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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2000)
Former Afghan Whigs leader has a new sound—and a new outlook. kiregbuili Reinvents Himself rThe Twilight Singers Twilight as played by the Twilight Singers (Columbia) By Johnny Walker (Black) hen he rang the bell with 1993’s classic Gentlemen, black-clad Greg Dulli of Ohio’s Afghan Whigs created a "Leonard Cohen on testosterone" persona. He was the streetwise tough guy tormented by both the opposite sex and by the sensitive artiste within. This stance worked exquisitely for a few years, but after the searing post Centlemen effort Black Dulli found his romantic persona him alive, turn ig him to heroin and assorted other ainkillers for comfort. Finally stabilized by a Zoloft regimen, :he singer-songwriter responded by rein venting himself on the Whigs’s 1998’s funk soul departure 1965, eschewing the tor tured artist character for a more loose-fit ting soul-man guise. The critics raved, but, predictably the fans frowned. Many demanded the old, depressed Dulli back. The disgruntled faction of Whigites just might be placated by Dulli’s latest effort, Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers. Essentially a collaboration with sometime Whig key boardist and Howlin’ * Maggie frontman Harold "Happy" r Chichester, The Twilight Singers are half in love with an easeful death, and at home in the encroaching darkness the Whigs against. The Heisman watch Steamtunnels Profiles the Heisman Trophy Contenders. LaDainian Tomlinson TCU Position: RB Class: Senior Height: 511" Weight: 217 Hometown: Waco, TX AP Photo/Bili Janscha LaDainian Tomlinson might be the most explosive running back in college football today. Tomlinson owns the NCAA Division-1 single game rushing record, which he set on November 20, 1999 against UTEP, when he ran for 406 yards on 43 carries. “LT” was a first-team All-America selection by Athlon, Playboy, Football News, The Sporting News, Texas Football, Blue Ribbon, Street and Smith, and Preview Sports. Tomlinson has led the Horned Frogs to two consecutive bowl victories, and they show no signs of letting up this season. They are currently ranked tenth in the nation and are undefeated. -ABaldwin 1999 stats • Rushed for 1850 yards on 268 carries • Averaged 6.9 yards per carry • 18 TDs last Chance! Cast your Helsman Vote at steamtunnels.net Here, the usual dramatic emotional catharsis found in the best Whigs songs is replaced by a nighttime electro-glide: silky R&B beats tinged with contemporary drum ‘n’ bass and trip-hop touches. Even more of a departure from the Whigs sound is "That’s Just How That Bird Sings," which finds Chichester, Dulli and Shawn Smith emoting prettily like a streetwise version of Crosby, Stills and Nash over a gently strummed acoustic guitar. The three also team up again on "Clyde," a slinky, sinister number driven by a loping funk beat. Fans of Dulli’s more Cohen-like, tortured poet side will find plenty to mull over here. "King Only” finds him admitting that "I fell far enough to touch the hand of Lucifer," while in "Last Temptation" he admonishes a lover, "Every time I think of you I get the same old sinking feeling." On Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers, Dulli achieves artistic growth through a reconciliation of opposites, yoking* dark and light, good and evil, God and Satan together in an effort to heal his fractured < psyche. It all comes together on the anthemic closer "Twilight," where Dulli lyri cally traverses the details of a dead love affair. Instead of ending in the usual fit of rage, he simply chants, "everything’s gonna be alright." And, for the duration of this impressive album, everything certainly is. • For more about Greg Dulli, the Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers, go to Steamtunnels.net and search using key words “Greg Dulli.”
