Misc. Day – The Skeletal Zone

Mark Lanegan has been in music since releasing his first 1990 debut, The Winding Sheet, when he is not driving his own musical career; Lanegan is instead filling in for bands as a gruff, emotional vocalist that can go toe-to-toe with some of the heavyweights of vocalism. He is not just an idol to most, he is a monumental success in versatility, performing in both heavy rock bands and in soft jam bands. There is no wall between Lanegan and adaptability, which he uses to survive in the crowded world.

His pre-cursor to Bubblegum, Here Comes That Weird Chill is a collection of singles that returns his pathway of stones, opening a wide variety of memorable cuts that begins with “Methamphetamine Blues”. A sullen and metallic pounding that illustrates the setting for Lanegan as he begins to fill the space with raging guitars, crashing cymbals, and a lo-fidelity style that is now iconic with his musical personality. He plays a villain as the guitars shriek behind him like a mad scientist of sound, conducting the hellish noises into manageable portions that separate him far enough in the left-field to become an exciting, and unpredictable project. He moves in entirely different directions with each track, making an octopus of eight total tracks of pure, unfiltered ability.

Even in the earliest moments with the following, “On The Steps Of The Cathedral” where Mark Lanegan is able to provide a slight interlude with the looping and overlaying of multiple layers of his own voice repeating biblical nursery rhymes. The production is mostly a grimy, dirt-soaked use of pounding percussion that echoes and strings that cut like knives. There are moments of pure bliss as “Message To Mine” comes like a garage-rock anthem of fuzzy amplifications that portray the sound as a beautiful, but still dirty cover for a church hymn. Lanegan’s conductive strategy and the way that he can constrict the space on Here Comes That Weird Chill is fantastic; almost to the point where the instruments come alive and act as their own separate entity.

Lanegan has always managed to bring a light behind his darkness as he shifts from in multiple patterns of going from the soft, well-spoken sounds of “Lexington Slow Down” where Lanegan and a piano are the focal points of the track. The depressed lyrical style, “They say a chariot’s waiting when you get cut loose, the place start swinging when it’s me on the noose” aids Lanegan as his musical progression can be incredibly dead and lifeless. Then, as Lanegan shifts gears into “Skeletal History”, he uses the hand of Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri to create multiple sections that collide together to create a stand-offish illustration of a dystopia of personal recollection. Through the guided efforts, Lanegan finds ways to find a proper ending of making the listener beg for more as he shuffles back into the darkness with “Sleep With Me”.

An electrical send-off that uses an emotional display of Lanegan’s beautifully crafted writing and the use of wailing production that boosts his style to an impossibly sufficient level. He not only illustrates a personal darkness behind his musical ability, but he makes beauty behind the music as well. Lanegan can change topics, styles, and even his borders, but Lanegan will always be a dead king.

Listen To Here Comes That Weird Chill Here!!! – Spotify/iTunes