A Real Treasure
Question: What do you get if you combine former Afghan Whigs front man Greg Dulli and the criminally under-rated Mark Lanegan? Give up? You get the Twilight Singers; a showcase for two of the nineties' most significant voices. And the good news is that this is only a preview for a new album from both these great talents.
Kicking off proceedings, and covering Massive Attack's 'Live With Me', Lanegan's vocal style fits the song perfectly, with its rich, dark and incredibly weathered quality. Underneath the moody, slow burn of the song he almost seductively intones 'I've been thinking 'bout you baby//By the light of dawn'. Lanegan has recently enjoyed much critical acclaim for his recent work with the Desert Sessions collective, Queens of the Stone Age and ex-Belle and Sebastian, Isobel Campbell, and it appears that he is on the way to getting the recognition he finally and so rightly deserves.
Next up, Dulli takes the reins with a track written with former Afghan band mate Joseph Arthur. 'Sublime' has one of those chic French pop intros which juxtaposes against Dulli's voice to perfection. Although less intense than that of his Twilight Singers counterpart, he also has that breathless, whiskey drenched quality to his voice adding an ocean of depth to what could a number one single if the vocals were changed to that of a teenager.
Ending the EP is the incredible 'The Lure Would Prove too Much'. With Dulli regaining the vocal helm; this is the soundtrack to a broken heart with all its aching and longing encapsulated with 'I can be broken too/ just like you'. Weaving in phone conversations against the down beat of the music, sublimely, it flows effortlessly to a close.
This EP is such an unexpected treat. A body of songs beautifully constructed, well performed and which have such sincerity at their core. A real treasure.