Bubblegum also features contributions from Afghan Whig/Twilight Singer Greg Dulli, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, and PJ Harvey, who brings the tortured bluster on the white-hot sleaze of "Hit the City." Instead of overwhelming the songs, however, these collaborations contribute mightily to the disc's dark textures -- like the grinding factory clanks driving the sweaty standout "Methamphetamine Blues" -- and underscore Lanegan's similarities to Tom Waits. And although the middle of the disc lags in places, Bubblegum's bookends make up for any shortcomings: "When Your Number Is Up" creaks with Low-era Bowie creepiness, and "Out of Nowhere" is a fitting epitaph, filled with skeletal piano that sounds at once fatal and hopeful.
Latest in CD Reviews
-
-
CD Review: L.A. Knights
Rubber City Meltdown (self-released)
- Jun 19, 2013
-
-
CD Review: Gypsydaze
EP (self-released)
- Jun 12, 2013
-
-
CD Review: Cletus Black
Voodoo Shadow (self-released)
- Jun 5, 2013
- More »
More by Annie Zaleski
