The Twilight Singers - Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers

Recorded in 1997 with a rotating band of New Orleans musicians, Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers is essentially the first solo release from Greg Dulli, lead singer for Ohio's whisky-bar Motown rockers, the Afghan Whigs. That this ever made it to the pressing plant is a surprise. Shortly after recording ended, Whigs severed ties with Elektra and the master tapes were left to collect cobwebs for the better part of three years. In 2000, Dulli took the tapes to England and mixed them with the aid of the British outfit Fila Brazillia. Twilight, then, exhibits none of the unpolished, earthy soul of the Whigs. The opening "The Twilite Kid" is bolstered by a glossy drum loop and "Annie May" comes with a breakbeat-laden backdrop of stuttering electronics. But slick sequencing adds nothing to these tales of simmering jealousy and torn romanticism; Dulli's raw emotive thrust is diluted to the point of sterility. If you're unacquainted with the Afghan Whigs, search out Dulli's masterpiece, 1993's Gentlemen. This is for Whigs obsessives only. --Louis Pattison Amazon.com

My Favorite from the Last 10 Years!

Soulful and seductive. This albums will draw some real emotions out of you. To me it's a gem. June 22, 2006

Fallacy of gestalt

It seems that listeners don't understand that this album is NOT Greg Dulli, nor is it Fila Brazillia. It is an entirely new and synergistic beast, and this is why it is not called "Fila Brazillia plays Dulli" or something of the like. This is one of the few albums that I can listen to for hours upon hours, and this is entirely the result of experimentation, collective vision, and a superb analogy between lyric, instrumentation and production. Somehow, the Twilights are able to combine racking heartache and betrayal with appropriate bittersweetness to create a masterpiece of ephemera. I constantly feel after listening that I have lost something deep inside -- but found the marrow of myself nevertheless. Of the songs abounding in the soundtrack I play inside my head, tracks from Twilight invariably pop up out of the blue, and I find myself humming for hours. It's a truly complex album too -- I'm always finding a note here or there that I never noticed, without which the songs wouldn't quite be the same -- the hallmark of an excellent work. Quite frankly, this is a beautiful album of true and unfettered emotion -- the layering of sounds only serves to further amplify -- and the segues are fantastic, rivaling perhaps the second side of Abbey Road. The irony here is the album's ability to make you feel as if you're falling in love despite lyrics such as "tell me where you were." Again, a bittersweetness that always leaves me wanting more. March 18, 2005

Absolutely beautifull album

Ive been a huge AW fan since the Gentlemen album, and have since purchased all of thier albums. In my oppinion, this album is just as good as any of the AW albums, if not better. No, it doesnt have the rock, but there is just as much heart, and maybe even more intelligent music. Alot of people said they werent that impressed about this album, but I cant understand why. June 29, 2004

it's not SUPPOSED to be the whigs, people!

yeah, yeah, it's not the whigs. but neither was "1965", in my opinion.

this is greg dulli. a little happier, freed up from rock angst, liberated by a drum machine. the guilt that fueled dulli in the whigs days, at least up to "black love", seems to have dissipated. now he's all about getting it on.

i loved the whigs, and i love "twilight." yes, they are very different entities, but after hearing "1965" you had to know where dulli was heading with his next project.

overproduced? yeah. but who cares? this is lush, get-it-on music. i have a copy of "love" before the fila brazilia extreme makeover, and it's great, but the album version fits perfectly into the feel of the record. sure, this album is not perfect, "annie mae" falls a little flat for some reason. but all of the other songs are very good, with some greatness scattered into the mix.

and let's not forget shawn smith and happy chichester. are there any less appreciated guys in music today? these guys are amazing talents, but no one's heard of them. the three part harmonies between these guys are heartbreaking.

so go out and get the record. and get the new howling maggie, too. January 9, 2004

All the surprise of a political campaign....

Why do I say that. This CD might have been highly awaited for had it not been in circulation before the final version finally dribbled out into the stores. So anyone who was into Greg Dulli had likely heard much of the cd or knew what to expect. All the surprise of a political campaign or looking at your X-Mas presents that have been hidden away from your prying eyes.

Taken as a singular entity Twilight is a fair enough album and would be marked as an interesting diversion. That it is the work of Greg Dulli, raises the bar considerably higher. Unfortunitely Twilight doe snot quite hit the mark. My key issue was the meeting of Dulli's signature soul oriented songsmanship with more of a techno/electronica sensibility. It is a sound that comes off as something of a compromise and slightly inorganic.

If you are a Dulli completist or are looking for something slightly different from the alternative rock subset this is a fair enough album to listen to over time. Don't expect to be blown over by it though. November 29, 2003

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