(The) Afghan Whigs' new single and video, House Of I, is just what I needed after three consecutive days of headaches, both literally and metaphorically.
When I marked Greg Dulli's birthday in May 2023, I reflected that "I wasn't immediately struck by The Afghan Whigs
- or Dulli's voice - when I first heard them, but it's fair to say that
a combination of great tunes, incisive lyrics and sheer swagger won me
over."
I'd go a step further in saying that as a songwriter and performer Greg seems to get better and better with the passage of time, and House Of I is as vital and thrilling as anything in the Whigs' back catalogue.
Speaking of which, a good excuse to roll out some Dulli delectables from both The Afghan Whigs and his other excursions, which in itself offers me an opportunity to include a couple featuring the legendary Mark Lanegan.
Ah, great that they're still doing it - and they continue to sound so distinctive. I was like you re. Greg's voice on first hearing Congregation but then once it just worked its way in and they became a favourite listen, loved seeing them around the time of the wonderful Gentlemen album too. Going back a bit now of course!
ReplyDelete- So sorry to hear about your three days of headaches, though, Khayem. Really hope you're ok and can get some long-term relief.
Thanks, C. The post prompted me to listen to The Gutter Twins' debut album too - Greg and Mark really were a great pairing. I can greatly admire singers with a vast vocal range - David McAlmont immediately springs to mind - but I also love that artists like Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan transcend their vocal limitations, lifted by a depth of feeling and the ability to inhabit the songs, whether they've written them or not.
DeleteAnd thanks for the kind thoughts. The headaches are still a thing, but I've a little more insight into what the primary causes (mostly stress/work, unsurprisingly) and I'm trying to deal with that long-term. Blogging is a great relief!