Of all the bands to fall away over the past ten years, the Afghan Whigs were perhaps one of the greatest losses. A group with as great an understanding of black and soul music as rock (their cover of TLC’s ‘Creep’ has to be heard to be believed) they were eventually brought down by main man Greg Dulli’s own personal demons. With the latest instalment of his solo career, opening with the lines “Black out the windows it’s party time/You know how I love the stormy weather so let’s all play suicide” we might just surmise that those demons haven’t exactly departed.
Blackberry Belle essentially picks up where the Whigs left off – dark, twisted vignettes delivered in explosive, expansive terms – and Dulli still sounds utterly unique. He has the melodies to reach a much wider audience yet there always seems to be something to keep it out of reach – be it the mass of expletives that litter the album, the disturbing lyrics or the head wrecking feedback shot through the otherwise quite jolly tune of ‘Teenage Wristband’.
With a number of guests to add to the fun (including Alvin Youngblood-Hart and Mark Lanegan’s desolate howl on the closing ‘Number Nine’) this is another fascinating chapter in the Dulli story. Let’s hope he can keep it together this time.