For those of you who already know about The Gutter Twins, the wonder-twins-power-team-up between Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan, I hope you’re planning to get “Saturnalia.” For those who don’t know about it, by the time this post is done you’ll have no excuse.

Regular readers know I’m a huge fan of Dulli and Lanegan, so it should be no surprise that f-in’ love it. I’m not even going to bother to write about each track. It’s wholly unnecessary. The entire thing is brilliant, and *will* be one of the greatest albums of the year. Instead of preaching to the converted, I thought I’d write a few paragraphs for the uninitiated.

Washington-born Mark Lanegan is a man of questionable background, apparently having done at least one year-long jail stint, and his songs generally reflect his personal history, making him a gangsta rocker. Some of you may know him from his days as the lead
singer of Screaming Trees, one of the more underrated Seattle/Sub Pop supergroups of the ‘90s. (In my opinion, their songs and live act were more interesting than Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and possibly even Nirvana.) Lanegan has also associated with Queens of the Stone Age, as a vocalist. Recently, Lanegan recorded with Isobel Campbell on Ballad of the Broken Seas. (I confess, this album didn’t do it for me, but I understand that it was mostly the work of Campbell.) Last year, he provided vocals/writing skills for the fantastic Soulsavers project, one of the best albums of 2007.

Greg Dulli is also a long-time veteran of rough-and-tumble barroom rock and roll/punk. He was an essential part of The Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers, two of my favorite bands. Curiously, he also provided the vocals for that Backbeat movie about The Beatles, and was the only non-Dave Grohl to play on the Foo Fighters’ eponymous record. In 2003, Lanegan sang with Dulli on The Twilight Singers’ song “Number Nine.” From there, Lanegan continued to record on Twilight Singers projects and even toured with the band. And now . . . Enter the aptly named Gutter Twins, the Seattle scene’s answer to the Glitter Twins.

Check out some of this duo’s extensive, impressive repertoire.

Tales of Brave Ulysses (Cream cover)-Screaming Trees

Working Class Hero (John Lennon cover)-Screaming Trees

Cocksucker Blues (Stones cover)/Honky’s Ladder-Afghan Whigs

Time Of The Season (Zombies)-Twilight Singers

No Expectations (Rolling Stones cover)-Soulsavers

Soon, I’ll post this entire, awesome Queens of the Stone Age Show. For now, here’s Mark Lanegan fronting for QOTSA: On Jesus’ Program. And another cut from that show: Bloody Hammer (Roky Erickson cover).

If There’s a Hell Below (We’re All Gonna Go)-Afghan Whigs (Curtis Mayfield cover)

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (M. Jackson)/Blame, Etc.-Afghan Whigs