Eight years have past since The Mark Lanegan Band released ‘Bubblegum’ (2004), a record full of rootsy blues tracks with added PJ Harvey touches. It was a fantastic album that in my mind topped anything he had done before. But can he go one further? It’s too early to tell, but ‘Blues Funeral’ is instantly recognisable as a solid successor. It possibly lacks the diversity in sound that ‘Bubblegum’ gave us, but more importantly it’s a return to the fuller ‘band’ sound. I’m a big fan of Lanegan’s work with Isobel Campbell, but three cello based albums in and I’m desperate for some grungy fuzz-drenched guitar blues. Thankfully that’s what the Mark Lanegan Band does best.'Blues Funeral’ could easily be seen as a concept album but I think it’s fair to say that none of the themes are a great departure for Lanegan as it hits most of his usual notes. It’s all very safe and seems more like an ‘if it ain’t broke…’ approach.
When you first pick up the album you immediately get a feel for the kind of record it’s going to be. The wonderfully archaic artwork is reminiscent of funeral parlour wallpaper, with an intricate floral pattern that echoes the storyteller nature of Lanegan’s lyrics. The record itself is pressed on a greyish green vinyl that again sits comfortable with the macabre tone.
The album has plenty of texture and the record is interspersed with quieter tracks. I’m not sure if it’s the eight year starvation period talking here, but it’s the heavier, noisier tracks that really shine. His work with Greg Dulli as The Gutter Twins and Twilight Singers should be applauded, but for me always sounded more like Dulli despite Lanegan’s distinct ‘Waitsian’ Growl. This is pure Lanegan through and through. His groans and moans drawn out across several notes on tracks like ‘Bleeding Muddy Water’ feel almost like the rise and fall of tides. Unlike Tom Waits, he avoids the coughs and splutters instead adopting a purity to his voice. On tracks such as ‘Gray Goes Black’ and ‘Riot In My House’ (a stand out track) the vocals are embedded in the production in a way that allows them to become another instrument carrying the tune, and you have the chance to realise this is an album from a ‘Band’ and not one man.
For me, I felt some of these songs could have been taken a step further in their arrangements. Some gospel-like backing vocals may have given a more lively sound to some of the tracks and embraced the southern blues flavour much like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ‘Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus’ (2004).
A rather oddly placed track, ‘Ode to Sad Disco’ sits smack bang in the middle of the record with a very different feel to the rest. With it’s digital disco bass and drum combo pounding throughout and little synth licks crawling around the vocal moments, it provides a break in tone, but one I ultimately think will divide listeners. It still holds plenty of bluesy sensibility, but is a new sound from Lanegan that I’m not entirely sold on. Later tracks such as ‘Deep Black Vanishing Train’ owe debt to Johnny Cash and seem to take a more simplistic approach than the first half of the record. This is not to the detriment of the album, and I find their little flourishes of reversed reverbs and noodling keyboards keep me entertained.
I doubt ‘Blues Funeral’ will achieve classic status as it doesn’t really seem to offer anything we haven’t heard before, but it still hasn’t left my turntable for several days and is certainly isn’t a release to be ignored.
