Gutter Twins

Could one find a more fitting name for the pairing of Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers) and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age), seeming cast-offs from the grunge era whose low lives resulted in some of the most consistent rock of the '90s and '00s? These twins never glimmered as opulently as Mick and Keith, but neither their soul nor their hedonistic cred should be questioned; their menacing, aching tunes rarely pick up heads of steam but always pack emotional wallops. Hence, as orgies go, these dozen songs are less Caligula and more Lord of the Flies.