP kicks off with a cover of Massive Attack’s Live With Me, featuring Mark Lanegan (see Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Mark Lanegan Band) on lead vocals. It’s Lanegan’s deep, dark baritone that turns this song into either a truly passionate, or deeply depressing masterpiece, depending on who you are and your outlook on life. Either way, this song could get anyone’s spine tingling as the subdued bluesy verses crash into a chorus which almost makes you believe that Dulli and Lanegan are feeling every word they are singing. As any Dulli fan knows, covers are his forte, and no genre is safe (the Justin Timberlake song at London Koko anybody?). This is one of the finest Dulli cover versions to date, and certainly deserves its place as the opening track.
Track 2, is a gentle, rhythmic little number called Sublime, featuring vocals from Joseph Arthur. Some nice guitar work and a more upbeat tempo make this a good contrast to track 1.
Flashback sees Mark Lanegan lend his vocals again to the EP, this time duetting with Dulli. This track is way more rocking live, as you will know if you were lucky enough to catch the recent tour.
Next is They Ride, possibly the best track here. Dulli reigns free with his gritty, slightly-sleazy voice, over a strong thumping bass line and guitars from Rick McCollom (Afghan Whigs). If you are wondering why there are so many female Greg Dulli fans, this song may give you some insight.
The Lure Would Prove Too Much closes the EP in a beautiful fashion, with its sway-inducing triple-time, and Dulli’s tender vocals effectively demonstrating his flexibility as a song-writer.
Stitch in Time proves that Dulli has still got it, enough so to release two records this year, and with Lanegan in tow, The Twilight Singers have developed into one hell of band. Not really indie, not quite rock, no rules apply- and the results are always impressive.
Sir Dulli, I salute thee.
The Gutter Twins: Saturnalia The long awaited debut from Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan
Order CD at Amazon.com
