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The Twilight
Singers: Blackberry Belle
If you try really hard, you can close your eyes and pretend that this is the Afghan Whigs most of the time. Its not until the fourth song, St. Gregory, that youll start to notice that something just doesnt seem quite right. The Twilight Singers is former Whigs singer Greg Dullis new musical outlet. This is their second long player. Dullis new bandmates seem to be a revolving door collective, as this release features a pretty long guest list. My favorite to mention would have to be former Prince protg, Apollonia Kotero, whose enormous naked titties you may remember from the movie Purple Rain. Its good to hear Dullis voice again. There are good songs on this release, and some moments thatll teleport your ears back to Gentlemen or Black Love, but sadly, Blackberry Belle doesnt seem to possess that elusive, secret ingredient that made those other albums so great. Ive been trying for weeks to pinpoint why exactly I dont love this album. I think Ive narrowed it down to two things. First of all, there seems to be quite a bit of programmed and/or computer generated elements that make it sound a little too much like radio-friendly pop. When the Whigs would use such elements, it sounded like a refreshing change of pace with a dash of novelty. Here, it sounds like one small step for Dulli, one giant leap toward Justin Timberlake. Please dont try to make that leap, Greg. My second quasi-complaint is somewhat related, and is probably the result of Dulli having several contributors rather than an actual band the music seems a little too dense. Theres very little room to breathe on the album. I think it would really help out the songs if Dulli took a slightly more minimal, looser approach to the music. There are plenty of good tracks here. The first three are the strongest in my opinion: Martin Eden, Esta Noche, and Teenage Wristband (a playful nod to The Who). The closing title track, a duet with Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees and solo fame, is also quite memorable. Fans of the Whigs ought to check this out if only to see what Gregs been doing lately, but unfortunately, this doesnt seem to be the kind of album that anyone will care about a year from now.
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