New Music: The Gravediggers Song

The Gravediggers Song - Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral

The new single off of Mark Lanegan's new album is right on line with his previous stuff from Here Comes That Weird Chill Again, its fuzzy, loud, dark, deep, with twists of folk and psychedelia. Mark Lanegen still sounds like the gravely chain smoker he may have been, and at least on this track his backing music is still as dark and deep and post grungy as ever. This track immediately took me back to Methamphetamine Blues due to its repetitive throbbing beat, and dark tones. Unlike in Methamphetamine blues however, there is little to no focus on guitar, it does not provide too much melody other than a couple of simple variations and rhythms. The guitar seems even more so a texture and a canvas for Mark Lanegan's smokey voice and dark lyrics, a background that helps color the voice that we should be focusing on. In a way, this is an even more stripped down and hypnotic version of a song that I will forever remember for its intoned growls of "Moving just to keep on moving". Mark Lanegan has in a way taken a further step away from structure, focusing much less on instrumentation and letting his voice do most of the painting and drawing of emotions for the listener. I love it. Its heavy, filthy, dirty and everything I expect out of Mark Lanegan.


Enjoy!

Album Review: Here Comes That Wierd Chill

Here Comes that Wierd Chill - Mark Lanegan

This album actually has two titles, the one mentioned above and "Methanphetamine Blues, Extras & Oddities". I think both give the listener a pretty good idea of whats in store when you listen to the album, that it can be powerful and eerie but also just weird and seemingly rough or shoddy. The track Methamphetamine Blues for example is rough, but that quality is not a mistake, instead it only adds to the filthy druggy tone of the song, while the track Clear Spot has a roughness that more sounds like an idea that never fully got realized. With that in mind I really think that this is a hit or miss album with a lot of hit or miss tracks. It hits so long as you don't think it has too much grit, and misses when you find it repetitive and sloppy. Personally I love that evil quality that Mark Lanegan can have (See Live Performance of Song For The Dead) but I know its also not for everybody and doesn't really sound "good". Still I find this album a cool change of pace with lots of weird sounds, and one powerful, smoky, creepy, voice backing it all up. Here's my pick of the album.

Methamphetamine Blues

On The Steps Of The Cathedral

Message to Mine

Lexington Slow Down

Skeletal History