Mark Lanegan "Whiskey for the Holy Ghost" 1994*****

Was Mark Lanegan the Tom Waits of grunge? Judging from this album, one might certainly surmise that. Not only is the album title and front cover positively Waits-ish, but his voice has the required grit, not to mention a world-weariness unbecoming of a man in his late 20's. Of course, even though Waits also sang like a washed-up old wino in his youth, he was just an observer of that decadent Bukowskian underworld. Lanegan's tortured vocal, on the other hand, was hard-earned; the horrific story of his trajectory from abused and neglected child to juvenile delinquent to junkie rock star has been well documented in his autobiography; when he sounds like he's singing from the gutter, that's because it's exactly where he was at the time. When he recorded these songs (1991-1993) he was still a member of his infamously dysfunctional band, Screaming Trees. He had already made a tentative step towards a solo career with his acoustic low key debut, but Whiskey... was the big one in terms of songwriting (by Lanegan exclusively), production, and performance. It proved to himself and to the world that he had what it takes to make great music on his own, an idea his former bandmates had tried to suppress. Here, he is the sole writer, lead singer, co-producer, and occasional guitarist. Dinosaur Jr. bassist Mike Johnson (co-producer, multi-instrumentalist) does most of the rest, while other friends also help out. The mood is mainly subdued and instruments mostly acoustic, although there are some louder tracks featuring distorted electric guitars (e.g. "Borracho"). The arrangements are generally subtle but not necessarily sparse - there's the odd piano, organ, sax, and violin, all used to good effect. For this album, Lanegan has admitted to deriving inspiration from Van Morrison and "southern gothic" novelist Cormac McCarthy; as always, the influence of Jim Morrison and Johnny Cash in his singing is also evident. The album opens with a bit of whistling, followed by folky acoustic guitar and wistful vocal ("The River Rise"). "Carnival" is more upbeat, akin to a Screaming Trees track with completely different instrumentation (great use of violin, here). "Pendulum" is another highlight, featuring the desert country sound that Calexico would popularize a few years later, while "House a Home"s slide guitar and violin also give off a country vibe. Beautiful harmonies and sax give "Sunrise" a lighter tone, but the rest of the album is comprised by mournful blues and ballads - of the best sort, I hasten to add. Whiskey... set a trend with grunge musicians who wanted to show their more mature/emotional side. Great albums in the same vein were released in the same year, including Alice In Chains' Jar Of Flies and Nirvana's mega-hit MTV Unplugged in New York. Furthermore Whiskey is not just where Lanegan found his true voice for the first time, but probably the purest expression of his art. He would go on to release cover albums, acoustic ones, hard rocking ones, to incorporate elements of electronic music, and to be a serial collaborator to, among others, QOTSA, Isobel Campbell, Greg Dulli etc. A diverse body of work, united by his unmistakable voice. It's a voice that makes basically all of these albums worth hearing, but if I only had one choice, this would probably be it.

***** for The River Rise, House a Home, Carnival, Sunrise, Pendulum

**** for Borracho, Kingdoms of Rain, Riding the Nightingale, El Sol, Dead on You

*** for Shooting Gallery, Judas Touch, Beggar's Blues

 

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan "Sunday at Devil Dirt" 2008****

My random selection method came out with this CD exactly 5 years ago, but I left the review unfinished until now. The shocking news of Lanegan's death at 57 had me listening to his records a lot lately, and thinking about presenting one for this blog. Normally my first choice would be one of his solo albums, which represent him better, or something by the Screaming Trees, who used to be one of my favorite (neo-psychedelic? proto-grunge?) bands of the late 80's/early 90's. But this is just as good a choice as any, because it brings back good memories: seeing Mark and Isobel at the Take Roots festival, in Groningen 2010. What a couple... some called them "the beauty and the beast", which seemed obvious given the contrasts: Isobel's a fresh-faced frail-looking blonde with a sweet and innocent voice, Mark's got a heavier physique, with a gruff and tortured exterior and a deep smoky baritone voice to match. But that totally belies the couple's creative relationship: in a reversal of the stereotype, the lady is the behind-the-scenes genius, while the "brute" is the muse and protagonist of the show.

As a member of Scottish indie heroes Belle and Sebastian, Isobel Campbell was identified with a certain kind of smart but twee chamber pop. But this time she went for something completely different, delving deep into Americana tradition, and especially the great country duets by Johnny and June Carter Cash or Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra. She is the principal songwriter, arranger, co-vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist here, yet none of it would have worked without Lanegan: his whiskey-and-smoke-stained voice lends the songs earthy warmth and gravitas. Vocally, Campbell is a supporting character, the sultry ingénue to Lanegan's tortured hero. When she takes the lead on "Shotgun Blues", the result's rather strange, like listening to Marilyn Monroe fronting The Cowboy Junkies. The album opens with "Seafaring Song", a naked ballad with acoustic guitar and, from the middle on, some low-key strings. That's followed by "The Raven", a dark piece with a raspy ML solo vocal and an orchestral backing reminiscent of spaghetti western. The juxtaposition of the two diametrically opposed voices is used to great effect on the two orchestral pop duets "Who Built the Road" and "Come on Over (Turn Me On)", and the jazzy "The Flame That Burns". With the exception of swampy voodoo blues "Back Burner", the rest of the album is simple acoustic balladry. "Keep Me in Mind, Sweetheart" has some old-fashioned country charm, and so does "Something to Believe" with its whistling solo, but on the whole the remaining material is agreeable but unspectacular. Maybe Campbell sensed that, and that's why she deliberately restricted herself to backing vocals and instrumental accompaniment for most of the album: it takes a special kind of voice to elevate these songs above mediocrity; someone like Lanegan, or Johnny Cash. These were men that could sing the phonebook and make it sound heart-wrenching and full of meaning. I fear we will never see the likes of them again.

**** The Raven, Salvation, Who Built the Road, Come on Over (Turn Me On), The Flame That Burns

*** for Seafaring Song, Back Burner, Shotgun Blues, Keep Me in Mind, Sweetheart, Something to Believe, Trouble

** for Sally Don't You Cry

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan "Hawk" 2010****

This album takes me back to the time I saw the two artists perform these songs live, on the stage of Groningen's Oosterpoort. I spent my first couple of years in The Netherlands at the Northern provincial city of Groningen, and still remember it fondly. Hollanders often talk about is as it's a god-forsaken place inhabited by some kind of weird-talking hillbillies (if there were any hills in The Netherlands, which there aren't - sand dunes is as high as it gets). To emphasise how far it is, the Dutch say "there's nothing above Groningen" - to which Groningers have given a positive spin, as in "there's nothing better than Groningen"). Don't let the bad publicity fool you: It is a beautiful and vibrant student city with great night life and lots of culture, including the Eurosonic festival in January with bands from all over Europe, and Noorderzon in August (theatre, music, all arts really...) Then you have many live venues like the temple of the Alternative scene Vera (bands like Joy Division and Nirvana played there when they were still unknown) and bigger halls like the Oosterpoort. The latter also houses the Take Root festival, which in 2010 had a pretty strong lineup, including among others Wilco, Iron & Wine, Dave Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch, Black Mountain, and Isobel Campbell with Mark Lanegan.
Now, how exactly does a Glasgow girl fit into an event sub-labeled "Festival For Past, Present and Upcoming American music"? She does, not only because of her choice of collaborators, but foremost because of her songs drawing from American folk tradition, and especially the great country duets: Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, George Jones & Tammy Wynette, June Carter-Cash and Johnny Cash. Nothing about the gentle pop of her former band Belle and Sebastian could have prepared you for this dive into Americana, which is why I was surprised to learn she was the creative force behind the duo. Another reason may have been that her sweet and soft voice on the record plays second fiddle to Lanegan's strong, gravelly baritone. Music critics invariably used the same metaphor for this pairing: the beauty and the beast. As well as their voices, the two singers' exterior justifies the simile: Isobel's fragile good looks make quite a contrast with Lanegan's unkempt gloomy lumberjack appearance. On stage, though, Campbell was the one in control: If Lanegan was the leading man, she was obviously the director, stepping in at the right moment with her vocals, guitar, cello, piano and other instruments. Theirs was a very successful (artistically, at least) partnership, but "Hawk" was to be their 3rd and last album together. Probably they felt the formula was getting old, which is why they try some different approaches here: the rich strings and R&B backbeat of "Come Undone" is a definitive winner, probably the duo's best moment. "You Won't Let Me Down Again" could have been an acoustic outtake from Lanegan's collaborations with desert rockers Queens Of The Stone Age - if it wasn't for Isobel's soft and sensual backing vocals. "Snake Song" is a similarly sturdy acoustic blues, featuring great vocals from both performers. "Get Behind Me" is a rockabilly scorcher and "Hawk" a rollicking instrumental with howling sax. On the one hand I applaud their desire to shake things up a bit, but on the other I have to admit that those two kinda break the mood of the album. Despite all the efforts to mess with the formula, the pair are at their best when they stick close to it: the Nancy-and-Lee style ballads "We Die And See Beauty Reign", "Time Of The Season", "Eyes Of Green", and the fantastic closer "Lately" with Lanegan channeling Leonard Cohen and gospel-style backing vocals. Then, as if we're witnessing a real-life idyll unravelling, Campbell goes at it alone for the haunted ballad "Sunrise" and Mazzy Star-soundalike "To Hell & Back Again", and even exchanges Lanegan for a younger man (American singer-songwriter Willy Mason) for a couple of duets: "No Place to Fall" and "Cool Water". Good songs, and the addition of a Celtic violin on the former (as well as "Eyes Of Green") is another nice touch by Campbell-the-record producer. Mason sounds like a cross between Tim Hardin and Johnny Cash. Actually, he's like a younger, less gritty and world-weary, Lanegan - now doesn't that sound like rebounding from a failed romance? But, as far as I know, Mark and Isobell's coupling was never a romantic one and just naturally ended for the singers to follow their muse elsewhere. At least they left behind three albums of beautiful music, all of which are highly recommended.

***** for Come Undone

**** for We Die and See Beauty Reign, You Won't Let Me Down Again, Snake Song, No Place to Fall, Get Behind Me, Time of the Season, Eyes of Green, Lately 

*** for Sunrise, To Hell & Back Again, Cool Water

** for Hawk

Mark Lanegan "Imitations" 2013***

From the first moment I heard The Screaming Trees I recognized Mark Lanegan as an exceptional singer. What I could never imagine was how far away he'd stray from The Trees' neo-psychedelic hard rock. Apart from his own records, he has proven an excellent interpreter of others' songs and a valuable collaborator to artists as diverse as Queens of the Stone Age, Isobel Campbell and (the Afghan Whig's) Greg Dulli. This is his second all-covers album and this time he chose to include some easy-listening standards as tribute to his first musical influences (meaning his parents' record collection). He opens nevertheless with a contemporary song. Chelsea Wolfe's "Flatlands" is a stark proposition, just voice and acoustic guitar, until the arrival of a cello mid-song which immediately elevates the song. James Bond theme “You Only Live Twice" (a puzzling choice) is given an acoustic folk treatment, same as the old standard "Mack The Knife". Both are unrecognizable, albeit only the latter in a good way. The jazzy finger-picking guitar and Lanegan's smoky voice and understated delivery prove an unexpectedly good fit for an over-familiar song. Another jazz standard "Autumn Leaves" gets a more conventional approach and is a romantic and melancholic triumph. He also delivers a warm and rich version of "Solitaire" and  even has the audacity of taking on Frank Sinatra in "Pretty Colors" and the outcome is, unbelievably, a tie (I guess it depends on taste)."Élégie funèbre" is a risky choice and his French is not convincing (he reminds me of Iggy's "Après"), but at least it introduced me to the music of Gérard Manset. Lastly, the album's leading track is John Cale's “I’m Not The Loving Kind”. I'm not familiar with the original, but the version here is great, with dramatic strings and a world-weary melancholic delivery.

**** for Flatlands (Chelsea Wolfe), Pretty Colors (Frank Sinatra) Solitaire (Neil Sedaka/Andy Williams), Autumn Leaves (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert/Johnny Mercer)

*** for Deepest Shade (Greg Dulli/The Twilight Singers) Brompton Oratory (Nick Cave), Lonely Street (Andy Williams), I'm Not the Loving Kind (John  Cale), Mack the Knife (Brecht/Weill), Élégie funèbre (Gérard Manset)

** for "She's Gone (Vern Gosdin) and You Only Live Twice (John Barry/Nancy Sinatra)