CD Reviews

Mark Lanegan Band | Blues Funeral

4AD (2012)

By BARRY THOMPSON | January 31, 2012

3.0 Stars

Unlike a few of his early '90s Seattle contemporaries who made tons of money, erstwhile Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan has not died, put out shitty records, or made a self-deprecating cameo on Portlandia. Although plenty of surviving Gen-X standard-setters have faded into ironic nostalgia, Lanegan, even at his worst, remains interesting. Within the past five years, alliances with Greg Dulli (as Gutter Twins), shadowy UK duo Soulsavers, and Isobel Campbell have yielded superbly murky results. The Gutter Twins' Saturnalia (2008) and Soulsavers' Broken (2009) are awesome, but Lanegan's first solo mission since 2004 is only pretty awesome. The spotlight stays fixed on his darkly soothing intonations throughout, keeping the smoky, low-key aesthetic unvarying despite some stylistic and instrumental adventurousness. "Bleeding Bloody Water" drags, and "Ode to Sad Disco" invites an unfavorable comparison to the Faint. But the awesome — ghoulish electro-punk love lament "The Gravedigger's Song," bar-band-ish rocker "Riot in my House," and whatever the heck is going on during the pleasantly trippy "Leviathan" — outweighs the unawesome.

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A few years ago, the cutesy teens in Natalie Portman's Shaved Head slid out of Seattle on the hot pink shoulders of robo-bounce kinda-hit "Me + Ur Daughter" and the cheap intrigue of a ridiculous moniker.
Soundgarden | Telephantasm
Aside from an unfortunate crop of John Graham art making the cover look like one of those three-wolf-moon T-shirts, Telephantasm is a solid retrospective for a Seattle metal band who got wrapped up in flannel.
Assaf Kehati Quartet | Flowers and Other Stories
The Boston-based Israeli guitarist Assaf Kehati and his quartet know how to straddle the great divide.
Ash Borer | Ash Borer
NorCal black-metal trio Ash Borer's debut full-length is as diminutive as their namesake (limited to a 150-cassette run) but no less destructive or striking as they hurtle through three tracks in 40 minutes.
Active Child | You Are All I See
Pat Grossi used to be a choirboy, which is not surprising at all, given that his full-length debut under the Active Child moniker sounds like it was cut in some sort of dimly lit, hallowed hall under the cover of night.
Review: Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
The little TV series with the can-do pipes rolls out a concert tour that's essentially a love-in with its fan base.
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Borrowing the name of a Clash song with which it has nothing in common, this generic riff on the Crazy Heart template by writer/director David M. Rosenthal ( Falling Up ) also cribs from Sofia Coppola's Somewhere .
Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone
Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler's documentary details Fishbone's quarter-century journey from musically-diverse South Central middle school classmates to becoming one of the most influential Los Angeles bands of the '80s.
Skipp Whitman | Skipp City
I was hardly expecting one of the freshest rap discs this year to come out of Brookline.
Occult Detective Club | Crimes
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Radiohead | The King of Limbs
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ARTICLES BY BARRY THOMPSON

RAGE AGAINST THE STOOL | February 02, 2012
Even behind the wall of semi-anonymity provided by blogs and Internet message boards, some rules still apply.

MARK LANEGAN BAND | BLUES FUNERAL | January 31, 2012
Unlike a few of his early '90s Seattle contemporaries who made tons of money, erstwhile Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan has not died, put out shitty records, or made a self-deprecating cameo on Portlandia.

LAW & DISORDER: THE BEST OF LAST SEMESTER'S CAMPUS CRIME LOGS | January 25, 2012
Incident logs available online and/or at campus police stations display laundry lists of amateur-hour escapades and bike/backpack/wallet/gadget thefts. Here are some amusing, singular shenanigans and trends from last semester culled from public records

FOR COYOTE KOLB, THE ROOTS COME TOGETHER | January 24, 2012
Johnny Cash's baleful self-portrait "Ain't No Grave" oozes into my skull through a Sailor Jerry haze.

GIVE UP THE GHOST ROAR BACK FOR A TIMELY REUNION | December 20, 2011
It's tough to maintain unswerving matter-of-factness without boring anybody. But hardcore, at its best, manages exactly that.

See all articles by: BARRY THOMPSON

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