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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Change of direction for Mark Lanegan..., December 9, 2003
Here Comes That Weird Chill (subtitled Methamphetamine Blues, Extras & Oddities)is a taster for Lanegan's upcoming album Bubblegum (2004) & is another example of the return of the e.p. (see also John Cale's 5 Tracks; Ryan Adams' Love Is Hell). It also represents a change in Lanegan's career- this is released by 'Mark Lanegan Band' & is moves away from the gothic blend of country and folk common to his previous five solo albums (it's his first release without Mike Johnson, a union from The Winding Sheet to Field Songs). Lanegan, now officially free of Screaming Trees, takes a variety of influences, notably those collaborations with such artists as Queens of the Stone Age, Masters of Reality, Desert Sessions,Twilight Singers, Martina Topley Bird & Mondo Generator & applies that to his solo career. Methamphetamine Blues is notably more rocky than Lanegan's solo career, but not the type of psychedelic-grunge rock common to Screaming Trees either. Joshua Homme (Kyuss, QOTSA etc) is the star here- playing most of the instruments throughout & Meth Blues is an industrial grind that sounds like the missing link between Tom Waits' Swordfishtrombones & Desert Sessions. Like many an artist, Lanegan & co are getting down with pro-tools- which might be shocking for those used to more conventional rock. On this track alone there are a wealth of guests: Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers), Natasha Schneider (Eleven/Chris Cornell's Euphoria Morning), Nick Oliveri (Kyuss, Mondo Generator) etc. Lanegan's career, even in Screaming Trees, centred around collaboration & its nice this is continued into different sonic climes here. On the Steps of the Cathedral is a strange sonic interlude from Lanegan, Chris Goss (Masters of Reality) & Tracy Chisholm and takes us towards a sterling cover of Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band's Clear Spot. This is different to the blues/folk/acoustic inflected covers found on 1999's I'll Take Care of You (which as an album was only a few minutes longer than this e.p.). This has more in common with acts like Beck and Folk Implosion than anything remotely grunge... Message to Mine is closer to the Lanegan familiar to many, building from a lone-organ to a fairly conventional rock song (delivered in a pro-tool manner) featuring Oliveri, Homme, Dean Ween, Greg Dulli et al again- Ween's guitar is particularly great; the sound of this e.p. is very internal, which is why it sounds great on headphones! The highlight of this e.p. is Lexington Slow Down, which advances on piano-inflected material found on Scraps at Midnight & Field Songs (e.g. Last One in the World, Bell Black Ocean, Don't Forget About Me). Lanegan hasn't done anything quite this brilliant- if this is not good enough to make the album proper, Bubblegum will surely be one of the highlights of 2004! Lanegan's brilliant voice fuses with the piano and some wonderful Morriconeesque harmonies- this urintaes over anything by Nick Cave and is worthy of the frequent comparisons to Tom Waits. Worth buying for this track alone... Skeletal History is co-written by Lanegan with Homme and Oliveri, though is closer to the Desert Sessions material than QOTSA- Hangin'Tree (originally on Desert Sessions) offerred hints of drum'n'bass in the rhythmic sense- so does this, though with the odd guitar interlude that recalls stuff like Calexico, Cooder & Morricone. Wish You Well sounds how The Jesus & Mary Chain (& thus Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) should have sounded, a perfect Velvets-inflected drone that also reminds me a little of Suicide- a wonderful stoney drone... The final tracks are Sleep with Me and a dub 'version'- the latter showing that the Martina Topley Bird collaboration was influential, or maybe Lanegan & co have been listening to Lee'Scratch'Perry? Sleep with Me is another brilliant song, demonstrating that this e.p is pretty consistent stuff and not just filler chucked out to support a tour. Here Comes That Weird Chill offers an interesting new direction for Lanegan and makes one look forward to the full-length album that will follow next year; Lexington Slow Down will blow your mind: BUY!!!!
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by Mark Lanegan 
