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Album Details
- Artist: The Gutter Twins
- Album: Saturnalia
- Label: Sub Pop
- Year of Release: 2008
- ME Rating:
- Reviewed by: trismus on 2008-03-04
Media
RecommendThe collaboration of Greg Duhli (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers) and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Mark Lanegan Band) has been fantasized by fans of both men since 2003 when the project was rumored to have begun. Since then both Duhli and Lanegan seemed to have been preoccupied with other projects. Duhli’s Twilight Singers produced two albums and Lanegan released two more solo albums in conjunction with his cameo appearances with Queens of the Stone Age. But, much to the joy of Duhli and Lanegan fans everywhere, The Gutter Twins finally announced the release of their collaborative effort Saturnalia in early 2008.
The fruits of this natural alliance are very close to what one would expect from the dark duo. The instrumentation is wicked and clever. The subject matters are devilish, portraying the album’s namesake effectively. Taken from the Roman holiday of revelry and debauchery, Saturnalia vividly paints a sinister scene of sexual depravity. The themes from song to song never stray too far from the religious while reveling in forbidden temptation. It’s Duhli’s usual romantic tragedies cast under Lanegan’s inescapable shadow.
The contributions do feel lopsided at times though as the album feels like a cocktail made of two parts Duhli and one part Lanegan. That said, Lanegan’s contributions stand out like highlights from a black hole. His gravely, Tom Waits-esque vocals compliment Duhli’s agonized crooning perfectly and the tracks seemingly written by him are unmistakably Lanegan. “All Misery Flowers”, “Seven Stories Underground”, and “Front Street” absolutely gush with Lanegan’s artistic essence. They crawl forward in a murky sludge inhabited by many but governed, truly, by him alone.
And to say that Saturnalia exudes a heavy Duhli tone is not a slight toward the album whatsoever. Greg Duhli is easily one of his generation’s greatest songwriters and to presume that the creative reigns were steered by his vision is a grand profession to the album’s overall excellence. If the feel of the album portrays correctly, his guidance presents a diverse and intriguing album that rarely bores. It remains true to both men’s’ artistic strengths and elaborates upon them adequately, although never sensationally.
Compared to both of the men’s prior works, Saturnalia sadly resides somewhere around the mediocre. While it’s a great treat to finally hear both of them on a shared project together, the end result fails to reach the long anticipated expectations. And perhaps this is a result of such expectations, stretched to an unreasonable degree by those of us waiting for what was sure to be a collaboration born from genius and producing aural pleasures never heard before, that we are set up for disappointment. Maybe this is the case. Regardless, the sentiment still remains: Saturnalia, by the standards of previous offerings, is good but not great (which means that the album is still better than 90% of the music out there).
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on 2011-07-01 CharlesMartel Said:
So, this was one of the most anticipated albums of 2008 was it? And one of the albums which many people I know have said they regard as being their best album of the year. Well well well. If that was the case, then 2008 would be a tough year for music. Surely 2008 would be able to offer something better than this. There has to be more to 2008 than what was essentially nothing more than recycled bar-room rock. The two driving forces behind this, Mark Lanegan and Craig Dulli, might be well known and well regarded in their own right, but I can't see me exploring anything further from either of their catalogues judging by this effort.
First off, I had never heard much of either Lanegan or Dulli before so I come to this with clean hands, as it were. Consequently, when I initially downloaded some of the tracks into that little folder on my laptop marked TEST I really had no idea what I was getting into. But, I persevered. I listened to it a couple of times and rather liked it. It did not grab me at first hearing but it seemed to show some promise. This album, I thought to myself, is a grower and one likely to improve over time with the benefit of repeated listens.
So, having bought the album and listened to it quite a few times I can honestly say that the best word I can use to describe it is disappointment . It disappoints because it doesn't grow, contrary to those expectations I had when I first listened to some sample tracks. It doesn't move from the initial position of I rather like this and ultimately becomes tired in the listening as you look for something more than you found on first hearing only to discover there is nothing else there. The initial impression that it is a grower soon wears off and you are left with the realisation that it never is going to get much better. It is persistent in its mediocrity and almost seems content to stay that way which, I realise, is a pretty damning condemnation of any album.
The thing is, the album never really takes off. Every time I listen to it, I keep expecting some moment of revelation when the album will suddenly come to me as if in a blinding flash of light (or at least of sound). But it never does. What you are left with is a series of songs with a somewhat dark edge to them, pretty much mid-tempo, which rumble along without ever rising above the same, rather mediocre level. There are a dozen if not more bands who have done this sort of stuff. It is a tired and weary attempt at reaching levels others have attained, doomed to reach in vain
If there is one exception to this critique it is "Idle Hands" which is the stand-out track on the album. This is the only track which has what could be described as a genuine hook to it. It is almost catchy, except that when you haven't listened to it for a while you forget what it sounded like. The rest of the time it is as if Mark Lanegan's smoke-and-drank-too-much-last-night voice has had the same effect on the music. He, and it, come across as just too tired and worn out most of the time.
After apparently five years in the making, it would seem that the compromises of the two leads have been such that it has drained all the life out of the album. It bears no relevance to the title - the joyous festival of licentiousness of Roman times - and fails to stumble above the mediocre. Frankly, if this was amongst the best that 2008 had to offer then you may as well give the year a miss and move forward to 2009.
Rating: 5/10
on 2008-05-06 Macavennie Said:
gotta say, i quite enjoyed this album. Reminded me of Grant Lee Buffalo's Mighty Joe Moon album with a little less country and a bit more oomph. not a classic but definately worth checking
Rating: 6/10
on 2008-03-04 dscanland Said:
You bastard! You are un-invited. lol BTW - It's Dulli, not Duhli. You may have beat me to the punch on the review but I've got a wicked Gutter Twins podcast set up for next week. Don't forget to subscribe to it. I've still got to listen to the full album to formulate my opinion on the album. I really like Idle Hands though.
Not Rated
