Number 9

There is a new Twilight Singers album being released on the 14th Feb which I'm really looking forward to but more than that Dulli and Co will be at the Arches in Glasgow on the 19th of March. I was really pissed off last year that I missed the Gutter Twins when they were touring as it's the first time I've missed one of Dulli's visits to Glasgow in years.

Here is the 2nd single from 2003s offering Blackberry Belle which features the dulcet tones of friend and long time collaborator of Dulli's Mark Lanegan.

The Twilight Singers - Number Nine

Jeff Klein

I first came across Jeff Klein a few years ago when he was supporting the Twilight Singers.

When he came on stage I thought, great just what I want to hear another alt. country troubadour. From the first chords I was pleasantly surprised, yes it was just one guy with an acoustic but the sounds that came out of the guitar via a load of effects pedals was quite amazing giving a much fuller sound than you would expect. The short support slot (30 mins or so) was filled with variety but with a dark, brooding undertow and themes not dissimilar to those which Greg Dulli writes about, sex, loss, jealousy etc. The final track "Put You To Sleep" was especially compelling with Klein using the effects board to, well great effect. He later popped up on stage with Dulli as a member of the Twilight Singers playing keyboards and guitar.

Klein originally from New York but now residing in Austin Texas has released three excellent albums. Firstly You'll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart in 2000. After which he signed to One Little Indian to release Everybody Loves a winner in 2003. The third, and best album in my opinion is the Greg Dulli produced Hustler from 2006.

When not touring on his own or as part of My Jerusalem, he can be found as an integral part of both of Dulli's projects the afore mentioned Twilight Singers and The Gutter twins.

Jeff Klein - Everything Is Alright

Jeff Klein - California

Jeff Klein - 19th Hole (no, its not about golf)

Teenage Wristband

The Twilight Singers was initially a side project of Greg Dulli's, however when the Afghan Whigs split in 2001, the side project became Dulli's main focus. The sound is not radically different from that of the Afghan Whigs except from the first album. After the demos for this album were leaked onto the Internet Dulli decided to remix the album with dance remixers Fila Brazilia, the results of which, Twilight As Played By The Twilight Singers is a mixed bag and not indicative of the subsequent path Dulli would follow.

The second long player is a concept album Blackberry Belle which was written after Dulli had read Martin Eden by Jack London, not the first concept album he had written, the 4th Afghan Whigs album Black Love had be loosely based on the book Spoken in Darkness by Ann E Imbrie.

The track posted today is from Blackberry Belle and is one of my five year old's favourite tracks (he calls it "go for a ride") which is rather disturbing. The song was released as a single in the UK in November 2003 and completely failed to set the heather on fire. It is one of the band's mainstays live and I have had the good fortune to see them perfom it on several occasions.

The Twilight Singers - Teenage Wristband

Afghan Whigs

The whole Grunge thing passed me by, I has too busy having fun and dancing to the kind of music that you will find over at Acid Ted to be bothered by miserable guitar music. Over the years I have tried to get into it as the better half loves Nirvana but it just doesn't work for me, it leaves me cold.

I had always considered the Afghan Whigs to be a grunge band so had never really listened to their music until a few years ago when I discovered KEXP Seattle on the net while bored at work. The morning show hosted by Jon Richards plays a diverse mix of music and is responsible for putting me onto quite a few bands. Every so often he would drop a track by the Afghan Whigs and I decided that they needed further investigation. What I found was not what I would term grunge but a rock band with a really soulful element, indeed of the many covers Dulli has recorded a large proportion are of soul songs.

Their frontman Greg Dulli is better known these days for his latest incarnation as The Twilight Singers and collaboration with Mark Lanegan as the Gutter Twins. The first track here is a cover of an Ass Pony's song who were closely associated with the Whigs at the time. The second is one of the many standout tracks from their final album 1965, if you don't own anything by this band I suggest starting with this album.

Afghan Whigs - Mr Superlove

Afghan Whigs - 66