Screaming Tree

For those few that read my little blog, sorry for the month-long delay between entries.  Having concentrated my efforts on the birth of my first child, I haven’t had the opportunity to really give a good listen to any of my remaining albums.  I still would love to knock this project sooner rather than later, and hopefully I will be able to do so.  All in the same, I love listening to the music, and any chance to extend it for the sake of hearing new music I will gladly try to extend.

When I hear the name “Mark Lanegan”, I think of the lead singer for former Seattle grunge band the Screaming Trees.  I heard their song “Nearly Lost You” off the singles soundtrack, an old Cameron Crowe film that featured many music acts from the Seattle scene in the early 1990’s, and immediately liked it.  My initial attraction to that soundtrack was for the Pearl Jam songs “Breath” and “State of Love and Trust”, but I had also heard “Would?” by Alice in Chains, “Nearly Lost You”, and “May This Be Love” by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.  “Nearly Lost You” for me combined the Seattle hard rock edge that was beginning to take over the airwaves with a smart pop sound that didn’t sound anything like the boy bands that were popular at the time but was catchy.  Lanegan’s voice in particular was different, being gravelly and deep, not the high-pitched voice you typically think of in a rock lead singer.  Screaming Trees had released Sweet Oblivion somewhere around the same time, and that record took off.  I had the privilege of seeing them live when they toured with the Spin Doctors and Soul Asylum; I remember Barrett Martin was killing it on the drums.

Anyway, the Trees broke up, and Lanegan has had various side projects going on.  He’s done some great stuff with Queens of the Stone Age (though he’s left them since Lullabies to Paralyze was released), Greg Dulli (formerly of the Afghan Whigs), Isobel Campbell (formerly of Belle and Sebastian), and solo.  His solo recordings have been sporadic, but in general they have been received well and modestly successful.  His last solo effort, Bubblegum, received his strongest critical praise and is the topic of this entry.

# 184 – Mark Lanegan, Bubblegum (Metascore = 85)

“Bubblegum” is really a misnomer for this album; the word itself would make you think this is a happy, poppy record, but this is far from the case.  The opening riff on “When Your Number Isn’t Up” does not ring of happiness or joy; instead, Lanegan’s character seems to languish in that point between life and death, not knowing which side he’s going to come out on.  Speaking of the opening riff, musically this is different from what I’m accustomed to hearing.  It does not boom with the hard rocking guitar/drums overload of the Screaming Trees or the chaotic noise of the Queens.  The sounds are more subdued and experimental than in those more popular collaborations.

Lanegan has numerous collaborators on this record.  In some cases, the listener knows who is on the track:  “Hit the City”, for instance, includes PJ Harvey, who also appears on several other tracks.  “Wedding Dress” features vocals from Lanegan’s ex-wife Wendy Rae Fowler.  There are many others on here, too, most of whom perform in the background:  Josh Homme and Joey Castillo of Queens of the Stone Age, Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin of the original Guns N’ Roses lineup, and Greg Dulli.  Their styles also help bring a certain air to how the record sounds.  There is something sinister in some songs, something desperate in others.  The dynamics help strengthen this record.

None of this record is over the top, which gives it a much better ambience.  In some ways I liken it to the Dead Weather’s first record, Horehound, which also felt minimal yet had this great ambience to the record, particularly on a song like “60 Feet Tall”.  Lanegan’s vocals and lyrics are treated excellently here; the darkness of drug addiction and dying love are evoked effortlessly here.  I particularly liked “When Your Number Isn’t Up”, “Methamphetamine Blues”, “One Hundred Days”, and “Come to Me”.  I also enjoyed the different musical styles throughout, how Lanegan put them together in a way that keeps them cohesive.  Not all of the songs are home runs, but they at least fit the overall package.