Track Listing

1. Stations
2. God's Children
3. All Misery/Flowers
4. Body
5. Idle Hands
6. Circle The Fringes
7. Who Will Lead Us
8. Seven Stories Underground
9. I Was In Love With You
10. Bete Noire
11. Each To Each
12. Front Street

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20323 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .16 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Saturalia, the debut album by The Gutter Twins, brings together two long-standing veterans of the '90s alternative rock scene--Greg Dulli, the soulful voice behind the Afghan Whigs, and Mark Lanegan of psych-tinged grungers Screaming Trees and latterly, Queens of the Stone Age. Both gentlemen being, shall we say, personalities, Saturnalia could easily have come off as the musical version of the town that ain't big enough for the both of them. Agreeably, though, the pair appear to have learnt to live--indeed, thrive--in one another's company. The name The Gutter Twins may be something of a misnomer: "The Stations" and "Idle Hands" might unfurl in a thunderstorm of sludgy, blackened guitars, but there's also stately orchestral arrangements and quite grandiose, anthemic touches that suggest Saturnalia is more than a sleazy busman's holiday. Mostly, the pair let their vocals echo one another, which is a strange choice: their voices are so distinct, and it would be nice to hear a little more interplay. Still, at this album's level best--"God's Children", perhaps--it simultaneously recalls the psychedelic gospel of Screaming Trees' epic Dust and the gallows-bound soul of Afghan Whigs' Black Love, and as any fan of either band could tell you, that's a great thing. --Louis Pattison

CD Description
The Gutter Twins release their long-awaited debut in the shape of 'Saturnalia', a brooding album that takes in the genres of classic rock and blues without shying away from the use of orchestral strings along the way. Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens Of The Stone Age), with his trademark deep,husky growl, and Greg Dulli (Twilight Singers), who veers towards the other end of the vocal spectrum, work perfectly together. Tracks include 'Circle The Fringes' and 'Idle Hands'.

Customer Reviews

Album of the year contender - already
I believe I possess everything that Mark Lanegan has recorded. Not bragging, just stating a fact to support my absolute admiration for what he has done, and my belief that he has one of the great voices in rock. The only album that I didn't really like was his Ballads of the Broken Seas with Isobel Campbell - which won awards for goodness sake, but just didn't cut it for me. Otherwise his solo work is of singularly excellent quality, he has the standout tracks on any Queens of the Stone Age album and as for the Screaming trees, easily the best and most innovative of the "grunge" bands.

Greg Dulli? Don't know so much about him but enjoyed a couple of Afghan Whigs albums, especially 1965.

So put them together and what do you get? An exuberant slice of psychedelic, rocky americana. On this album you will hear rocking beats, mental metal guitar, slower acoustic folky numbers, excellent vocal harmonies and truly superb, proper songs. Just look at the instruments that are played on this album. Guitars - electric and acoustic of course, drums, bass and keyboards, so far so ho hum. But there are violins and cellos on some tracks which add a warmth to the affair, the harmonium is hauled out to lend an ethereal rasp to "God's children". "Each to each" features sequenced beats merged with mandolin, and the closer "Front Street" is a slow burning, more traditional epic, kind of creepy, poem set to music.

Maybe I'm being over zealous in my support for this album but anything released this year that overtakes this as my album of the year (or indeed the last few years) will have to be special indeed. This album is that good! In the past couple of weeks we have had an excellent album by Gary Louris which knocked my socks off and now this one. Maybe 2008 will be the year of "New Americana". You heard it here first!!

Stunning collaborative effort from grunge veterans
If you're reading this, then the chances are you're already au fait with either, if not both, of the individuals that make up the Gutter Twins, and to a certain extent will know what to expect here (clue: QUALITY). Of course, there will be newcomers; curious and hopeful listeners, drawn in by the reputations and the rave reviews, and it's at those folk that this review is primarily aimed.

Saturnalia - the first complete album of collaborations between Greg Dulli (ex-Afghan Whigs/Twilight Singers) and Mark Lanegan (ex-Screaming Trees/Queens of the Stone Age) - is a dark and moody affair; blues of the blackest kind from two of music's great survivors. While it's difficult to decipher the exact details of the experiences that inform this set of songs, it's pretty safe to say that these guys have "seen some stuff" in their time, and so if you're of the introspective, heart-broken, love-lorn, or occasionally cynical ilk, you're likely to dig this. It's serious stuff, for sure, best listened to late at night, with a glass (or bottle...) of whiskey at hand, or during a long drive in the dark. Just check out the ominous opener 'The Stations' for proof, or the dirty rock-out of 'Idle Hands' (built around a hulking riff that simply could not have been written for anyone other than Lanegan) or even the Dulli-led, shamelessly covetous closer, 'Front Porch' ("if she's fine as your missus, then she's fine enough for me").

It's weighty stuff throughout, but Saturnalia stops well short of being depressing, thanks to the simplicity of the compositions, the lushness of their arrangements and the conviction of their delivery. There is also a surprising lightness of touch - most notably on the Lanegan-sung 'Who Will Lead Us?' - that you just don't get with the majority of today's bands, which elevates this album further into the realms of genius. These two guys - regardless of what you know of them or their previous incarnations - are once again proving to be masters of their craft and the whole of this album reeks of quality and class.

Matt Pucci

Heaven's Quite A Climb
Where "Saturnalia" succeeds most is in fusing the styles and sounds of the two artists. Like all of Lanegan's solo albums, there is an overwhelming sense of maturity and wisdom in his delivery. His voice is as gravely and whiskey-drenched as it has ever been. The two voices are constantly shifted to great effect; the best examples of this would be "Circle The Fringes" in which Lanegan rips through Dulli's melodic lines with a rumbling quake, instantly blackening the song's atmosphere. If not within the same song, the two deliveries are often placed side by side, such as with Lanegan's Tom Waits styled romp "All Misery" and Dulli's beautiful ballad "The Body".

"Saturnalia" is yet another remarkable outing from Mark Lanegan, and for me, some of Dulli's work best since the Afghan Whigs heyday. Perfect for fans of either artists, or those simply wanting some real gritty folk blues.