Originally published in The Aquarian Weekly

March 19, 2008

The Gutter Twins / Saturnalia

Sub Pop

The Gutter Twins is the name chosen

for a potentially toxic alliance of Mark

Lanegan (Screaming Trees) and Greg

Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers).

But toxic or not, these are two of the most

celebrated frontmen in the history of indie-rock,

and they’ve joined together to create

one of the year’s more compelling albums.

Dark doesn’t begin to describe the

dense, multi-layered sound that the Twins

employ to illustrate the struggle for their

souls. Full of swirling guitars and pitch black

synthesizers, the music veers from

acoustic to full-on rock before settling

somewhere in the middle. And in the midst

of the cacophony, power chords erupt as

if Angus Young had somehow ended up

in the studio.

‘Idle Hands’ serves as a perfect

example of the sound of this band, and

it is also one of the best rock and roll

tracks I’ve heard since the last Twilight

Singers album. Once again, Lanegan

and Dulli are fighting off Satan, and it

rocks like hell. There’s a central riff that

will give you whiplash, and a closing guitar

solo that will have you banging your head

on the dashboard. ‘Circle The Fringes’

is a meditation on mortality set amidst

mysterious strings and pounding guitars.

There is no telling how long this

partnership will last, but hopefully The

Gutter Twins will be around to produce

more music. As it is, they have left an

indelible mark with this album.

In A Word: Haunting

Grade: A-

—by Ken Shane