With the release of his new album Straight Songs Of Sorrow just over two weeks away on 8th May, and having previously shared the tracks ‘Skeleton Key’ and ‘Bleed All Over’, Mark Lanegan today shares a new track “Stockholm City Blues”; a sparse, beautiful, strings and finger-picking meditation on the remorse code of addiction, and one of the many standout tracks from the LP.
PRE-ORDER ‘MARK LANEGAN – STRAIGHT SONGS OF SORROW’ HERE
In addition to the track, a new playlist has been added to Mark Lanegan’s Vault, curated by Alison Mosshart of The Kills and The Dead Weather.
She’s says about Lanegan’s voice and performance:
“Mark’s voice freaks me out it’s so good. And I don’t mean good, like pretty or fancy. I mean, astonishing like thunder and sandpaper and the deepest darkest tone of a bell.
There’s smoke coming off it and dirt flying out. It flips me out. As far as men’s voices go, as far as men’s voices singing lyrics that slay you- he’s the first to the moon. I mean it. I sang on a few songs with him once, and I was so interested in hearing what he was doing, he and I face to face on two mics, that I forgot where I was and I couldn’t even hear myself screaming at the top of my lungs. I got swept away on his speeding train. He’s a master.”
‘The Vault‘ is an innovative web-based streaming platform powered by Spotify and Apple Music. By connecting to either platform, fans can explore Lanegan’s entire back-catalogue, from the genesis of his recording career in 1984 through to his latest album ‘Somebody’s Knocking.’ The Vault includes Lanegan’s solo material, his work with Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Isobel Campbell, and Soulsavers, as well as his many other collaborations and guest appearances. The platform lays out each key album with descriptions approved by Lanegan himself, giving fans an opportunity to engage further with this beloved artist’s wide-ranging body of work. The Vault also includes Mark Lanegan playlists created by fellow artists and kindred spirits. Playlist contributors so far include Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Dylan Carlson (Earth) and Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order).
LISTEN TO ALISON MOSSHART’S PLAYLIST & MORE HERE
Following the success of last year’s ‘Somebody’s Knocking’ LP, Mark Lanegan has announced the news of his new solo album, ‘Straight Songs Of Sorrow’, released 8th May.
The album, which is closely aligned to his forthcoming memoir, “Sing Backwards And Weep”, features guest appearances from Greg Dulli, Warren Ellis, John Paul Jones, Ed Harcourt and more.
The first pressing will be a crystal clear vinyl edition. Double Vinyl – Gatefold – Downloads available with each LP purchase. Standard CD also available.
When considering any great work of art, it’s natural to wonder what might have inspired it: ‘the story behind the song’. Mark Lanegan’s new album, ‘Straight Songs Of Sorrow’, flips that equation. Here are 15 songs inspired by a story: his life story, as documented by his own hand in his new memoir, ‘Sing Backwards And Weep’.
The book is a brutal, nerve-shredding read, thanks to Lanegan’s unsparing candour in recounting a journey from troubled youth in eastern Washington, through his drug-stained existence amid the ’90s Seattle rock scene, to an unlikely salvation at the dawn of the 21st century. There’s death and tragedy, yet also humour and hope, thanks to the tenacity which impels its host, even at his lowest moments.
‘Straight Songs Of Sorrow’ combines musical trace elements from early Mark Lanegan albums with the synthesized constructs of later work. The album feels both definitive and unique, a culmination of its creator’s arc yet also indicative of the energy that drives him onto future horizons. No wonder Lanegan is proud.
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