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Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthesia
- It’s surprising Mark Lanegan isn’t discussed more often as one of rock’s most intriguing vocalists. With his scratchy, drawling baritone, Lanegan has contributed his remarkably distinctive pipes to great effect in efforts by the Gutter Twins, Queens of the Stone Age and, of course, Screaming Trees, the grunge band that launched him into the public eye.
Lanegan’s voice was commonly the only element of the band’s sound distinguishing it from other contemporary grunge groups with iconic front men. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and Alice in Chains’ Layne Staley all captivated listeners in the ‘80s and ‘90s with their intense vocal performances, with each howl and scream backed by spectacular musicians. What Trees lacked in a recognizable backing band they had in a charismatic, recognizable lead singer, who replaced tortured wails with a restrained drawl and vocal histrionics with a resonant creak.
“Uncle Anesthesia,” the Trees’ fifth studio album and their major label debut, hosts several tracks prominently showcasing Lanegan’s vocals. The album-opener, “Beyond This Horizon,” is probably the best example, the singer using his characteristic low-key drone during the verses before explosively belting out the choruses, a technique he rarely applied during his tenure with Screaming Trees and even less since.
The songwriting on “Anesthesia” is solid but unspectacular. “Song for Alice” reinforces the “Alice in Wonderland” vibe given off by the album’s bizarre cover art, while “Bed of Roses” and “Time for Light” sound like radio-ready grunge updates of Bon Jovi. All of “Anesthesia” is enjoyable, but most of it is forgettable.
Lanegan’s voice, though, is impossible to forget. On all 13 tracks, the singer’s vocals shine through even when the lyrics and melodies do not. Most grunge bands would hate to hear how close they sound to country music, but the comparison between Trees and the genre is valid. Lanegan sounds more like Townes Van Zandt than Kurt Cobain, his voice rough like a leather wallet soaked in whiskey – a trait far more common to songs of dusty roads than tunes about teen spirit.
Reviewer: Adam Rowan
new
Reviewer's Rating: 6
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 29-Jun-2009
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