If you've been checking in here with any regularity of late, you'll know we rate MARK LANEGAN pretty damn highly at W&H. His latest masterpiece "Bubblegum" remains on perma-spin in this house and "Hit The City" was always the one screaming to be the single from it when EP time came around.
And, even on its' Jack Jones it's awesome: all perpetual motion turbo-riffing, careering chromatic counterpoint bassline action and tribal, robo-drumming, given extra sass thanks to the presence of Lady Darkness herself, PJ Harvey. During its' frenzied three minutes, she takes Mark by the hand and walks him through the city's ripped backside. As vocal trysts go, it's some liaison.
Amazingly, the B-sides are also within grasping distance of the album's brilliance. "Mud Pink Skag" is a clunky, caterwauling rock-blues with Beefheartian guitar-scree overtones and cautionary, drug-dalliance lyrics (the kiss off line is possibly "to kick is heavy"). It's loud, propulsive and diseased and wouldn't have been out of place on "Here Comes That Weird Chill." Even better, though, is the closing "Mirrored", which is not dissimilar to the brooding, folk-blues highlights littered all over "Field Songs." It's shot through with ominous, vivid confessional genius, based around a determined, circular acoustic guitar figure and one of Lanegan's greatest, gravel'n'cinnamon vocals to date. "Close the window and lay down to sleep, with graveyard scenes and violent dreams" he mutters as the temperature drops a palpable five degrees in your reviewer's front room. Brrrr.
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Mark Lanegan is truly on an artistic roll which shows no signs of letting up. Currently, he is rock's unassailable Man In Black and this is - once again - an unmissable instalment dosed with intense genius. Long may he continue to brood.
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