With bassy wardrums and a melody that swings like a sea shanty, the perpetually grim Mark Lanegan returns like a ghost with a chip on it’s shoulder. Alain Johannes’ (Eleven, Queens Of The Stone Age) reverb-soaked guitar work on the track soar, crash and echo as they follow Lanegan’s gravelly calls. From a fan’s perspective, had Mark Lanegan released another singer-songwriter song reminiscent of his back catalog there would be an air of disappointment, but it doesn’t fall short of expectations.
The song does have its drawbacks, though. After a career of over 25 years, it seems that Lanegan’s once-thoughtful lyrical brilliance have lost their luster due to over usage, whereas his sonic constructions have become more and more forward-thinking – a common criticism of practically all of his material since 2001’s Field Songs. It is, nonetheless, a truly remarkable song, a great departure from his recent work with Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian), and a great follow-up to Mark Lanegan Band’s 2004 release, Bubblegum.

