Powder Burns,
The Twilight Singers
You may remember Greg Dulli as the driving force behind the late Afghan Whigs. DullisThe Whigs established their credibility by crafting pop-based melodies in an aggressive and theatrical rock format. There was little coincidence that the production credits were positioned as theatrical credits: Dulli imbibes his music with a cinematic grandeur. Which brings us to the Twilight Singers, a Dulli-led collective centered on Dulli that mines similar territory: grandious songwriting packaged in dramatic guitar-driven arrangements.
The True False Identity/Twenty Twenty, T-Bone Burnett
Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve certainly experienced Burnett’s talent. He has produced artists ranging from the Counting Crow’s classic debut to Elvis Costello. More recently he has acheived success as the musical mastermind behind the blockbuster “O Brother Where Art Thou.” These two releases return Burnett to the solo spotlight. The True False Identity, Burnett’s first solo release in 14 years, overflows with sparse but beautiful songs while Twenty-Twenty is a retrospective documenting Burnett’s nearly 30 years in music.
Broken Boy Soldier, The Raconteurs
The Raconteurs brings together the the garage rock blues of Jack White (The White Stripes) with the enthusiastic power pop of Brendan Benson. Throw in Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler, the rhythm section from Cincinnati’s Greenhornes and you’ve got a great 1970’s drenched rock and roll outing. (If you remember the TRS-80, you have to check out the band’s web site.)
Other notable releases this week include: Tim Easton‘s Ammunition, Mason Jenning‘s Boneclouds, David Mead‘s Tangerine, and Sam Robert‘s Chemical City.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.