{"id":60793,"date":"2020-03-12T18:06:37","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T18:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=60793"},"modified":"2020-03-13T12:20:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T12:20:32","slug":"alone-again-or-afghan-whigs-greg-dulli-flies-solo-on-new-album-random-desire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2020\/03\/alone-again-or-afghan-whigs-greg-dulli-flies-solo-on-new-album-random-desire\/","title":{"rendered":"ALONE AGAIN OR – Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli Flies Solo On New Album Random Desire"},"content":{"rendered":"

As he enters the latter part of his career Afghan Whigs\u2019<\/strong> mainman Greg Dulli <\/strong>seems to be tapping into a rich vein of creativity.<\/h4>\n

After 2017\u2019s brooding, lascivious In Spades<\/em><\/strong><\/a> <\/span>comes solo album Random Desire<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0which, while tackling familiar lyrical preoccupations, feels more experimental in terms of instrumentation and tone.<\/h4>\n

Opener Pantomima\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(see video below), for example, launches with a bass beat intro, before splashes of distorted guitar crash in.<\/p>\n

Lyrically it begins with a typically bleak \u201cDesolation, come and get it,\u201d but the mood shifts over the course of the song, Dulli\u2019s multi-layered vocals crossing each other as if in some kind of internal debate.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pattern that\u2019s repeated across the album, with changes in tone and mood a recurring motif.<\/p>\n

Songs like Sempre<\/em><\/strong>, Scorpio <\/strong><\/em>and The Tide <\/em><\/strong>start quietly before building to a sudden explosion or crescendo, only to fall away again into an eerie calm.<\/p>\n

In these moments Dulli’s voice barely rises above a fractured whisper, his powers drained and passion spent.<\/p>\n

The first solo album under his own name, rather than a band alias, Random Desire <\/em>was at least partly the product of necessity.<\/p>\n

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Flaming passions – Random Desire cover art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As In Spades wrapped,\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0drummer Patrick Keeler <\/strong>left briefly to record and tour with The Raconteurs<\/strong>, while bassist John Curley <\/strong>decided to renew his studies.<\/p>\n

Worst of all, guitarist Dave Rosser<\/strong>, such an important part of recent Dulli projects, succumbed to a rare form of colon cancer, only a month after In Spades’<\/em> release.<\/p>\n

Left to his own devices, Dulli initially envisioned Random Desire <\/em>as a completely solo project, playing all the instruments himself, before inviting a few trusted collaborators to contribute after the music was written.<\/p>\n

No surprise then, that this album feels more stark and intimate than its predecessor.<\/p>\n

Tracks like Marry Me <\/em><\/strong>and Slow Pan <\/em><\/strong>are weaved around simple, repetitive guitar lines, but the sheer emotion of Dulli\u2019s performance lends them extra weight and complexity.<\/p>\n

It Falls Apart <\/em><\/strong>builds from a deceptively spartan arpeggio, sweeping keyboards and even handclaps add layers of depth to this subtly moving tune.<\/p>\n

Other standouts include Lockless<\/em><\/strong>, where glitchy electronica and horns are meshed in a mournful warning of the dangers of desire.<\/p>\n

But perhaps best of all is the Latin-flavoured A Ghost<\/em><\/strong>, where steel guitar, maracas and portentous Nick Cave<\/strong>-like strings combine with spookily sinister results.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got things to do before I fade away,\u201d Dulli sings in The Tide<\/em>. On this form let\u2019s hope he\u2019s true to his word.<\/p>\n