Album title:
Powder Burns
Artist:
Twilight Singers
They say that in forensic science, powder burns are analyzed to determine the distance between a victim and the weapon that killed him. On the fourth Twilight Singers LP, they're littered all over Greg Dulli's crime scene and as such it plays out with the ambience of a classic noir from start to finish. He trades vocals with fellow Ohio-born melody man Joseph Arthur on the instantly absorbing piano stomp 40 Dollars, where he snarls "I get all of my kicks for free" like a man convinced. Other alliances are peppered throughout, with Ani Di Franco featuring heavily and an appearance from former 'Whigs associate John Curley on the sombre but dreamy Candy Cane Crawl. Of course, there's always that trademark moment of sheer majesty, as the orchestral might of the title track swoons in for the big kill just before I Wish I Was pulls the trigger one last time. The sum is an album drenched in sweat and sour mash which swirls like it came from both the hills and the streets. Dulli has treaded the underbelly for too many years now, with 'Powder Burns' he finally kicks off the shackles and emerges the nuanced victor, the pugilism of a troubled soul requited. [Dave Kerr]