ARTIST: The Gutter Twins
TITLE: Saturnalia
LABEL: Sub Pop
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 197kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 52m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-03-04
RIP DATE: 2008-02-28
Track List
----------
1. The Stations 4:34
2. God's Children 4:57
3. All Misery/Flowers 4:22
4. The Body 3:02
5. Idle Hands 4:37
6. Circle the Fringes 5:24
7. Who Will Lead Us? 3:48
8. Seven Stories Underground 3:21
9. I Was in Love with You 4:25
10. BΩte Noire 3:50
11. Each to Each 4:48
12. Front Street 5:22
Release Notes:
ôWe are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.ö
ùOscar Wilde
ôHeaven, itÆs quite a climbà.ö
ùThe Gutter Twins, ôSeven Stories Undergroundö
ôIt started pretty innocently,ö Mark Lanegan claims of the genesis behind
Saturnalia, the much-anticipated first album from The Gutter Twins, the
collaboration forged by him and fellow maverick singer-songwriter Greg Dulli.
Innocent, however, seems an odd word to lash to anything involving this
near-mythic duo, comprised of what Pitchforkmedia.com proclaims are ôtwo of
alt-rockÆs greatest front-men.ö And its darkest. Saturnalia, however, finds the
axis Dulli nicknamed ôthe Satanic Everly Brothersö going even deeper into the
shadows than ever before. Mystical, unpredictable, ultimately masterful,
Saturnalia both embodies and defies any expectations suggested by the
principalsÆ individual notoriety. Featuring a caravan of all-star guests giving
dimension to its rawly confessional, ambitious themes, The Gutter TwinsÆ debut
ascends to a new, surprising place in both artistsÆ canon. ôAs much as I find it
spiritual, itÆs very much of the flesh,ö Dulli says of Saturnalia. ôThe flesh
suffers and exults, and it transgresses and transcends.ö
Transgression, transcendence, sin (in original form and otherwise): Saturnalia
personifies all that, and more. The clue to The Gutter TwinsÆ distinctively
ominous, searching mood lies in the bandÆs visceral moniker. ôIt seemed
appropriate, especially considering the shape we were in when we started,ö
Lanegan recalls of the confrontational name. ôThe early songs reflected the
place we were at the beginning, but the vibe ended up at a very different
place.ö The pull towards the darkness isnÆt surprising considering the duoÆs
individual personas. Lanegan rose to fame as singer for the Screaming Trees, one
of the most beloved outfits to come out of the 20th century explosion of loud,
strange bands from the Pacific Northwest that begat the likes of Nirvana and
Mudhoney, amongst others. Greg Dulli intersected with Lanegan first as the
magnetic leader of the Afghan Whigs, another shining (black) light from the æ90s
rock renaissance. Not only were the Whigs the first non-Northwestern band to
sign to Sub Pop Records, they also proved to be one of the most revered bands of
the era (SPIN placed the WhigsÆ breakthrough album Gentlemen at number 99 in its
list of the top 100 albums in recent memory). In many ways, the heavy
psychedelic roar of the Trees and the messianic, psychosexual soul-rock of the
Whigs proved different yet oddly parallel: both groups epitomized the times, yet
went beyond them in their idiosyncrasy, as did their distinctive front-men in
later efforts.
Both the Whigs and Screaming Trees had split by the end of the æ90s, yet on
their own Lanegan and Dulli went on to achieve significant notice. Lanegan
continued to put out successful solo albums, as well as create vivid
partnerships with the likes of Belle & Sebastian singer Isobel Campbell (on the
Mercury Prize-nominated 2005 album Ballad of the Broken Seas) and Queens of the
Stone Age (whose leader Josh Homme had been LaneganÆs bandmate in the
late-period Screaming Trees). Dulli, meanwhile, innovatively fused indie, soul
and electronic sounds fronting his first post-Whigs effort, The Twilight
Singers, who released their first album, Twilight as Played by The Twilight
Singers, in 2000; the most recent Twilight effort, 2006Æs Powder Burns, proved a
crowning achievement, landing on many year-end best lists. Along the way, the
pair had become collaborators while gaining infamy as saviors of misbehavior.
Both onstage and in song, Dulli and LaneganÆs personas began to epitomize a
birdÆs eye view into decadence, excess, betrayal and mortality. In rockÆs film
noir division, Lanegan and Dulli were always the names on the marqueeùand the
first ones to have the epitaphs prepared. ôWe had to become The Gutter Twins,
because thatÆs how we were perceived,ö Dulli says with a laugh.