First listen gives an impression of fairly typical for the time alternative rock which I imagine did well on the US campus radio circuit. Guitars and drums prevail. If it reminds me of anything then I'd say Smashing Pumpkins, the vocal is a bit Billy Corgan. Pleasant surprise comes with 'The Temple', when it started I thought "ooh this sounds a bit like Jesus Christ Superstar" and lo and behold, that's what it was. It's not that much of a stretch from the original to the Whigs' version, it was always quite full on. Let's not forget that the original cast recording featured Ian Gillan of Deep Purple as Jesus. The band were signed to the Sub Pop label at the time and Nirvana were at their height. Comparisons between the two would therefore be lazy and obvious, but if you've read much of this blog you'll know that L and O is my modus operandi so l'll not shirk the opportunity.At this time Burt Kocain and the boys were at their height, and the Afghan Whigs don't stray much from the winning formula. A bit more melodic and with a different lyrical approach, but essentially, growly, noisy and grungy but also tuneful. 'Turn On The Water' could be about waterboarding, if any of us knew about such a thing at the time. It settles down into some quieter and slower songs at the end including a tribute to the recently deceased Miles Davis 'Miles Iz Ded'.
GENTLEMEN (1993)Opens with tumbleweed-y wind noises in 'If I Were Going' which is reasonably calm and measured. 'Gentlemen' is a driving bit of rock with plenty of wah-wah-ed riffs. Lead singer Greg Dulli seems quite angry and desperate as a general rule. In the next track 'Be Sweet' they slow it down a bit again and he he claims "I got a dick for a brain and my brain is gonna sell my ass to you". That's sexual self confidence on the Plastic Bertrand level I'd say This is their seminal album by all accounts, after signing for a major label (Elektra) after a significant bidding war. I've always been a bit dubious about the term 'seminal' really, in this context it means have a strong influence on later work, but I can't figure out how the same word relates to the other meaning. What's the link between the two concepts? I guess there's some kind of entomology relating to seeds. Also, it only really gets used in relation to rock albums. Anyway, I digress, which may tell you something, I'm finding this all a bit samey. Even with the slower songs, you're just waiting for them to crank it up and start thrashing about. Lead vocals on 'My Curse' sound like they might be Patti Smith, but are, in fact, Marcy Mays of Scrawl (no, me neither). Wikipedia claims the lyrics were too personal for Dulli to sing - how is the solution to that getting someone else to sing them for you? - methinks he might be being a bit too precious. 'Now You Know' has a great repeating central riff. I kind of wish the band had turned up on a Saturday morning kids show so that some slack-jawed youth could ask them "How did you think of your name?". I'm not going to ruin it for myself by resorting to Google but to me it seems like two random words married together.
BLACK LOVE (1996)Opener is 'Crime Scene Part 1' (there's never a part II is there? I think this is one of the most heinous crimes committed by rock stars in the name of art, and yes I'm looking at YOU, George 'Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1' Michael) which starts with a church organ before breaking into more conventional territory. This REALLY reminds me of what little I know of the Smashing Pumpkins (basically 'Tonight, Tonight'). 'My Enemy' is more punky, with jabby guitars. I suspect that they heavily influence bands of which I know less than the SP's such as My Chemical Romance. The problem is, I'm 46 now, I don't have all this angst any more so it just sounds like juvenile whining to me. 'Blame etc' is quite interesting, funky guitar and extensive use of the wah-wah pedal. 'Step Into The Light' is calm and gentle. They finally resist the urge to crank it up halfway through. You know I'm no fan of bad language so 'MelonFarmer' references in 'Honky's Ladder' made me purse my lips in disapproval. I liked 'Night By Candlelight' which incorporates some strings to augment the guitars. Maybe a little bit Nick Cave-ish? I think Dulli's voice is a weakness, there's not much light and shade in it really (well, plenty of shade I guess) and his default position is strained anger. Good bit of free-form piano at the end of 'Bulletproof'.Closing sing, 'Faded' is over 8 minutes long, so I settle myself in. There's an interesting guitar sound that you can't quite decide really is a guitar or a girl's voice. It was a good ending to what I think is the best album of theirs I've heard so far, despite all the gripes above. This is a much more musically diverse album than the first two, Wikipedia goes on about how they incorporate soul and funk influences and I've found it hard to see it up to now but this does at least hint at it. Just searched for the album cover using just the search terms 'Black Love' on Google. That was a mistake. Quick! Clear the browsing history!
1965 (1998 - Confusingly)
This starts more soulfully than previous albums with 'Somethin' Hot'. In fact this is much more accessible and tuneful than previous efforts, 'Crazy' is really quite commercial. 'Sweet Son of A Bitch' (I say, steady on), starts with the adults-only version of the kind of noises that Fleetwood Mac made on 'Big Love' - and that was bad enough. 'Citi Soleil' is in French at the beginning. Wha-hey! Love a bit of foreign language, especially when they give up a few lines in and revert to English. It's good too. Sort of a west-coast surfer feel to it.'John The Baptist' moves into Bon Jovi territory to my ears, something akin to 'Keep The Faith', and a sax break too! I liked the sleazy funk of 'Neglekted'. More saxophone on 'Omerta', this time less structured - more of an atmosphere piece. It ends with 'The Vampire Lanois' which is an instrumental and I thought must be related to the Anne Rice Vampire books in some way, but my customary rigorous internet search provided no confirmation. One of my requirements for an artist on here is that there is progression and the Afghan Whigs definitely show it. I've liked every album better than the last and this is not an exception to the rule. I've also checked out Dulli in pictures and video and reckon he's a dead ringer for David Morrissey
DO THE BEAST (2014)What do they mean by 'Do The Beast'? Are they trying to launch a new dance craze in the vein of the Timewarp, Monster Mash or even the excellent Pachacuti? Probably not. They broke up in 2001 and then reunited (with a few one-offs in between) in 2012 and this is their first album since. 'Lost in the Woods' gets straight into it with some good crunchy guitar. It's pretty conventional rock, but there's nowt wrong with that. 'Matamoros' has a kind of middle-eastern feel to it at times and even begins to stray into the proggy world with it's changes of pace and musical style. 'Algiers' employs an old musical trope which I can't really describe in the percussion, a drum-beat followed by castanet type thing. You'll know what I mean if you listen to it. The song itself doesn't have me agog.'The Lottery' sounds a bit like a hard-edged U2. It's quiet time for 'Can Rova' - and is that really a drum machine in the background? It rolls on to the final track 'These Sticks' which is suitably apocalyptic.
So that's it. I can't say I'm a convert, but I can see why they are rated. Apparently Dulli did a lot of the vocals on the movie 'Backbeat' about the early days of the Beatles in Hamburg and the death of Stuart Sutcliffe. Haven't seen it in years (since it came out in fact) but I do remember that the musical performances were quite visceral. I'm guessing he did the Lennon parts. To provide some context to all this, here's a link to a blog about afghan coats which play an important part in the history of rock.
0 Yorumlar