Bubblegum

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
IBubblegum/I is Mark Lanegan's sixth solo album, but still he's relatively unknown to all but a few. Since going solo, the former Screaming Trees frontman has attracted a cult following, but if a man can be judged by the stature of his friends, then surely IBubblegum/I marks the beginning of Lanegan's turn in the spotlight. Featuring such high-profile guests including PJ Harvey ("Hit the City" and "Come to Me"), Guns n'Roses / Velvet Revolver's Izzy Stradlin and Duff McKagan ("Strange Religion"), Afghan Whigs / Twilight Singers' frontman Greg Dulli ("Methamphetamine Blues") and Masters of Reality's Chris Goss (who shares production credits, as well as appearing on a number of songs), the songs on IBubblegum/I display a breadth of style that matches Lanegan's trademark depth of substance. And though he kept his profile comparatively low as a longterm collaborator with Queens of the Stone Age, his two bandmates Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri feature heavily throughout (Homme, in particular, plays guitar or drums on five of the tracks here). But this is by no means a QOTSA album. IBubblegum/I has a sound all its own, and Lanegan is firmly at the helm, with his gravelly voice and sombre observations making him sound more and more like Tom Waits. Its pleasures may not be immediate to all listeners, but once found, they're difficult to shake. I--Robert Burrow/I

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Customer reviews

review by: JB date: 2008-06-26 rating:
Stuck on Bubblegum
If you want grunge go elsewhere, this is all about pure songmanship with minimal background noise to take your attention away from the vocals. Lanegan's voice has developed beyond his Screaming Trees days and is more nicotine and bourbon soaked than ever here. There is a wide variety of styles here from folksy ballards to almost industrial rock with what sounds like an anvil instead of a drumkit (metamphetamine blues.) It's none the worse for it; something for all moods. Chris Goss (Masters of Reality occasional Queens of the Stone Age contributor) sings backing vocals on 100 days - just a wonderful atmospheric track. Izzy Stradlin plays on Strange Religion with a prominent cast of guest musicians, among which are PJ Harvey, Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age, Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs and Duff McKagan.

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review by: aguitarist date: 2007-11-22 rating:
best album of 2004??
I know i'm a bit late in writing this review but it's better late than never. br /I'm going to keep this relativley short and sweet. br /Mark Lanegan has one of those voices where it sounds as if he's been smoking all his life and has probably drank too much whiskey - but as it turns out he's all the better for it.. br /It is a very dark album though as all the songs are quite brooding and slow moving, to some they might even be depressing, but once you give a good listen the full way through as a whole (it might take you a couple of listens even, but you will definatley not regret it) you will/should realise that it is brilliant and completley original that way and quite honestly if anything were to be changed it wouldn't have anywhere near the same feeling it does in the first place. br /The best way to describe the sound of the album would be sorta modern day blues music (modern day meaning full band, electronic and synthed-up - there's even a punk-sounding song on there "sideways in reverse", but believe me that's far better than it sounds) combined with a bit of rock here-and-there. I think it's more of a winter sounding cd myself, but that hasn't stopped me playing it through the summer aswell (you'll understand that better when you listen to it). It is really hard to explain it properly but i would definatley recomend it if you heard and liked Mark's earlier cds, Screaming Trees, the new Soulsavers record, his work with Isobel Campbell, or even if you do like blues music itself... br /As i said before though it is a dark album which some may find depressing so you might need to prepare yourself for it, but us enlightend folk who can appreciate it fully can understand its brilliance and how no other cd can/could ever match up to it. br /With this cd i think Mark has definatley made the best album of 2004 in terms of musicality, song-writing and general feeling you get when you listen to it. br / br /It's one of those cds that you will be reaching for in years to come - i'm still playing it regularly since i bought it just after it came out 3 years ago. br /The only thing i regret is not going to see him when he was supporting this album, a mistake that i will not be making again! br / br /Definatley click the Buy It Now button A.S.A.P!! br /With this one you will definatley not regret it!!!

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review by: the doc date: 2007-09-25 rating:
The king of the blues
Screaming Trees were one of the most under-appreciated acts of the late 80s/early 90s, a swaggering, hip-shaking monster of a rock n roll band, and to those in the know, singer Mark Lanegan has one of the finest voices in rock. His post-Trees output has been astonishing, album after album of dark, moody, rootsy blues, so earthy that the CDs should come packed in a crate of soil, and this album is a worthy addition to his back catalogue. The folk and blues of his previous solo work are still writ large all over this, but he also reintroduces some grunge and rock elements, no doubt influenced by his stint as vocalist with QOTSA. This is no bad thing, and the drive of songs like Sideways in Reverse prove that he can still rock out with the best of them. The lyrics are as dark as ever, and the vocals are still hot enough to fry a steak on. He's still overlooked by many, but in years to come his monumental body of work will be discovered by a new generation of music fans and he will rightly take his place in the pantheon of American rock legends. Wonderful stuff.

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review by: date: 2007-04-21 rating:
Mark Lanegan - Better Than Nick Cave???
I feel like I've blasphemed writing the above sentence...*no one* comes close to Cave (well, except Michael Gira and Cathal Coughlan, but that's a subject for another time.). And up until this album, Lanegan didn't. While the Screaming Trees' liquid psychedelic-blues-garage-grunge was always magnificent, solo albums like 'Scraps At Midnight' and 'Field Songs', while possessing some beautiful moments, lacked the playful humour and experimentation the Cavester and Tom Waits put into their (superficially similar) musical terrain. br /No such quibbles here. If Johnny Cash had ever put his name to an album half as good as this, the man might have deserved his posthumous legacy a little more. Perhaps Lanegan's association with the mighty QOTSA has reignited a desire to rock out and take chances, because every song here is different, striking and memorable, overflowing with darkness, pathos, gallows humour and weary defiance. There are stark midnight confessionals like 'When Your Number Isn't Up' and 'Bombed', there are sweet slugs of garage-rock whiskey like 'Hit The City', 'Sideways In Reverse' and the awesome motorik-rhythmed 'Driving Death Valley Blues', which seems to have been seperated at birth from the Queens''Go With The Flow'. br /'Methamphetime Blues' is pure Waits, built on drum machines that'll sound primitivist rather than just dated in 20 years, and 'Can't Come Down' is the most abstract thing Lanegan has ever put his name to, a nightmarish swirl of electronics, tumbling drums and pleading vocals. And I have to mention 'Like Little Willie John', which channels the spirit of the blues better than self-conscious fashionista tarts like Jon Spencer and Jack White could ever manage. br /There are 15 songs here, so you certainly get a generous helping, and nothing is out of place or overlong (except maybe the outro of 'Morning Glory Wine', if I really wanted to nitpick). Listening to this and the Twilight Singers makes me salivate in anticipation for the hopefully forthcoming-very-soon Gutter Twins and the next QOTSA slice. Spending much of every day bombarded with skinny indie and godawful R'n'B, it's stuff like this that gives you hope for the future.


review by: date: 2007-01-17 rating:
Lanegan Beats The Devil ...
For just over 20 years Mark Lanegan has been an ambassador for `alternative' music in America: as the frontman for the undervalued Screaming Trees, Greg Dulli co-conspirator, Queens Of The Stone Age collaborator, and solo artist (not to mention many other guest appearances). br / br /There's no doubt that that Lanegan's stint in the `Desert Rock' outfit Queens Of The Stone Age has brought a fresh interest to his work, and it would appear that the band has maybe given him the hunger to once again bring his own brand of alternative rock to the music buying public. br / br /`Bubblegum' is Mark Lanegan's sixth solo album, and the first credited to the `Mark Lanegan Band' -- which Lanegan himself attributes to the absence of the ever-present Mike Johnson (who featured prominently on his earlier `low-key' solo releases) -- and is quite a departure from his previous solo work. br / br /Although the subtlety of his last few records is not absent, it is fair to say that `Bubblegum' is a cohesive collection of the singer's musical persona. It is his most rock orientated set since Screaming Trees' Dust, while being as devastatingly honest as `Scraps At Midnight'. In fact, this is quite unlike any other rock album. A remarkable achievement. br / br /It's unpredictable, desolate yet hopeful, beautiful and redemptive. br / br /`Bubblegum' is, in every sense, a staggering record. br /

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