Mark Lanegan band — Here Comes That Weird Chill

After touring and recording for a few years with in his own words “the baddest rock-n-roll band on the planet" Mark Lanegan decided it was time to get back to doing what he does best. Somber heartfelt acoustic ballads? Gritty blues numbers about relationships gone bad? Or maybe songs about the perils of drug and alcohol abuse? Hmm......Yes and no I suppose.

When I picked this up, I really had no idea what to expect, but upon first listen I was immediately taken by the psuedo industrial beat and downright sleazy bass line of Methamphetemines Blues which starts this album with a nice swift kick in the ass that no previous Lanegan album has ever had. It sets the tone for the entire ep. Next are the sparsely musical spoken word bit On the Steps of the Cathedral which combines a booming bass, and repeating guitar passage while singing an old christian tune He's Got the Whole World in his Hands, but again it’s different and really works. Clear Spot is a cover of the Captain Beefheart song which returns us to some nice loud guitars and the slightly distorted vocals. But things really get into top gear with Message to mine which is another sleazy rocker and Tom Waits-ish Lexington Slowdown which clearly show he has a definite vision in mind and these two are definite standouts. But the absolute gem of this EP is Skeletal History co-written by Homme and Oliveri, its off kilter phrasing, positively pissed off yet passionate vocals and nightmare inducing lyrics take this track to a completely new level for Lanegan as a songwriter, its a side of his music and psyche that has never shown itself and god damn I wanna hear more pronto! Owning all of his previous work including the Screaming Trees this is one of the greatest tracks he has ever done bar none. Closing this EP are Wish You Well which moves along nicely with some droning guitar and the closer Sleep With me which shows some signs of an incomplete track, as it could have been much more polished, but closes things and wraps it all in a sweet pink bow.

What initially struck me, or maybe stunned is a better word, was the use of LOUD guitars, strange synth voicings, the industrial type drum patterns, the absolutely FAT bass sound and the fact that his vocals have gotten tighter and more focused tells me that maybe working with the queenies subconsciously rubbed off a little bit, but make no mistake about this,  Here Comes that Weird Chill is HIS record and the revolving door cast of characters just help to bring the ideas swirling in Lanegans smoke filled, whiskey clouded, pool hall of a mind to fruition in such a confident, swaggering, almost cocky but definitely rocking sorta way, that one can not help but wonder... if these are the the songs that were scrapped, what could the full length possibly be like? I absolutely cannot wait.