Lying in the Gutter, Covering the Stars

The Gutter Twins, lead by two of alt-rocks greatest front men Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, QOTSA, w/ Isobel Campbell) and Greg Dulli (Afghan Wings, Twilight Signers) follow their 2008 debut album Saturnalia with Adorata, an EP of covers with a few previously unreleased originals thrown in.

The folk of Vetiver’s Belles is twisted into a dark psychedelic crawl, while the fragile Down the Line (ranked 23 in the 2007 Bawley 100) by José González is taken over by bashing rock piano and a crashing drum beat. The result: a tough song that you can easily imagine playing back to back with Cold Chisel and Kings of Leon on the jukebox of a country man’s pub or pool hall. The Gutter Twins’ take on Primal Scream’s Deep Hit of Morning Sun is more true to the original, replacing the broken synth sounds of the original with a fully funky band.

In part, the EP was released as a tribute to Natasha Shneider (Eleven/QOTSA), who died of cancer earlier this year. Eleven’s Flow Like a River is so perfect for Lanegan and Dulli it could be a Gutter Twins original. A portion of the proceeds from the Adorata EP will go to the Natasha Shneider memorial fund.

The Gutter Twins originals Spanish Doors and We Have Met Before are just what you would expect from this group: gravelly vocals and gothic blues – now to get me some bourbon and cigarettes.