Rockin' Our Turntable: The Twilight Singers

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on May 2, 2011 8:37PM

Why mess with a formula that works? Dynamite Steps, the latest long-player by Greg Dulli's The Twilight Singers continues the musical template he's used since his early days with the Afghan Whigs. Years of hard living and last calls may have roughened Dulli's voice, but his ability to tell stories of life and lust after dark and bring characters on the fringe to life in his lyrics are still as sharp as a straight razor.

Duli's explores his dominant themes of looking for love, mistrust and regret all over Dynamite Steps. "On the Corner" is a tight piece of songwriting, with a propulsive rhythm simple keyboard melody serving as a foundation for layers of guitars. The band Dulli's put together, once a loose collection of friends jamming, is now a cohesive unit playing some of the leanest and muscular rock of Dulli's career. The title track closes out the album as a mini epic, reminding the listener that we can put the album away, but Dulli will remain immersed in a graveyard shift world, probably making the same mistakes under bar light he's been making for over 20 years. It'll be interesting to hear how Dynamite Steps translates to a live setting when Dulli brings the Twilight Singers to The Metro on May 17.

The Twilight Singers with special guest Margo and the Nuclear So and Sos play May 17 at Metro, 3730 N Clark, 9 p.m., $21, 18+