Thursday, May 1, 2014

Album review: Afghan Whigs: "Do To The Beast"


Check out my review of this much-anticipated new album from this legendary band. The review appears on page 28 of the May 2014 issue of Illinois Entertainer (in print and online). Jill and I saw their show at Metro in the fall of 2013--it was good to see the boys back at it (after a 15 year hiatus)!
If you've heard the album, let me know what you think in the Comments section of my blog.



Afghan Whigs
*Do To The Beast*
(Sub Pop)
On “Parked Outside,” the first track from the first album from this band in 15 years, Greg Dulli sings, “If they’ve seen it all/Show them something new.”  Unfortunately for the lyrics, the song is classic Whigs provocation, not something new. But the soul/rock aesthetic perfectly embodies the Sub Pop-era Whigs, so fans will forgive the lack of promised novelty--the song rocks. The guitar breakdown riff around 2:35 of “Royal Cream” epitomizes the sound of past albums *Gentleman* and *Black Love.* And “Royal Cream” fades into “I Am Fire,” a slow-burn Dulli confessional. Dulli—a commanding rock frontman with the soul of a Motown crooner who perhaps has seen it all—has dabbled in side projects Twilight Singers and Gutter Twins. With this 10-track album, Whigs are back where they belong, on label and in sound.
7
- Jason Scales

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