Post by Zapp Brannigan on Feb 15, 2011 15:57:20 GMT -5
www.lifessweetbreath.com/reviews/albums/33-dynamite-steps.html
The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps
80%
I spent the better part of the ‘90s being in love with a man. This day and age it seems a lot more acceptable but back then, we didn’t speak about such things. I was smitten and I had never even met the guy. That’s what happened the first time I heard “Conjure Me”. I fell in love with some wanna-be punk soul band from Cincinnati. But I didn’t fall in love with The Afghan Whigs. I fell in love with Greg Dulli.
The Twilight Singers, originally a side project conceived by Dulli, came to the forefront after the demise of the Afghan Whigs. After a decade of records, Dynamite Steps drops after some 5 years of the last record, Powder Burns. This album is marked by songwriting less linear than in the past. Gone are the straight stories. These songs are more abstract, even though the subject matter is still there: death, revenge, sin and love. The record is exhausting for listeners. The constant push and pull of dark-tinted sentiment isn’t one that people can handle so easily. It marks yet another in the long line of albums that are both heartbreaking and inspirational in every breath. Each song takes listeners on a unique adventure into his psyche. Dynamite Steps is that record for late night drives, back alley wandering and all-night diners, all before the sun comes up. It’s a lonely record; but one that deserves attention at its fullest, with eyes and ears wide open.
There is an anticipation built in every Twilight Singers song. Dynamite Steps is like the first conversation with a lost lover. From the sparse, piano-laden opening of “Last Night In Town” to the orchestral singings of “The Beginning Of The End”, you’re built up, always wanting more and never let down. It is that type of expectancy that stands every hair up on end and makes you tremble. You remember why you fell in love with them in the first place. From the first line, “Whenever you’re here, you’re alive,” Dulli and company set you up for an emotional soul cleansing.
Over 11 songs, Twilight Singers run the gambit of making heartfelt music from the ground up. There are names you know by now (Ani DiFranco, Mark Lanegan) and names you should know (Nick MaCabe from The Verve, Petra Haden, Joseph Arthur) all helping the process.
I guess I never fell outta love. Just don’t make me wait another five years Greg.
Desperation is a bitch ya’ll.
-Andrew Richardson, February 14, 2011
The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps
80%
I spent the better part of the ‘90s being in love with a man. This day and age it seems a lot more acceptable but back then, we didn’t speak about such things. I was smitten and I had never even met the guy. That’s what happened the first time I heard “Conjure Me”. I fell in love with some wanna-be punk soul band from Cincinnati. But I didn’t fall in love with The Afghan Whigs. I fell in love with Greg Dulli.
The Twilight Singers, originally a side project conceived by Dulli, came to the forefront after the demise of the Afghan Whigs. After a decade of records, Dynamite Steps drops after some 5 years of the last record, Powder Burns. This album is marked by songwriting less linear than in the past. Gone are the straight stories. These songs are more abstract, even though the subject matter is still there: death, revenge, sin and love. The record is exhausting for listeners. The constant push and pull of dark-tinted sentiment isn’t one that people can handle so easily. It marks yet another in the long line of albums that are both heartbreaking and inspirational in every breath. Each song takes listeners on a unique adventure into his psyche. Dynamite Steps is that record for late night drives, back alley wandering and all-night diners, all before the sun comes up. It’s a lonely record; but one that deserves attention at its fullest, with eyes and ears wide open.
There is an anticipation built in every Twilight Singers song. Dynamite Steps is like the first conversation with a lost lover. From the sparse, piano-laden opening of “Last Night In Town” to the orchestral singings of “The Beginning Of The End”, you’re built up, always wanting more and never let down. It is that type of expectancy that stands every hair up on end and makes you tremble. You remember why you fell in love with them in the first place. From the first line, “Whenever you’re here, you’re alive,” Dulli and company set you up for an emotional soul cleansing.
Over 11 songs, Twilight Singers run the gambit of making heartfelt music from the ground up. There are names you know by now (Ani DiFranco, Mark Lanegan) and names you should know (Nick MaCabe from The Verve, Petra Haden, Joseph Arthur) all helping the process.
I guess I never fell outta love. Just don’t make me wait another five years Greg.
Desperation is a bitch ya’ll.
-Andrew Richardson, February 14, 2011
